How far can Neil Gaiman fall? The acclaimed author has been accused of sexual misconduct by eight women. One of his accusers, a woman who had been babysitting Gaiman’s child, alleges that Gaiman offered her a bath before joining her in the tub naked and assaulting her. Gaiman denies the allegations against him. ‘I’m far from a perfect person,’ he has said, ‘but I have never engaged in non-consensual sexual activity with anyone. Ever.’
Whatever Gaiman did or didn’t get up to in his private life, we should separate the art from the artist
Whether or not the allegations against Gaiman are true, the backlash has been swift. Gaiman’s upcoming creative projects have been cancelled. Netflix’s adaptation of his comic book The Sandman will end. A hotly-anticipated stage production of Coraline will not see the light of day. Publishers now refuse to touch Gaiman’s graphic novel manuscripts.
The collapse of his literary empire comes with immense collateral damage, not least for those employed on these various projects.
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