A pen name, nom de plume, or literary double, is a pseudonym adopted by an author or their publishers to conceal their identity. A pseudonym is a fictitious alternative to a person's legal name (see Alias) An author is defined both as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created A pen name may be used if a writer's real name is likely to be confused with the name of another writer or notable individual, or if their real name is deemed to be unsuitable. Authors who write in fiction and non-fiction, or in different genres, may use pen names to avoid confusing their readers, as in the case of mathematician Charles Dodgson, who wrote fantasy novels under the pen name Lewis Carroll. Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (ˈdɒdsən (27 January 1832 &ndash 14 January 1898 better known by the Pen name Lewis Carroll (/ˈkærəl/ was an English Some female authors use male pen names, particularly in the 19th century, when writing was a male-dominated profession. A pseudonym may also be used to hide the identity of the author, as in the case of exposé books about espionage or crime, or explicit erotic fiction. Investigative journalism is a type of reporting in which reporters deeply investigate a topic of interest often involving crime Political corruption, or some other Scandal In the sociological field, crime is the breach of a rule or Law for which some governing authority or force may ultimately prescribe a Punishment
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Western literature
Authors who regularly write in several genres use different pen names for each genre. Romance writer Nora Roberts writes erotic thrillers under the pen name J. A romance novel is a literary Genre developed in Western culture, mainly in English-speaking countries Nora Roberts (b Eleanor Marie Robertson, October 10, 1950 in Silver Spring Maryland, USA) is a bestselling D. Robb, and Samuel Langhorne Clemens used the aliases "Mark Twain" and "Sieur Louis de Conte" for different works. Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30 1835 – April 21 1910 better known by the Pen name Mark Twain, was an American Humorist, satirist Similarly, an author who writes both fiction and non-fiction (such as the mathematician and fantasy writer Charles Dodgson, who wrote as Lewis Carroll, or the American television commentator Bill O'Reilly, who wrote a thriller under a pen name) may use a pseudonym for fiction writing. Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (ˈdɒdsən (27 January 1832 &ndash 14 January 1898 better known by the Pen name Lewis Carroll (/ˈkærəl/ was an English William James O'Reilly Jr (born September 10 1949 is an American television / radio host, Author, Syndicated columnist, and
Occasionally a pen name is employed to avoid overexposure. Prolific authors for pulp magazines often had two and sometimes three short stories appearing in one issue of a magazine; the editor would create several fictitious author names to hide this from readers. Pulp magazines (or pulp fiction; often referred to as "the pulps" were inexpensive Fiction magazines Robert Heinlein wrote stories under pseudonyms so that more of his works in could be published in a single magazine. Sometimes a pen name is used because an author believes that their name does not suit the genre they are writing in.
Western novelist Pearl Gray dropped his first name and changed the spelling of his last name to become Zane Grey, because he believed that his real name did not suit the Western genre. Zane Grey ( January 31, 1872 – October 23, 1939) was an American author best known for his popular adventure Novels and Stephen King wrote four novels under the name of Richard Bachman, because he feared that his books were being sold for his name rather than his actual writing. Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American Author, Screenwriter, Musician, Columnist, Richard Bachman is a Pseudonym used by Horror fiction author Stephen King. Eventually, after critics found a large number of similarities between their styles, publishers revealed Bachman's true identity.
C. S. Lewis used two different pseudonyms for different reasons. Clive Staples Lewis (29 November 1898 – 22 November 1963 Before his conversion to Christianity, he published a collection of poems (Spirits in Bondage) and a narrative poem (Dymer) under the pen name "Clive Hamilton", to avoid harming his reputation as a don at Oxford University. Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings A don is a fellow or Tutor of a College or University, especially traditional collegiate universities such as Oxford and Cambridge The University of Oxford (informally "Oxford University" or simply "Oxford" located in the city of Oxford, Oxfordshire, England is the His book entitled A Grief Observed, which describes his experience of bereavement, was originally released under the pseudonym "N. W. Clerk".
