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Poll: an important author wills that his unseen manuscript be burned unpublished upon his death. Comply, or publish it anyway?

Posted by Max Nov 19 '09, 10:06

the catalyst: Nabokov's "The Original of Laura" was apparently published posthumously against his wishes.

Responses:

Publish. The dead have no rights! - Dr.Vermin Nov 19, 10:34
I think the important parallel is with Tupac's unfinished rhymes. -- nm - Reagen Nov 19, 10:19 2
- That would only be true if Tupac were really dea....I think I've said too much. (nm) - musubi Nov 19, 10:22 1
  - "Was Tupac a Narc?" -- nm - internet headline tomorrow Nov 19, 10:27
my mom is no author, but she's told me I must under no circumstances read her diaries after she dies. - mafic Nov 19, 10:17 3
- will you be *tempted* to read them? -- nm - Elf Andie Nov 19, 10:19
- that line sounds like the opening to a horror movie. -- nm - Reagen Nov 19, 10:18 1
  - or a lead-in to a Reaper spinoff -- nm - Beryllium Nov 19, 10:20
i'd at least read it first to see if it's any good.. -- nm - i'm not dead yet ! Nov 19, 10:16
Profit. -- nm - Will Hunting Nov 19, 10:12 1
- "Joe Jackson si" -- nm - Beryllium Nov 19, 10:13
adapt it into a screenplay then you technically aren't publishing that work -- nm - zork Nov 19, 10:12 1
- oh, and put your own name on it. Since it's unseen, nobody could prove it's not yours! -- nm - zork Nov 19, 10:16
I'd read it, read it, make a personal copy then comply with the burn wish. (nm) - musubi Nov 19, 10:10 1
- I think I just textually stuttered. (nm) - musubi Nov 19, 10:10
probably neither. i wouldn't publish, but i might keep it. -- nm - Elf Andie Nov 19, 10:10
[deleted]
Digitize then burn. Send it to selected people. See what they think. -- nm - mara Nov 19, 10:08 2
- but if it becomes a hit, the original would be worth a fortune -- nm - zork Nov 19, 10:10 1
  - Eh. -- nm - mara Nov 19, 10:11
Comply. -- nm - Krusty Nov 19, 10:08
burn it. -- nm - Jim Nov 19, 10:08
Like he's gonna know. Publish it. -- nm - JaxSean Nov 19, 10:08
if he wanted it destroyed he should have done it himself. -- nm - loosilu Nov 19, 10:07 43
- or he kept it around, knowing that it wasn't his best work, but hoping to revisit it at some point... -- nm - znufrii Nov 19, 10:11 34
  - right, it means something to him, he knows it's not 'right', but he doesn't want it published as is. -- nm - Elf Andie Nov 19, 10:12 13
    - what if we were talking about a found work of Shakespeare, Twain, Picasso, etc.? -- nm - zork Nov 19, 10:20 6
      - Picasso left crap all over the place and didn't care if it was bad -- nm - loosilu Nov 19, 10:28 1
        
        I was positing if they had given such a provision -- nm - zork Nov 19, 10:32
      - no instructions to destroy? publish away. -- nm - Elf Andie Nov 19, 10:20 3
        
        I meant if it someone this historically important had given these instructions and a "new" work was found? -- nm - zork Nov 19, 10:23 2
        
        i know that it WOULD get published, but i really don't think it should. -- nm - Elf Andie Nov 19, 10:24 1
        
        I hear you, although I wonder if lapse of copyright would mean that those estates would be able to control it anyway. -- nm - zork Nov 19, 10:27
    - That having been said, however, I do think there is academic and artistic merit in publishing it anyway. -- nm - znufrii Nov 19, 10:17 5
      - ST is just not respecting personal wishes today. -- nm - Elf Andie Nov 19, 10:18 4
        
        I like how some people will respect the wishes of the new mom...but not the dead author. Hmmm.... -- nm - Jim Nov 19, 10:32 2
        
        there's one crucial difference in those scenarios - znufrii Nov 19, 10:39
        
        [deleted]
        
        [deleted]
  - ding. I'd bet this is it. -- nm - Jim Nov 19, 10:11
  - then it would be stupid to order it destroyed. -- nm - loosilu Nov 19, 10:11 18
    - if he didn't feel it was up to his standards, and it's inferior quality would besmirch his good name, why would he want to risk it being published? -- nm - znufrii Nov 19, 10:13
    - Huh? -- nm - mara Nov 19, 10:13
    - he knows it's not his best work as it is, he doesn't want it published in it's current form. seems fair. -- nm - Elf Andie Nov 19, 10:12 10
      - but by including this provision in the will seems that he's admitting that he'll never revise it -- nm - zork Nov 19, 10:14 8
        
        he can always take that out of the will if and when he does complete it to his satisfaction. -- nm - znufrii Nov 19, 10:16 1
        
        because people are soooo good at revising wills in timely manners! -- nm - zork Nov 19, 10:21
        
        Or he includes in the hopes that if he recovers from aserious illness he'll get a chance to revisit. if not.....(nm) - musubi Nov 19, 10:16
        
        not really. things happen, he could be killed by a bus. actually, if i was a famous writer with 'incomplete' works i'd probably make that a standard - Elf Andie Nov 19, 10:15 4
        
        The will could also have not been specific. "Please destroy any unpublished manuscripts upon my death." -- nm - Jim Nov 19, 10:16 3
        
        exactly. -- nm - Elf Andie Nov 19, 10:17 2
        
        what if he did revise it without telling anyone, didn't get around to changing the will and then died suddenly? -- nm - zork Nov 19, 10:18 1
        
        then too bad for humanity. -- nm - Elf Andie Nov 19, 10:18
      - ok, I can see that. -- nm - loosilu Nov 19, 10:14
    - because after he died he'd be able to revisit it? -- nm - Jim Nov 19, 10:12 4
      - "I'm sick. If I live, I'll go and revisit it. But in case I die, please destroy what I've done so far" -- nm - Roger More Nov 19, 10:15 1
        
        Exactly. -- nm - Jim Nov 19, 10:16
      - Sure, haven't you ever heard of.....Ghost Writers. *rimshot* (nm) - musubi Nov 19, 10:14 1
        
        I can see I'm not needed on B1 today ... :) -- nm - Beryllium Nov 19, 10:15
- If your health is failing rapidly, you might not have a chance -- nm - Roger More Nov 19, 10:10 5
  - if he was healthy enough to put it in the will, he was healthy enough to do it. -- nm - loosilu Nov 19, 10:11 4
    - he could have directed anyone to burn it before he passed -- nm - zork Nov 19, 10:13 3
      - which he did, by putting it in the will :) -- nm - Roger More Nov 19, 10:13 2
        
        if he didn't say "burn it now" then he didn't mean it :-p -- nm - zork Nov 19, 10:15 1
        
        Who really knows when they are going to die? People die suddenly, or recover unexpectedly. -- nm - Roger More Nov 19, 10:16
- good point. sounds like he wanted the publicity to make it sell more. -- nm - zork Nov 19, 10:08 1
  - seriously ... if I don't like a painting, I'll throw it out. wtf. -- nm - loosilu Nov 19, 10:10
Comply. -- nm - ReluctantCynic Nov 19, 10:07

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Poll: an important author wills that his unseen manuscript be burned unpublished upon his death. Comply, or publish it anyway?

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