Celebrated science writer Jonah Lehrer has resigned his staff writing position at The New Yorker after quotes in his latest book, “Imagine: How Creativity Works,” were found to be fabricated.The quotes in question were raised by Michael C. Moynihan in an article for Tablet Magazine titled “Jonah Lehrer’s Deceptions.” In the first chapter of “Imagine,” Lehrer quotes Bob Dylan on the creative process: “It’s a hard thing to describe. It’s just this sense that you got something to say.” Moynihan writes that there is no evidence that the Dylan quote exists. When Moynihan approached Lehrer about it, the author told him the quotes came from an archival interview. Three weeks later, still unable to confirm the quotes, Moynihan followed up with Lehrer at which point the author responded, “I couldn’t find the original sources. I panicked. And I’m deeply sorry for lying.”
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