Female authors
Some female authors have used male pen names to ensure that their works were accepted by publishers or taken seriously by the public. Mary Ann Evans wrote under the pen name George Eliot, and Charlotte Brontë published under the name Currer Bell. Mary Ann (Marian Evans ( 22 November 1819 – 22 December 1880) better known by her Pen name George Eliot, was an Charlotte Brontë (ˈbrɒnti (21 April 1816 &ndash 31 March 1855 was a British Novelist, the eldest of the three famous Brontë sisters whose Novels Karen Blixen wrote the very successful "Out of Africa" under the pen name "Isak Dinesen". Baroness Karen von Blixen-Finecke ( April 17, 1885 &ndash September 7, 1962) Née Karen Dinesen, was a Out of Africa is a memoir by Isak Dinesen, a Nom de plume used by the Danish author Baroness Karen von Blixen-Finecke. More recently, women who write in genres normally written by men may choose to use a neutral pen name, such as D.C. Fontana, J.K. Rowling, K. A. Applegate and S. E. Hinton. Dorothy Catherine "D C" Fontana (born March 25, 1939 in Sussex, New Jersey) is a television script writer and story editor Joanne "Jo" Rowling OBE (born 31 July 1965 who writes under the Katherine Alice Applegate is the credited Author of the Animorphs, Remnants, Everworld, and several other book Susan Eloise Hinton (born July 22, 1948) is an American Author of Novels for young adults and is most famous for her Along the same lines, author Robin Hobb chose that androgynous pen name when she set out to write a fantasy trilogy featuring a male leading character. Robin Hobb is the second Pen name of novelist Margaret Astrid Lindholm Ogden (born 1952 in California) who produces primarily Fantasy fiction
"House" names
In some forms of fiction, the pen name adopted is the name of the lead character, to suggest to the reader that the book is a fictional autobiography. Daniel Handler used the pseudonym Lemony Snicket to make his books appear to be records of the lives of the Baudelaires. Daniel Handler (born February 28 1970 is an American writer, Screenwriter and Accordionist He is best known for his work under the Pen name Lemony Snicket is a Pseudonym used by author Daniel Handler in his book series A Series of Unfortunate Events, as well as a character in that Some series fiction is published under one pen name even though more than one author may have contributed to the series. In some cases the first books in the series were written by one writer, but subsequent books were written by ghost writers. A ghostwriter is a professional Writer who is paid to write books articles stories reports or other content which are officially credited to another person For instance, many of the later books in the The Saint adventure series were not written by Leslie Charteris, the originator of the series. Overview Simon Templar is known as the Saint because of his initials (ST and also because of his heroic exploits that fly in the face of an otherwise nefarious reputation Leslie Charteris ( May 12, 1907, Singapore &ndash April 15, 1993) born Leslie Charles Bowyer-Yin, was a half- Chinese Similarly, Nancy Drew mystery books are published as though they were written by "Carolyn Keene", although many authors have been involved. Nancy Drew (1930-present is an amateur sleuth, the fictional Heroine of a popular Mystery series, aimed at the children - young
Collaborative authors may choose to have their works published under a single pen name. Frederic Dannay and Manfred B. Ellery Queen is both a Fictional character and a Pseudonym used by two American cousins from Brooklyn, New York: Daniel (David Nathan Lee published their mystery novels and stories under the pen name Ellery Queen (and, also under the Ellery Queen name, published the work of other authors who had been hired to ghost-write novels). Ellery Queen is both a Fictional character and a Pseudonym used by two American cousins from Brooklyn, New York: Daniel (David Nathan The writers who wrote Atlanta Nights, a deliberately badly-written book meant to expose the publishing firm PublishAmerica, used the pen name Travis Tea. Atlanta Nights is a collaborative Novel created by a group of Science fiction and Fantasy authors with the express purpose of producing an unpublishably PublishAmerica