As human beings, we love reading or hearing stories. This behavior will never change, as it is a part of our curiosity. No matter how exciting, frightening, shocking or even boring they may be, we tend to listen to stories, at least in part.
However, due to reading, these stories become a part of life and create their own culture. Reading and writing novels have always been a trend, no matter which period of history we are talking about. Therefore, we encounter some of these interesting moments every now and then.
Apart from the novels known to the majority, there was a specific book that became popular in a short time. It was probably the weirdest book ever “written”.
I don’t know how many of you have heard of the novel called “I, Libertine”, but it was a success among intellectual communities. It was the first book of a trilogy, they say.
Photo by Jaredd Craig on Unsplash
Back in the 1950s, one day, a radio host talked about a novel and praised it so much. The devoted listeners, obviously, rushed to the bookstore the next day to buy that so-called successful novel.
However, no one, not even the bookstores, had that book. They were in a surprising position. The funnier thing is, the critics and publishers also wanted to learn more about it, yet they failed too. But such important authorities can’t deny the fact that they had already read the book. So they already “knew” about the book.
Now, what can you write about a novel as a critic or talk about it as a reader if you haven’t? Especially if you can’t deny the fact that you did not read it. Well, you would either lie or contribute to the topic with some general knowledge. And that is what they all did.
Some said that they “didn’t like” it, some said it was about time to “discover” this author already! It was a huge success, “what an excellent work of art!”
The news spread throughout the countries, and all of them mentioned that novel as a bestseller as well. Can you believe it?
Now the point about this brilliant book is, it didn’t exist at all. That is right, there was no such book. Yet, people acted like it did. Not because they were aware but because they weren’t. They all had the urge to feel like they already knew all along.
Due to the fear of missing out on a popular novel, readers — who possibly think themselves as an intellectual person— pretended that they had read the book. It became a bestseller, the newspapers applauded it, critics praised or criticized it.
It was the plan of the radio host since the beginning. Because he was sick of these intellectuals’ posh, careless, and know-it-all attitude. This was a play.
The funnier part of this story is, some told him to write such a book, and he did. Guess what happened then? Yes, it became a bestseller. Was that a part of a long-term plan on marketing a book that he didn’t write yet? You decide.
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