TCNJ Issues Fatwa Against Author

When one writes a fictional story about a death that is pretty much 100 percent “ripped from the headlines” — thanks, Dick Wolf — the people who, oh, I don’t know, knew the person who died sometimes get a little upset.

Such is the case with author Joyce Carol Oates, whose “Landfill,” a short story in last week’s New Yorker, is almost completely based on the tale of John A. Fiocco Jr., a College of New Jersey student who disappeared and was found in a landfill in Bucks County.

Okay, the short story isn’t really that much like the actual event aside from the actual plot outline, but, hey, if you write something ripped from the headlines, you have to expect some people might have some criticism. And one of them is The College of New Jersey, which had a college spokesman say that although she can write about whatever she wants, there “are also people who were close to John and were loved ones who might have a difficult time with the story.”

Fair enough. You think Ms. Oates would simply take the criticism, possibly give a “I’m sorry you feel that way” apology and move on. Nope, though. Here’s her response:

In an e-mail sent Wednesday to The Associated Press, she likened the school’s criticism to the reaction of Muslim fundamentalists who issued a fatwa, or religious edict, against Salman Rushdie for his “The Satanic Verses.” She said it is a case in which a writer draws upon real events to write a fictional story, but is then met with “astonishing hostility on the part of people who do not ‘read’ fiction as symbolic or representational, but literal.”

What the fuck? What the hell does that mean? So, basically, she compares herself to someone who had death threats against him and then mocks people who are upset about her story as not being smart enough to read it the way she thinks you should. Yeah, quite a strategy there! “I’m sorry you were upset my story was sort of based on your son’s death, but you’re too stupid to figure it out. Here, have a copy of Them.”

Landfill [NYer]
College criticizes author over story based on student’s death [AP/Camden Courier Post]