At a literary event last weekend, James Frey publisher Nan Talese picked at old wounds. Old Oprah wounds.

Talese had apparently come to the Mayborn Literary Nonfiction Writers Conference of the Southwest in Grapevine, Texas, ready to rumble. In an afternoon discussion on Saturday, Talese brought up the issue of Frey’s memoir. Saying she was unapologetic about publishing the book, Talese said in her genteel, mid-Atlantic accent that it was Oprah who needed to apologize for her behavior in the affair. Talese argued that Frey, in the gripping manuscript he submitted, had described himself as a liar, a cheater and an addict, and under those circumstances she did not believe she was reading “the New Testament,” where every word was avowed truth. She described Oprah as exhibiting “fiercely bad manners.”

Oh, it gets better.

In a question-answer session that followed, a self-described “Oprah fan” rose to attack Frey, claiming he had lied, embellished and fooled those who believed in the truth of his book — including Oprah, who told her audience she had been duped and betrayed. (A judge recently ordered Random House, Talese’s publishing house, to refund $2.35 million to readers.) The question prompted Talese to take the microphone. She pointedly turned toward the C-SPAN crew that was filming the event and launched into a diatribe against Oprah that was even stronger than her afternoon comments. The mood in the room turned from culture to clash, as participants watched in delicious horror as the verbal grenade rolled across the room.

Talese said she was led to believe Oprah’s January 2006 show was going to be a panel discussion with Frank Rich of the New York Times and Richard Cohen of the Washington Post on “Truth in America,” but just before air time she was told by a producer that the show had been changed and would now be titled “The James Frey Controversy.” She said she was bothered by the sanctimoniousness of Oprah Winfrey and the way the talk-show host attacked Frey, whose work Talese believes has great value for anyone who must deal with a loved one who is an addict. The publisher said that when she took responsibility for the publishing of the book on the show she said Oprah “didn’t ask me another question,” but turned her attention and wrath on Frey. After the show, Talese said Frey told her Oprah pulled him aside and said, “I know it was rough, but it’s just business.”

[Time]