FYI.

This story is over 5 years old.

Music

'Author: The JT Leroy Story' Goes Inside One of the Greatest Scandals in Modern Literature

Director Jeff Feurzeig's film tells us the story of Laura Albert, the woman who fooled the nation with her fictional alter-ego.

In 2005, New York magazine dropped a bomb on the world of letters when it floated the since-confirmed idea that JT LeRoy—the literary prodigy known for harrowing tales of troubled youth—might actually be a woman named Laura Albert who previously worked as a phone sex operator.

Author: The JT LeRoy Story is the new film that reveals how Albert made waves for a decade before being unmasked. The story shows how Albert had no choice but to use an alternate identity if she was going to achieve self-actualization via literature.

Give the trailer a watch above.

Make sure to catch director Jeff Feurzeig's film, produced by VICE, in theaters this September.