Heard on the net, 2013.
In Peru’s street markets, not only can you find unauthorized copies of popular books before they’re officially released, but these pirate editions often contain unexpected surprises. In a 2012 study by The Piracy Project, researchers uncovered a fascinating twist in the way pirate vendors handle literature: they don’t just replicate; they reinvent.
One such example is Jaime Bayly’s novel No se lo digas a nadie. While the official version ends where Bayly intended, the pirated edition found on the streets of Lima includes two additional chapters. These extra sections, inserted by anonymous hands, mimic the author’s style so well that only a practiced reader might detect the difference. And it’s not just Bayly’s work that receives this treatment. Titles by celebrated authors, including Mario Vargas Llosa, have been similarly tampered with, sometimes adding new plot twists or characters, and occasionally reimagining entire sections. According to The Piracy Project, these modifications are rarely announced to buyers; instead, they discover them by chance, potentially never realizing they’re holding something other than the author’s original work.