GOD'S BROKER

I own a galley of "God's Broker: The Life of Pope John Paul II as Told in His Own Words" by Antoni Gronowicz.

A galley is the final proof of a book sent by a publisher to potential reviewers.

A Pope is the galley-proof sent by a conclave of bishops to millions of Catholics for review.

If a book is a best-seller, the author, the subject, and the publisher are happy.

In the case of "God's Broker: The Life of Pope John Paul II as Told In His Own Words," the book was a failure. The words of the book Pope were invented by a forger. The publisher discovered the forgery before the final book was published, and it was never distributed.

Pope John Paul II, on the other hand, was the real thing, and his true words helped change the world. He helped demolish the Berlin Wall. He forgave his would-be assassin. John Paul II was a best-seller among Popes.

Apocrypha, theft and plagiarism have been with us since Narcissus saw himself in the stream. "That's me!" And a few moments later: "I made this picture! I wrote this book!" And the stream echoed: ""I made this picture! I wrote this book!" A passerby, Heraklitus for instance, overheard them and said, "You can't step in the same stream twice." Narcissus, to prove Heraklitus wrong, stepped into his reflection and drowned.

There was once a Narcissus. Then there were many. Then everybody. By, let's say, the 19th century, everybody carried a mirror or a stream. It's been raining raining since Heraklitus passed by Narcissus. Everybody carries an umbrella in Paris, noticed Seurat. And not just in Paris. In Vienna. In New York.

It's been raining raining since Heraklitus passed by Narcissus. Everybody carries an umbrella in Paris, noticed Seurat. And not just in Paris. In Vienna. In New York. And each raindrop adds to the stream. "That's me! I made this picture! I wrote this book!"

Only the law stands between Narcissus and his reflection. The law doesn't care about the original or the copy: it only cares about the signature. Faking a signature is a crime. Faking a signature is a crime. I just committed one. The signature authenticates only one individual, a fingerprint, DNA. The body is the signature. Why you may ask. Why you may ask. The signature creates value, so echo me, ok?

The fakes are bodiless. Nonetheless they are identical in form to what they imitate. Fakes are clever products, the work of nature or people. Faking the work of an author or an artist is an esthetic skill, quite admirable at times. To be The Scream.2 by Edward Munch is no small thing. Yet there is only one Edward Munch. Or is there?

The death of the author, as predicted by Roland Barthes & Co was only the death of the author's name. The words echo authorless through a million names. "God's Broker: The Life of Pope John Paul II as Told In His Own Words"echo the Pope's words, but the Pope is missing. The words of the embodied Pope helped to bring down the Iron Curtain. The law is right: the signature is the body.

Now Artificial Intelligence came along, and it's doing an increasingly good job at making copies. We will see about the body. The law is right. Signing the echo is a crime.