Imitation - Flattery or Thievery

South African Writer Accused Of Plagiarism

Stephen Watson, a poet and the head of the University of Cape Town's English department has accused Antjie Krog, the Afrikaner author of Country of My Skull, of "lifting material from a range of writers, including the late British poet laureate Ted Hughes and two 19th-century European linguists. He said Country of My Skull, an award-winning account of South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission that was recently turned into a Hollywood film, used words and phrases from Hughes's 1976 essay Myth and Education." The Guardian (UK) 02/21/06

The recent run of plagarism is getting ridiculous. Has it always been this bad, and we're just getting better at catching examples due to our advances in technology and the availability of infomation?

Picasso said, "Bad artists copy, great artists steal". But which is this? It seems more like the copying of a few lines, rather than stealing of concepts, themes and ideas. While I agree with Picasso, I cannot condone this rash of plagarism - it's not the same. - DN