Monday, March 19, 2007

Mr Lethem leads the way

I don't know about you, but I have pretty much given up on expecting governments to do anything sensible. Furthermore, the big companies are motivated solely by proft, but then that is their raison d'etre, so it's no good complaining about that. And organised religion has shown itself to be deeply flawed. It therefore falls, it seems to me, to individuals to save the world.

One man who, in my opinion, is heading in roughly the right direction is the novelist Jonathan Lethem. He is the author of the novel Motherless Brooklyn, which I read with some interest a while back. And now he has just published a new novel, You Don't Love Me Yet. And in the case of this novel, he intends to deal with the film option and the ancillary rights in a rather unusual way.

To get the full details, you will have to read Jonathan's own account of what he is proposing to do, but basically he is offering film producers a free option on the book in return for two per cent of the budget (eventually) and an undertaking that, after five years, all the ancillary rights to the film and the novel will pass into the public domain.

'In other words,' says Lethem, 'after a waiting period during which those rights would still be restricted, anyone who cared to could make any number of other kinds of artwork based on the novel’s story and characters, or the film’s: a play, a television series, a comic book, a theme park ride, an opera – or even a sequel film or novel featuring the same characters. For that matter, they can remake the film with another script and new actors.'

Now this, you have to admit, is unusual. The question is, is it a smart move? Is it smart commercially, in the long or the short term? Because Jonathan does not make himself out to be a philanthropist -- he has to make a living. And is it smart in terms of reptuation, public interest, and creative interest? Is there a single film producer breathing who will not snort with derision at this naivety?

We shall see. In the meantime, it is certainly refreshing to find someone who is not so tight-arsed about copyright that he phones his lawyer every time someone quotes three sentences from what he has written.

Mr Lethem is also, by the way, the author of the most scholarly and fascinating essay that I have ever read on the subject of influence, copying, plagiarism, the use of famous characters in new works, et cetera et cetera. I particularly like his story about Muddy Waters telling how he 'wrote' the song 'Country Blues'.

'It becomes apparent,' says Lethem, 'that appropriation, mimicry, quotation, allusion, and sublimated collaboration consist of a kind of sine qua non of the creative act, cutting across all forms and genres in the realm of cultural production.' Think Romeo and Juliet and West Side Story.

And, when you get to the bit about Jefferson and the American constitution on the question of copyright, you might like to compare it with the ideas of Macaulay.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

This is delightful. To quote your Macaulay post, "...bad laws are ignored and flouted." That's exactly what has happened with the nightmarish copyright laws of today. Letham, along with a growing number of writers like Grumpy are, by their acts, making a statement. How much impact it will have over time it will have is hard to say, because many will not take them seriously, but I admire those acts and plan, with my mediocre offerings, to follow suit. Sometimes self-satisfaction is, truly, good enough for those of us warped enough to take pleasure in it.

David Isaak said...

Wonderful post, and a great article by Lethem. Though I'm inclined to believe that John Milton had a point when he argued that, "For such kind of borrowing as this, if it be not bettered by the borrowers, among good authors is accounted Plagiare."

Though 'bettered' is in the eye of the beholder, in my view applying Milton's dictum to Nabokov's appropriation of "Lolita", whether conscious or unconscious, says that it can't have been plagiarism.

Suzan Abrams, email: suzanabrams@live.co.uk said...

I agree with Andrew O'Hara.
This is the road less-travelled.

A case of high beauty in obscurity, art before business & solitary pleasures before work in relation to a writer's chosen aptitude. It is the writing craft fulfilling a deeper need beyond dollars and cents.

But the plan after 5 years still feels vague and 5 years is a long time.

How sure is Lethem that he will not change his mind? He also needs to be very clear on the possibility, that commercially, depending on how the game is played & personalities of the players involved, he could end up gaining absolutely nothing at all.

julia said...

I agree that Jonathon Lethem is engaging in a fairly controversial act here, but I have to question what communities it will resonate with. For instance, the making of bestselling books into movies makes news in entertainment magazines, and overall with mainstream America. (Think Harry Potter here. There are countdowns to movie and book releases everywhere. Even the filming of The Other Boleyn Girl has made entertainment news. But aside from the literary community, and to be perfectly honest, this blog I’d yet to hear of Lethem’s offer. When was it announced? (As time may play a part in information reaching me.) Lethem’s offer and decision here is impressive and revolutionary, yes, but I can’t help but wonder if it also falls on the side of egotistical. After all, the outright assumption that the rights will be picked up isn’t something to be made by the author that hopes first for step one: his book to sell. At the same time, I can see emerging filmmakers picking up on this option as a way to break into the industry and so Lethem here is furthering the development of the arts and opening opportunities to others beyond himself. Despite the presupposed arrogance, this is a cutting edge in that it gives a certain amount of power to authors confident in their work. Further, I can’t help but ignore the thought that occasionally it does take a bit of arrogance in an individual who works effectively for change.

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Mopsa said...

So sorry for dragging the tone down to below ankle level, but you have been nominated (probably not for the first time) for a Thinking Blogger Award. Congrats.

Dick Headley said...

Great post Tim. And what an amazing essay by Letham...The Ecstasy of Influence. Thanks.

Dick Headley said...

Sorry...I mean great post Michael. And Lethem not Letham. Morning after.

andrea said...

Lethem's plan might benefit him financially if the presupposed movie makes him famous enough that anyone making the connection between the film and/or future public domain use of the novel to the original might go back and look at its source. I often do that when I see a movie or read something that has connections to an earlier novel. And reputable writers will source him to protect their own reputations/do the right thing. If I'm reading this correctly then I'd say it's a risk but a calculated one.

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