Radio New Zealand - Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa

Writer resigns after fabricating quotations

Updated at 5:48 am on 1 August 2012

A writer with the New Yorker magazine has resigned after admitting fabricating quotations by the singer Bob Dylan in a recent book.

Jonah Lehrer, 31, acknowledged improperly combining existing quotes, and lying about it when challenged.

He initially insisted the material came from archival footage passed to him by Dylan's representatives.

Shipments of the book, which was published in March, have been halted.

The BBC reports that Lehrer was already out of favour at the New Yorker, which is known for its thorough fact checking, after he admitted last month having recycled passages for the magazine that he had written for previous publications.

Among the quotes that were called into question was one that first appeared in a 1960s documentary Don't Look Back. When asked about his songs, Dylan says ''I just write them. There's no great message.''

In his book, Lehrer added a third sentence - ''Stop asking me to explain'' - that does not appear in the film.

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