Stephen Glass: The Fabulist

When I was in journalism school we did a lot of reading and talking about Jason Blair and in doing so, Stephen Glass would usually come up as a footnote. I'm not sure if it was because Jason Blair wrote for the New York Times rather than the New Republic like Glass, or whether it was his sins were greater or more brazen but he seemed to get the lion's share of the press. Although I'm sure Stephen Glasss didn't feel that way.

The Fabulist is a novel...not an autobiography. Although it sure reads like an autobiography. I have to say that I found the book well written and extremely funny..."laugh-out-loud funny...the side-splitter of the season!" (Sorry...thought I was writing a movie review there for a second.)I can see how someone like Stephen Glass got himself in so deep.

He is a good writer and probably very charismatic. Inside though he desperately needed approval from everyone in his life. His parents, his girlfriend, his fellow journalists and his readers. So, when the story fell short, he filled in the blanks. He was a hot-shot who wrote witty, political and hard hitting stories. He was in way over his head. And, he was a fabulist who could spins yarns that were both believable and entertaining. People wanted the stories to be real, which is partly what kept Stephen Glass in business for so long.

In reading his "novel" you really feel for the guy. Of course it's told from his perspective...and he is a self-admitted liar. But, I digress. It's comical and a fairly easy read and it makes you think about journalism and the fine line between a good story and a good yarn.