Topical Guide 1013
Mark Dorset
Censorship: Self-Censorship
Leaving Small’s Hotel, Chapter 44 (as posted here and as read in Kraft’s podcast):
“When this monster got the little girl into his cave, he locked her up in there. He kept her there, in that little room under the ground, hidden under his lawn. And then, from time to time, he — visited her — he visited her there. He — he visited her.”
A silence, a sigh, then, “That’s not what I mean, is it, Bob?”
“No,” said Bob.
“I meant to say — that — he — fucked her — fucked her — again — and again — and he made her hurt and bleed and cry and want to die — and if you ever see him, boys and girls, you would do the world a favor if you slit the fucker’s throat from ear to ear.”
Another sigh, and then, “That’s what I meant to say, wasn’t it, Bob?”
Leaving Small’s Hotel, Chapter 44 (in the original published version):
“When this monster got the little girl into his cave, he locked her up in there. He kept her there, in that little room under the ground, hidden under his lawn. And then, from time to time, he — visited her — he visited her there. He — he visited her.”
A silence, a sigh, then, “That’s not what I mean, is it, Bob?”
“No,” said Bob.
“I meant to say — that — he — fucked her — fucked her — again — and again — that monster forced the little girl’s legs apart and forced his prick into her little cunt — and forced his prick into her little mouth — and forced his prick into her little asshole — and he made her hurt and bleed and cry and want to die — and if you ever see him, boys and girls, you would do the world a favor if you slit the fucker’s throat from ear to ear.”
Another sigh, and then, “That’s what I meant to say, wasn’t it, Bob?”
Mark Dorset: I don’t know that there’s another instance of your censoring yourself here.
Eric Kraft: I don’t think there is.
Mark Dorset: Why did you do it?
Eric Kraft: I just couldn’t read the original. I mean just what I said. I tried to read it, and it was a mess. The original was based on an actual crime, and when I read the text, the horror of it was just overwhelming. So, I cut enough of it to make it something that I could get through reading aloud.
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