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2008 > September > 01 > Entry
By Michael Barnes
| Monday, September 1, 2008, 02:13 PM
Evan Smith must be kicking himself purple for missing a chance at the
Frederic Bourdin story for his Texas Monthly.
David Grann’s compelling article about “The Chameleon,” an adult who impersonated adolescents, peels away narrative layers as easily and pungently as a ripe onion. The tale, told in the
Aug. 11 & 18 issue of The New Yorker, starts and ends in Bourdin’s native France, but a good chunk takes place in San Antonio and a “desolate wooded area” called Spring Branch, 35 miles north of SA, just south of Texas 306 on U.S. 281.
There, Bourdin impersonated a lost teen,
Nicholas Barclay, despite the fact that Barclay was blond, tattooed, American and many years younger than the Algerian Frenchman. People will believe what they want to believe, especially if they hide motives of their own, as did Barclay’s mother and half-brother. Thanks to
Goeff West for recommending the article, which really could have landed in Smith’s TM, where so many similar true-crime stories have been told.
On a completely different subject, we keep hearing rumors that editor Smith is being recruited by a major American newspaper on the East Coast. Of course, we want the best for Smith, who has been a loyal friend to Austin and Texas, but we’d also miss his and Julia’s presence on the local scene, where the pair are invested in so many crucial causes.
Photograph by Francois-Marie Banier for The New Yorker.
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By Christian
September 2, 2008 9:44 PM | Link to this
I seriously can not imagine people going along with the idea that this guy was supposed to be a teenager. A very interesting article.
By Julie
September 2, 2008 2:44 PM | Link to this
Yes! Ditto. A totally fascinating article. And just...unbelievable! One of the most memorable, oddball stories I've read of late.
By Alison Willis
September 1, 2008 4:28 PM | Link to this
This is a great article. I came across it a couple of weeks ago in my copy of The New Yorker. The article is a fascinating look into the mind of a sociopathic pathological liar. And Mr. Bourdin is a convincing one! The New Yorker is one of my favorite magazines. Yes, Texas Monthly should have jumped on this one.