The Mystery of J.T. LeRoy

I saw it on SFGate and the front page of the San Francisco Chronicle, but it was the New York Times who broke the story, unraveling the pieces to what has been a great literary mystery. The mystery is that of J.T. LeRoy, a young San Francisco-based writer who has been the subject of speculation since the release of his first novel, "Sarah," in 2001. The details that first emerged about Leroy were compelling - a young man rescued from his life as a truck-stop prostitute by San Francisco couple Laura Albert and Geoffrey Knoop, treated by a psychiatrist, then emerging in his late teens as a music writer, literary editor, and novelist. The reclusive writer rarely appeared in public, and often had authors read on his behalf. He found friendship and support from the likes of Dave Eggers, Gus Van Sant, Tatum O'Neal and Billy Corgan.

The reclusiveness fueled mystery. In October 2005, Stephen Beachy wrote in New York Magazine, "Even if J.T. didn'’t show his face, we could still assume that anytime he had an event — and there were many — he was there, somewhere; we just couldn'’t see him." Speculation began to arise about the identity of the actual writer - whether it was this shy, blonde figure in dark glasses who was writing "Howard's End" and "The Heart is Deceitful of All Things," cutting a movie deal for the latter (directed by Asia Argento), and penning lyrics for the band Thistle. Given that he handled most of his business over the phone and often through Albert or Knoop, few associates, friends and writers had actually met him. Beachy writes, "We can never know for sure whose on the other end of a screen name or a phone line, and given that these are J.T.'s two chosen media, the possibilities of his identity seemed endless."

The blonde in dark glasses has been unmasked by the New York Times, as Savannah Knoop, half-sister of Geoffrey Knoop. Warren St. John writes, "A photograph of Ms. Knoop at a 2003 opening for a clothing store in San Francisco was discovered online. Five intimates, including his literary agent, his business manager and the producer of a forthcoming movie based on one of his books, were shown the photograph and identified Ms. Knoop as the person they have known as JT Leroy." Speculation now is that Leroy is merely the creation of Laura and Albert, as a means to promote their music career, and gain access to the world of the social and literary elite. The scheme fooled just about everyone, including LeRoy's literary agent.

I have never read any of LeRoy's novels, just short essays and stories from various collections. Having worked at two San Francisco bookstores, one in the heart of the Castro district, I know what he meant to that literary scene and social community. Given that his voice emerged as one of inspiration for those dealing with their own struggle, I would expect some serious backlash from those communities with the release of his next book, "Labour" in July. On the otherhand, these unravelings only make the matter more fascinating and maybe it is all still part of the scheme Laura and Albert have been hatching.

Now ... sip on some vanilla coke and read Susie Bright's "You're No J.T. LeRoy, Thank God" all about how she was "duped."