3) Muriel Gray lied to the audience
Muriel Gray : "this guy wrote to HarperCollins and said she's - like one of these kind of Stephen King things - she's stolen my story."
[I am the guy.]
Questions
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Why did Muriel Gray lie to the audience? She stated that my book was “practically the double” of hers - I agree and that is why I wrote to HarperCollins - but she then lied that my book was written “long after” hers. What is the implication of this lie?
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My book was written three years before hers – I have the evidence to prove it – she employed a team of high class lawyers to prevent me showing my evidence. What is the implication of this?
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Why did Muriel Gray refer to me as a “nutter”? What was her purpose in this?
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An elaborate deception was undertaken to fake the date of Muriel Gray's book 'The Ancient' as year 2000. No book of that date exists. Who did this? Why was this done?
Background to Muriel Gray's lie
Ms Gray’s expert opinion [below] was that my book was, “…practically the double” of hers. But, in the same sentence, Ms Gray went on to inform the audience that I had not written my work until, “long after, you know, the book had actually been in print.”
Muriel Gray lied to the audience. Why?
Ms Gray also gave the audience her opinion of the HarperCollins involvement;-
"And the lawyer sent this letter back to him and said, it was one of the most insulting things, he said: we can see the similarities but that's simply because of the clichéd nature of the material (big laugh)."
HarperCollins wrote to me on 3 Oct 2001 [cc: Ms Gray and Michael Fishwick (Harper Collins Publishing Director)]. Their letter began;-
Dear Mr Widders
Plagiarism claim on Muriel Gray's 'The Ancient' ('the Work')
We write further to your letters of 9 August 2001, and 11 September 2001, 1 October 2001 and our letters of 16 August 2001, and 12 September 2001. We have now had the opportunity to consider the points you raise in detail and have discussed the matter at some length, with external Intellectual Property Counsel. We have the following comments to make:-
… …
3. Ms Gray ('the Author') has assured us that she has never seen the manuscript for The Flight of the Shaman ('FS') nor has she discussed the story line with any other member of the literary/publishing profession prior to, or during writing the Work which was published this year.
Here is what took place in 2001;-
- I wrote to HarperCollins on 9 August 2001, I stated (in Ms Gray’s words) “she's stolen my story.” I informed HarperCollins that my work was, “…completed in 1998 after 18 months of solid work.”
- Six detailed and lengthy letters were exchanged between HarperCollins and I.
- HarperCollins examined both Ms Gray’s and my work – ‘The Ancient’ is 78,000 words in length, ‘Flight of the Shaman’ is 180,000 words.
- The matter was discussed at length with external Intellectual Property Counsel.
- Ms Gray gave assurances to HarperCollins.
In the 2004 interview Ms Gray informed the audience that my work was written “long after” her work. If Ms Gray had been correct, and had the evidence to prove it, HarperCollins lawyers would have lost no time in informing me of such. It would have been a totally pointless exercise carrying out the lengthy investigation, etc. detailed above.
Ms Gray knew that my work was not written "long after" her work. Muriel Gray lied. Why did she lie?
For Muriel Gray to be able to prove her statement to the audience - that my book was written long after hers - required evidence. Ms Gray's legal team acted to protect Ms Gray from having to show her evidence - I have my evidence - I wanted to show it. And so, the only evidence in existence is [as stated in my letter to HarperCollins of 9 Aug 2001] that my book was, “…completed in 1998 after 18 months of solid work.” Muriel Gray lied. Why did she lie?
I am able to prove my date of 1998 - a full three years before Ms Gray's book 'The Ancient.' And yet Muriel Gray told the audience that my book was written "long after" hers. Muriel Gray lied. Why did she lie?
Expert Opinion
In 2007, as chair of a prestigious literary award, she expressed the following opinions;-
Wikipedia/Orange_Prize_for_Fiction
"The Orange Prize for Fiction ... is one of the United Kingdom's most prestigious literary prizes."...
'The 2007 shortlist was decried for being derived from '... a lot of dross ...' by the chair of the judging panel Muriel Gray" [links to Wiki entry].
Guardian 21 March 2007
"As a judge in this year's Orange prize, it's hard to ignore the sheer volume of thinly disguised autobiographical writing from women on small-scale domestic themes such as motherhood, boyfriend troubles and tiny family dramas. These writers appear to have forgotten the fundamental imperative of fiction writing. It's called making stuff up."
My undertaking
If there is anything that I have stated on this site that is not correct; if Muriel Gray, Harper Collins, Browne Jacobson, or any person(s) mentioned in these pages, contacts me and provides the evidence or counter argument to show that I am not correct, or...
if there is anything that I have stated that anybody believes misrepresents them in any way, if they provide me with their arguments...
then, if necessary, I will consider removing the material, and/or publish a correction, and/or apologise.
If I do not hear anything (nobody has complained to me since I set up this site in March 2010) then I can only assume the accuracy of everything on this site, and that nobody has been misrepresented in any way.
G Widders |
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My undertaking
If there is anything that I have stated on this site that is not correct; if Muriel Gray, Harper Collins, Browne Jacobson, or any person(s) mentioned in these pages, contacts me and provides the evidence or counter argument to show that I am not correct, or...
if there is anything that I have stated that anybody believes misrepresents them in any way, if they provide me with their arguments...
then, if necessary, I will consider removing the material, and/or publish a correction, and/or apologise.
If I do not hear anything (nobody has complained to me since I set up this site in March 2010) then I can only assume the accuracy of everything on this site, and that nobody has been misrepresented in any way.
G Widders |
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