Living Without LeRoy

With her new memoir, literary co-hoaxer Savannah Knoop steps out of JT LeRoy's shadow. But can she step out of Laura Albert's?

Comments (0) By Jonathan Kiefer Wednesday, Nov 5 2008

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Thinking back, she remembered hoping they both could be on the same page about the JT LeRoy experience now. When the thought of writing a book about it all first came to her mind, Knoop instinctively turned to Albert, her prolific inspiration, hoping they might write it together. But eventually she got the message: That wouldn't work; she'd have to sort it out alone.

And she started to, in the book:

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"At the readings in New York and Los Angeles, I met fans who were hungry for JT's acknowledgement. They told me how the books had affected them, and they recounted their own life stories. I listened silently and held their hands. I rationalized to myself that JT was a conduit for many people who had suffered and survived. JT existed as a force of energy flying above our heads, a symbol of hope for those who had undergone the same kind of trauma and lived through it. Laura, JT and I were a trinity. I didn't know what our mission was yet, but I knew it was something bigger than our trivial problems and rivalries."

It's true that what makes you a literary golem or a Zelig or patsy is not easy to define, but what makes you a writer is writing.

After her small parade of self-exposure had been staged and applauded, Knoop sat in the back room signing books, comfortably it seemed, as herself.