The publisher of US author Greg Mortenson's memoir, "Three Cups of Tea," said on Monday it was reviewing the best-seller following claims that parts of the inspirational book were fabricated. Television news program "60 Minutes" said in a Sunday broadcast that parts of Mortenson's account of a failed attempt in 1993 to climb the world's second-highest peak, K2, and being kidnapped in Pakistan in 1996, were untrue, citing several people interviewed.
"60 Minutes" also reported that Mortenson was using his charitable institute, Central Asia Institute, to promote his books. "Greg Mortenson's work as a humanitarian in Afghanistan and Pakistan has provided tens of thousands of children with an education. '60 Minutes' is a serious news organisation and in the wake of their report, Viking plans to carefully review the materials with the author," Viking spokeswoman Carolyn Coleburn said in a statement. "Three Cups of Tea," was first published in 2006 and has since been a popular paperback.
It may be the latest embarrassment for the publishing industry over partly-fabricated memoirs in recent years, notably James Frey's "A Million Little Pieces." The "60 Minutes" report claimed that Mortenson did not get lost and stumble into a remote mountain village on his way down from K2, and that he did not visit the village until a year later, according to expedition porters. Mortenson told "60 Minutes" in a statement that he first visited the village in 1993, and went back each of the following three years. He suggested the discrepancy could be because the "Balti people have a completely different notion about time." "The concept of past and future is rarely of concern," he said. "Often tenses are left out of discussion, although everyone knows what is implied."
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