ST Alpha - "if he wanted it destroyed he should have done it himself. -- nm" (Reading a Post)

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In response to "Poll: an important author wills that his unseen manuscript be burned unpublished upon his death. Comply, or publish it anyway?" by Max

if he wanted it destroyed he should have done it himself. -- nm

Posted by loosilu (aka loosilu2) Nov 19 '09, 10:07

(No message)

Responses:

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

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