In 1997, a newly discovered and previously unpublished poem by the much-loved American poet Emily Dickinson appeared in the Sotheby’s auction catalogue. There was great excitement at the idea that a new work by this iconic artist had come to light, as if a new Shakespeare Sonnet had been found locked in a trunk in a Stratford-upon-Avon attic, or an unknown Picasso had been stumbled upon at a car boot sale.
After the poem was sold at auction and brought back to Emily’s home town of Amherst, with much fanfare, it was revealed to be a brilliant fake. It had been created by a man called Mark Hofmann, a convicted double murderer once dubbed the ‘greatest forger of the 20th century’. He had not only matched the paper, handwriting and pencil with astounding historical accuracy but he had produced a new Dickinson work that passed as authentic.
How was a convicted killer able to craft a poem so convincingly that it fooled leading Emily Dickinson scholars and experts in historical documents? The poet famously lived much of her life as a recluse, producing her works from the bedroom of her father’s house in Massachusetts. She chose not to publish during her lifetime and hand-sewn booklets containing some 1,800 poems were discovered in a locked box in her room after her death.
This programme explores why Dickinson continues to fascinate, and what Hofmann's fake poem might tell us about the true poet’s work and life.
The writer and journalist Simon Worrall unfolds a gripping true story of poetry, murder and the art of forgery.
Produced by Mair Bosworth for the BBC
Size 25MB. Length 28 Minutes. Bitrate 128kbps
If this has whetted your appetite for Emily Dickinson’s work; Anson (Bob) Roberts has posted collections of her poetry and letters in the Poetry Group. It is well worth a visit.
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