Fury Hits Assange as His Unauthorized Biography Flooding British Bookstores
Controversial WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was furious Thursday, when the book on his unauthorized autobiography was released in Britain because, as the title says, it was published without his approval.
British book publisher Canongate released "Julian Assange: The Unauthorised Autobiography," which was based on drafts of a memoir written by his ghost writer Andrew O'Hagan, who sold it to Canongate in March. The book, which is selling in Britain for $15.72 a copy, contains Assange's comments on rape allegations against him, which threatens his extradition to Sweden and possible incarceration there.
Assange denounced the publisher Wednesday for releasing the draft memoirs because it was "entirely uncorrected or fact-checked by me" and that O'Hagan had not seen the final edit either, according to Agence France Presse.
"This book was meant to be about my life's struggle for justice through access to knowledge. It has turned into something else," a disgusted Assange was quoted as saying by AFP.
Assange and Canongate had agreed to the autobiography in December 2010 but he tried to cancel its publication in June to have a new release date.
The publisher, which is based in Scotland, claimed Assange signed the book deal and a paper advancing his fees to lawyers representing him in the extradition case.
"We have decided to honour that contract and to publish. Once the advance has been earned out, we will continue to honour the contract and pay Julian royalties," Canongate said, according to AFP.
Assange was unable to block the publication of the book through British courts because he was short of cash to pay for litigation.
Assange lives in a country house in eastern England under strict bail pending the court resolution of his extradition case.