Passage on assault to be clarified in Lena Dunham's book

A section from Lena Dunham's "Not That Kind of Girl" that recounts an alleged assault while she was in college is being changed to make clear that the assailant's name is a pseudonym.

Random House announced Tuesday that both the digital edition and future print editions of the "Girls" creator/star's best-selling memoir will include the clarification. The book already included a disclaimer saying that some names and details had been changed, but did not say precisely that "Barry" was not the real name of Dunham's alleged assailant.

The publisher's announcement comes after an article last week from the conservative news site www.breitbart.com that challenged Dunham's story that she was attacked by a campus Republican. Breitbart reported that Dunham had an Oberlin classmate named "Barry" but neither he nor anyone else fully matched the description Dunham gave in the book.

In an essay published Tuesday on Buzzfeed, Dunham apologized for any discomfort the use of the pseudonym may have caused a former classmate.

"'Barry' is a pseudonym, not the name of the man who assaulted me, and any resemblance to a person with this name is an unfortunate and surreal coincidence. I am sorry about all he has experienced," Dunham wrote.

"Speaking out was never about exposing the man who assaulted me," she continued. "Rather, it was about exposing my shame, letting it dry out in the sun. I did not wish to be contacted by him or to open a criminal investigation. I am in a loving and peaceful place in my life and I am not willing to sacrifice any more of it for this person I do not know, aside from one night I will never forget. That is my choice."

This isn't the first time Dunham has had to defend herself over "Not That Kind of Girl." She previously tweeted a "rage spiral" in response to critics who cited passages from the book in accusing her of molesting her younger sister when they were children.