Alexandru “Ducu” Darie — 2018, Bulandra Theater, Bucharest — Rehearsal for Coriolanus
“Sarah Kornfeld’s The True is an extraordinary satire of the corrupt economy engulfing the world. In this ambitious book, the author explores how she gets lost in a cultural dreamscape, a nightmare we all now share…Employing a prismatic narrative, The True may be a new form of “post-post-truth literature,” offering a new lens by which we can explore not only our shared alienation, but our global connection.”
“Have you ever stalked a corpse, or been haunted by a memory that never existed? Sarah Kornfeld’s narrative non-fiction book The True is an unflinching examination of all the little lies we tell ourselves. ”
— The Jewish Book Council
“Sarah Kornfeld's book The True is a fascinating trail of where grief can lead us.”
— Largehearted Boy
The True is a narrative non-fiction book that recounts the real story of Sarah Kornfeld's search for the truth about the death of her lover and dear friend in Bucharest, Romania, and the con artist who took her on a two-year journey away from the truth.
Alexandru “Ducu” Darie was a world-renowned theater director who died of mysterious causes in 2019. When Sarah Kornfeld went to explore his death she met a young woman who could "prove" she was Darie's girlfriend, who swore there had been foul play.
With the help of the young woman, and over a two-year period, Kornfeld investigated his death, wrote a book about Darie, three screenplays, and believed she signed deals with Netflix and Disney. Kornfeld interacted with people claiming to be Diana Ross, Tracee Ellis Ross, Robert Iger, and more, all to come face to face with her own longing for the unanswered questions about her lover's death and the explosion of nationalism around the world. Yet, what was fiction? What was theater? What was true?
Published by Editura Integral (Bucharest, Romania) The True will be published in three languages — Romanian, French, and English with three different endings.
A book about love, corruption, artists, and redemption, The True bends genres to explore the madness of our time
Cover Design by Maria Miu
“A year without” — Bulandra Theater
(Collection of curtain calls, 2020)