FictionAddiction.NET

Berkley Books, a division of Penguin, has canceled the February release of Angel at the Fence after the author admitted his story is untrue. Herman Rosenblat says he did not meet his wife while he was in a Nazi concentration camp, which was the basis of his memoir.

Rosenblat's agent, publisher, film producers and even Oprah Winfrey all believed his story of how his future wife would sneak to the fence to bring him apples and bread. He now says he wrote the embellished tale as a memoir to "bring happiness to people."

This is the second time this year Penguin has parted ways with an author over a faked memoir. In March, the publisher pulled Love and Consequences by Margaret B. Jones when she confessed that she made up the story of making friends with gang members in South-Central Los Angeles.

Berkley Books originally defended Rosenblat's memoir even after scholars questioned the story's validity. Now the publisher says it will demand all of the money paid to Rosenblat and his literary agent Andrea Hurst back.