Paul Maliszewski – författare

Paper Placemats is a book of 40 paper placemats, printed with work by 30 artists and ten writers. Each placemat can be ripped out and used. Contributors were asked to submit work having to do with “Place.” Conceived as a public art project, the placemats were donated to restaurants across the U.S. in 2004/5 with the help of volunteers in each state. Additional copies are sold to cover the costs of production.Contributors include Jennifer Arnow, Amie Barrodale, Jeff Billak, Blixie, Ryan Blomberg, Helen Chough, Fern Cogley, Steve Featherstone, Ted Fair, April Gertler, Michelangelo Iaffaldano, Paul Marlow, Michael Martone, Eileen Maxson, Michael Northrup, Amy O’Neill, Ed Panar, Tim Parrish, Christian Patterson, Gus Powell, Alex Romero, Hadley Ross, Matt Salacuse, Matthew Sandager, Joanna Scott, Ross Schwartzman, Hasanthika Sirisena, Ben Skinner, Gwen Smith, Gilbert Sorrentino, Barry Stone, Zach Storm, Ashley Thayer, Miriam Toews, Lars Tunbjork, Paul West and Lloyd Ziff.

J & L Books’ acclaimed J & L Illustrated series presents handsomely designed paperback volumes of fiction and art at an affordable price. Shout magazine wrote of the first volume, published in 2002: “This impressive collection of illustrations and fiction makes sense of the world like good liquor should.” Edited by writer Paul Maliszewski (author of Prayer and Parable and Fakers), this third volume of J & L Illustrated is comprised of 13 short stories by authors Amie Barrodale, Scott Bradfield, Stephen Dixon, Steve Featherstone, William H. Gass, Michael Martone, Joseph McElroy, Elizabeth Miller, Robert Nedelkoff, Hasanthikia Sirisena, Steve Stern, Mike Topp and Xiaoda Xiao. The Paris-based artist Shoboshobo provides accompanying drawings.

A fascinating exploration of the varieties of faking, from its historical root in satire and con artistry to its current boom in popularity. Including tales from the New York Sun's 1835 moon hoax, to Maliszewski's own satiric letters which he duplicitously sent to his editor whilst working as a reporter, and the invented poet Ern Malley, he explains why fakers almost always find believers and flourish. Since 1997, the author has researched fakers, asking why they disembled and how believers were fooled. Fakers exposes much about belief, forgery and truth.