It is the dirty little literary secret of which most are guilty but few openly admit: pretending to have read highbrow books like War and Peace to make ourselves appear more intelligent and sexy than we actually are.
By Stephen Adams, Arts Correspondent, The Telegraph 05 Mar 2009
Under the cover of an anonymous questionnaire, two-thirds of people admitted to fibbing about having read a book Photo: GETTY
Languishing on shelves up and down the country are copies of such worthy tomes as Leo Tolstoy's epic, George Orwell's political allegory 1984 and James Joyce's Modernist classic, Ulysses.
But while we like to brag about how we have read - and understood - them, most of us simply lie, according to a survey released to mark World Book Day today.
Under the cover of an anonymous questionnaire, two-thirds of people admitted to fibbing about having read a book.
Surprisingly, given its brevity and pace, 1984 heads the top 10 list of books we falsely claim to have read.
But while we like to brag about how we have read - and understood - them, most of us simply lie, according to a survey released to mark World Book Day today.
Under the cover of an anonymous questionnaire, two-thirds of people admitted to fibbing about having read a book.
Surprisingly, given its brevity and pace, 1984 heads the top 10 list of books we falsely claim to have read.
The rest of the list is largely predictable, stuffed full of weighty volumes most have seen dramatised on television but not read line by endless line.
Besides War and Peace and Ulysses – which can both exceed 1,000 pages depending on edition – other unread works include the Bible, Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert and A Brief History of Time, by Professor Stephen Hawking.
Many also bluffed about reading classics by the likes of Jane Austen, Charles Dickens and the Brontë sisters.
In reality most people would rather pick up a JK Rowling, John Grisham or a Mills and Boon, the poll found.
The results show the lengths to which people will go to appear intelligent and well-read, said Jonathan Douglas, director of the National Literacy Trust.
He concluded it all boiled down to sex.
He said: "Research that we have done suggests that the reason people lied was to make themselves appear more sexually attractive.
"People like to be seen to be readers. It makes them look good.
"They said they were prepared to lie about what they'd read to impress people, particularly when it came to potential partners."
Books we pretend we have read:
1. 1984, by George Orwell 42%
2. War and Peace, by Leo Tolstoy 31%
3. Ulysses, by James Joyce 25%
4. The Bible 24%
5. Madame Bovary, by Gustave Flaubert 16%
6. A Brief History of Time, by Stephen Hawking 15%
7. Midnight's Children, by Salman Rushdie 14%
8. In Remembrance of Things Past, by Marcel Proust 9%
9. Dreams from My Father, by Barack Obama 6%
10. The Selfish Gene, by Richard Dawkins 6%
1. 1984, by George Orwell 42%
2. War and Peace, by Leo Tolstoy 31%
3. Ulysses, by James Joyce 25%
4. The Bible 24%
5. Madame Bovary, by Gustave Flaubert 16%
6. A Brief History of Time, by Stephen Hawking 15%
7. Midnight's Children, by Salman Rushdie 14%
8. In Remembrance of Things Past, by Marcel Proust 9%
9. Dreams from My Father, by Barack Obama 6%
10. The Selfish Gene, by Richard Dawkins 6%
Authors we actually like reading:
1. J K Rowling 61%
2. John Grisham 32% (pic)
3. Sophie Kinsella 22%
4. Jilly Cooper 20%
5. Mills & Boon 18%
6. Dick Francis 17%
7. Robert Harris 16%
8. Jeffrey Archer 15%
9. Frederick Forsyth 13%
10. James Herbert 12%
1. J K Rowling 61%
2. John Grisham 32% (pic)
3. Sophie Kinsella 22%
4. Jilly Cooper 20%
5. Mills & Boon 18%
6. Dick Francis 17%
7. Robert Harris 16%
8. Jeffrey Archer 15%
9. Frederick Forsyth 13%
10. James Herbert 12%
The full piece can be read at The Telegraph.
And here for the Guardian approach.
And from BBC News.
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