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Article: To (not) tell the truth; The new Jungle show tells of a fabulist who invented an amazing string of adventures across the South Pacific and lived to tell about it.(VARIETY)
- Article from:
- Star Tribune (Minneapolis, MN)
- Article date:
- May 22, 2009
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2009 Star Tribune Co. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Byline: GRAYDON ROYCE
Louis de Rougemont rode sea turtles, enjoyed deification by native tribes in the Pacific and avoided being roasted on a spit by rival tribes. Or did he?
De Rougemont was the pen name of late-18th century Swiss dabbler Henri Grin. After bouncing around with odd jobs for years, he began writing stories about his purported adventures for a British magazine. Readers were skeptical, and the work was later debunked. That didn't stop De Rougemont from taking his tales on tour, performing them as vaudevillian entertainment.
The tall tales inspired playwright Donald Margulies ("Dinner With Friends") to write "Shipwrecked! An ...