Given my inveterate habit of writing a chronicle every time I get invited to a strange place to do something weirs (over time I've realized that all places actually seem strange to me), I had the impression I was once again living through the beginning of a journey that could end up turning into a written tale, in which, as was customary, I would combine perplexity and my suspended life to describe the world as an absurd place arrived at by way of a very extravagant invitation.

Ένας ευχάριστα παράξενος φιλοσοφικός στοχασμός πάνω στη σύγχρονη τέχνη, με τον συγγραφέα να μιλάει για την εμπειρία του ως ένας εκ των καλλιτεχνών που προσκλήθηκαν στην Documenta 2012 στο Kassel της Γερμανίας, μια έκθεση πρωτοποριακής τέχνης καθιερωμένη από το 1955. Ο Vila-Matas απλώς περιπλανιέται στην πόλη κοιτάζοντας τα έργα τέχνης και καταγράφει σε ένα τύποις εσωτερικό μονόλογο τις σκέψεις του για εκείνα, για τον εαυτό του και την επιθυμία να δημιουργεί συγγραφικές περσόνες, για την ουσία του avant-garde συγγραφέα, για οτιδήποτε του έρχεται στο νου. Πρόκεται για μια, ως επί το πλείστον, μη φανταστική καταγραφή του χρόνου του εκεί χωρίς ωστόσο να είναι δυνατό να διαπιστωθεί τι από όλα αποτελεί αλήθεια και τι μυθοπλασία. Ευχάριστο, λίγο αργό, πλην άκρως ιδιαίτερο.

[Read an update to this story here.]

 

I'm really surprised that there isn't more discussion or coverage of this issue, especially considering it involves two musicians (Tom Milsom and Alex Day) who are not only famous Youtubers, but were signed to DBFTA records, associated with Hank Green of the Vlogbrothers, aka John Green's brother. But even more disturbing is that at least one of these Youtube celebes (who was 22 at the time) was involved with an underage fan (a 15 year old girl). 

Here is a Daily Dot article that covers some of the issue, though if you want a more comprehensive view of events I recommend this tumblr post by Erika Lynae. Please be warned both posts cover sexual abuse, mental/emotional abuse and rape culture. Erika's post links directly to victims (detailed) first hand accounts of their abuse. 

 

Considering that both the abusers and victims in these incidents are members of the nerdfighter community, as well as YouTubers, I expected the internet would be on fire. Not to mention the implication of John Green, a popular YA author's own connection to the abusers and the fact that he heads the community (nerdfighters) and event (VidCon) where these predators met their victims is HUGE! 

 

We are talking about a living breathing teenage girl who was sexually abused and manipulated by a man entrenched in a community founded by the "savior of Young Adult fiction." 

Why is no one in the YA literary world talking about this?