Poison pen letter
Encyclopedia
A poison pen letter is a letter or note containing unpleasant, abusive
or malicious
statements or accusations about the recipient or a third party. It is usually sent anonymously
. Poison pen letters are usually composed and sent to upset the recipient. They differ from blackmail
, which is intended to obtain something, in that they are purely malicious.
The US Federal Bureau of Investigation
used poison pen letters as a tactic during their COINTELPRO
projects, targeting people such as Martin Luther King Jr. Some politicians, such as Harvey Milk
, as well as many celebrities, have often received poison pen letters.
With the advent of e-mail
and the general decline in letter writing, poison pen letters have become something of a rarity.
Abuse
Abuse is the improper usage or treatment for a bad purpose, often to unfairly or improperly gain benefit. Abuse can come in many forms, such as: physical or verbal maltreatment, injury, sexual assault, violation, rape, unjust practices; wrongful practice or custom; offense; crime, or otherwise...
or malicious
Malice
Malice may refer to:* Malice , a legal term describing the intent to harm* Jerry Tuite , American professional wrestler also known by the ring name Malice-Entertainment:...
statements or accusations about the recipient or a third party. It is usually sent anonymously
Anonymity
Anonymity is derived from the Greek word ἀνωνυμία, anonymia, meaning "without a name" or "namelessness". In colloquial use, anonymity typically refers to the state of an individual's personal identity, or personally identifiable information, being publicly unknown.There are many reasons why a...
. Poison pen letters are usually composed and sent to upset the recipient. They differ from blackmail
Blackmail
In common usage, blackmail is a crime involving threats to reveal substantially true or false information about a person to the public, a family member, or associates unless a demand is met. It may be defined as coercion involving threats of physical harm, threat of criminal prosecution, or threats...
, which is intended to obtain something, in that they are purely malicious.
The US Federal Bureau of Investigation
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
used poison pen letters as a tactic during their COINTELPRO
COINTELPRO
COINTELPRO was a series of covert, and often illegal, projects conducted by the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation aimed at surveilling, infiltrating, discrediting, and disrupting domestic political organizations.COINTELPRO tactics included discrediting targets through psychological...
projects, targeting people such as Martin Luther King Jr. Some politicians, such as Harvey Milk
Harvey Milk
Harvey Bernard Milk was an American politician who became the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in California when he won a seat on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors...
, as well as many celebrities, have often received poison pen letters.
With the advent of e-mail
E-mail
Electronic mail, commonly known as email or e-mail, is a method of exchanging digital messages from an author to one or more recipients. Modern email operates across the Internet or other computer networks. Some early email systems required that the author and the recipient both be online at the...
and the general decline in letter writing, poison pen letters have become something of a rarity.
In literature and film
- Poison pen letters are a main theme in Dorothy Sayers' novel Gaudy NightGaudy NightGaudy Night is a mystery novel by Dorothy L. Sayers, the tenth in her popular series about aristocratic sleuth Lord Peter Wimsey, and the third featuring crime writer Harriet Vane....
, Agatha ChristieAgatha ChristieDame Agatha Christie DBE was a British crime writer of novels, short stories, and plays. She also wrote romances under the name Mary Westmacott, but she is best remembered for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections , and her successful West End plays.According to...
's The Moving FingerThe Moving FingerThe Moving Finger is detective fiction novel by Agatha Christie, first published in the US by Dodd, Mead and Company in July 1942 and in UK by the Collins Crime Club in June 1943. The US edition retailed at $2.00 and the UK edition at seven shillings and sixpence...
, Henri-Georges ClouzotHenri-Georges ClouzotHenri-Georges Clouzot was a French film director, screenwriter and producer. He is best remembered for his work in the thriller film genre, having directed The Wages of Fear and Les Diaboliques, which are critically recognized to be among the greatest films from the 1950s...
's Le CorbeauLe CorbeauLe Corbeau is a 1943 French film directed by Henri-Georges Clouzot. The film was notable for causing serious trouble to its director after World War II because it had been produced by Continental Films, a German production company established in France in the early months of the war, and because...
, John Dickson CarrJohn Dickson CarrJohn Dickson Carr was an American author of detective stories, who also published under the pen names Carter Dickson, Carr Dickson and Roger Fairbairn....
's Night at the Mocking WidowNight at the Mocking WidowNight at the Mocking Widow is a mystery novel by the American writer John Dickson Carr , who published it under the name of Carter Dickson...
, and Enid BlytonEnid BlytonEnid Blyton was an English children's writer also known as Mary Pollock.Noted for numerous series of books based on recurring characters and designed for different age groups,her books have enjoyed huge success in many parts of the world, and have sold over 600 million copies.One of Blyton's most...
's children's book The Mystery of the Spiteful LettersThe Mystery of the Spiteful LettersThe Mystery of the Spiteful Letters was one of the novels in Enid Blyton's The Five Find-Outers series, published in 1946.-Plot introduction:...
. - In Stieg LarssonStieg LarssonKarl Stig-Erland Larsson , who wrote professionally as Stieg Larsson, was a Swedish journalist and writer, born in Skelleftehamn outside Skellefteå. He is best known for writing the "Millennium series" of crime novels, which were published posthumously...
's book The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' NestThe Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' NestThe Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest is the third and final novel in the best-selling "Millennium series"by Swedish writer Stieg Larsson.The novel is the sequel to The Girl Who Played with Fire....
, from his Millennium Trilogy, one of the main characters receives anonymous threatening letters from a sender she nicknames "Poison Pen". - In Paul MagrsPaul MagrsPaul Magrs is a writer and lecturer. He was born in Jarrow, Tyne and Wear, England, and now lives in Manchester with his partner, author and lecturer Jeremy Hoad.-Early life:...
's book Something BorrowedSomething Borrowed"Something Borrowed" is the 21st episode in the second season of the television series How I Met Your Mother. It originally aired on May 7, 2007.-Plot:Marshall and Lily are about to get married, however, nothing seems to be going right for either of them...
, the protagonist begins an investigation into the sender of a poison pen letter. - In the James BondJames BondJames Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
film OctopussyOctopussyOctopussy is the thirteenth entry in the James Bond series, and the sixth to star Roger Moore as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. The film's title is taken from a short story in Ian Fleming's 1966 short story collection Octopussy and The Living Daylights...
, Bond (Roger MooreRoger MooreSir Roger George Moore KBE , is an English actor, perhaps best known for portraying British secret agent James Bond in seven films from 1973 to 1985. He also portrayed Simon Templar in the long-running British television series The Saint.-Early life:Moore was born in Stockwell, London...
) jokes that a new gadget, a pen with acidic ink, is "perfect for writing poison pen letters." The gadget's provider, Q, irritatedly responds "Pay attention, 007."