from The Institute of Contemporary Arts
Blasphemy with James Frey & Mark Vernon
13 April 2011
£12 / £11 concessions / £10 ICA Members
James Frey became a best-selling author on the back of his Oprah-approved memoir A Million Little Pieces. This fame turned to infamy when it was revealed that the book was not entirely based on fact and was followed by a public apology on Oprah’s show. In his new (and fictional) book he presents a story of a man who may be the Messiah or may be the second coming of Christ, written in the manner of the Gospels and told by those around him. His publishers expect feathers to be ruffled, especially in the Christian world which may well see his version of Jesus as blasphemous.
Mark Vernon ex-vicar has the dubious honour of being one of the last people in Britain to be charged with blasphemy for content on his gay and lesbian Christian website. His March Radio 4 series In Doubt We Trust looks at the relationship between religion and doubt and how notions of truth and story telling are understood in this context.
This discussion promises to be a fascinating insight into the process of writing fiction, what fiction really is, what its relationship with truth is and what blasphemy might mean today.