Great and Unfortunate Things
Memoir by Jason Arday
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Great and Unfortunate Things: A Memoir is the only book by British academic and author Jason Arday, co-written with Eve Claxton. Arday was known for having been a Cambridge professor prior to his resignation over investigations into false autobiographical claims, academic plagiarism, and falsified research data.
27 August 2026 (UK)
| Author | Jason Arday & Eve Claxton |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Simon & Schuster |
| Publication date | 11 August 2026 (US) 27 August 2026 (UK) |
| Pages | 288 |
| ISBN | 9781668085578 |
| Website | Simon & Schuster |
It was published by Simon & Schuster,[1] and was released in the US on 11 August and is scheduled for release in the UK on 27 August 2026. The published version appears to have been toned down from the draft galley that was circulated in January of the same year, and several claims have been withdrawn or scaled back.[2] Despite allegations of plagiarism within his academic work, Simon & Schuster affirmed there had been "...no allegations of plagiarism have been made with respect to Great and Unfortunate Things".[3]
The Daily Telegraph has called it "a case study in self-mythologising".[1] Publishers Weekly called it "a stirring story, straightforwardly told".[4] A review in The Times described it as "mawkish, self-aggrandising and hard to believe".[5]