is a Maryland -based print-on-demand book Publisher founded in 1999 by Lawrence Alvin "Larry" Clopper III and Willem Meiners Sometimes multiple authors will write related books under the same pseudonym; examples include Nicolas Bourbaki in non-fiction and T. H. Lain in fiction. Nicolas Bourbaki is the collective Pseudonym under which a group of (mainly French) 20th-century Mathematicians wrote a series of books presenting an exposition T H Lain was a collective Pseudonym used by nine separate authors writing under Wizards of the Coast 's Dungeons & Dragons novels imprint Edward Gorey had dozens of pseudonyms, each one an anagram of his real name. Edward St John Gorey ( ca February 22, 1925 &ndash April 15, 2000) was an American Writer and Artist An anagram ( Greek anagramma 'letters written anew' passive participle of ana- 'again' + gramma 'letter' is a type of Word play
Pseudepigraphy
Pseudepigraphy is a particular form of pseudonym or pen name in which authors adopt the name of well-known figures as the publicly ascribed author to attain greater interest or credibility for the work. In some cases the pseudepigraphy is the result of pious tradition. It was traditionally employed in the Western world from Hellenistic times all the way up to the Middle Ages, particularly in theology and scripture. The term Western world, the West or the Occident ( Latin: occidens -sunset -west as distinct from the Orient) can have multiple meanings This article focuses on the historical aspects of the Hellenistic age for the cultural aspects see Hellenistic civilisation. Theology is the study of a god or the gods from a religious perspective Examples include Pseudo-Dionysius or, according to some academic scholars, the ascribed Solomonic authorship of the Song of Songs. Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite, also known as Pseudo-Denys, is the anonymous theologian and philosopher of the late 5th to early 6th century whose Corpus Areopagiticum King Solomon ( Ge'ez: ስለሞን Arabic: ar سليمان, Sulayman, all from the Triliteral root S-L-M, "peace"
Concealment of identity
A pseudonym may also be used to protect the writer for exposé books about espionage or crime. Andy McNab, a former SAS soldier used a pseudonym for his book about a failed SAS mission titled Bravo Two Zero. Andy McNab DCM MM (born 28 December 1959 is a former British Soldier turned Novelist. The Special Air Service ( SAS) is a Special forces regiment within the British Army which has served as a model and inspiration for the special Bravo Two Zero ( B20) was the Callsign of an eight-man British Army SAS patrol during the First Gulf War 1991. Ibn Warraq has been used by dissident Muslim authors. Ibn Warraq (born 1946 is the Pen name of a Secularist author of Pakistani origin and founder of the Institute for the Secularisation of Islamic Society Author Brian O'Nolan was forced to use the pen names "Flann O'Brien" and "Myles na gCopaleen" because at the time Irish civil servants were not allowed to publish works under their own names. Brian O'Nolan (Brian Ó Nualláin (5 October 1911 – 1 April 1966 was an Irish novelist and satirist best known for his novels An Béal Bocht, At See also Bureaucrat The term civil service has two distinct meanings Branch of governmental service in which individuals are hired on the basis
The Histoire d'O (The Story of O), an erotic novel of sadomasochism and sexual slavery, was written by an editorial secretary with a reputation of near-prudery who used the pseudonym Pauline Réage. Story of O (Histoire d'O is an Erotic novel published in 1954 about Dominance/submissiveness (D/s by French author Anne Desclos Story of O (Histoire d'O is an Erotic novel published in 1954 about Dominance/submissiveness (D/s by French author Anne Desclos Sadism refers to Sexual or non-sexual gratification in the infliction of Pain or humiliation upon or by another person Sexual slavery refers to the organised coercion of persons into various different sexual practices forced Prostitution single-owner sexual slavery Anne Desclos ( September 23, 1907 - April 27, 1998) was a French journalist and novelist who wrote under the Pseudonyms
Alice Bradley Sheldon had a multiplicty of reasons to write under the nom de plume of James Tiptree, Jr.: she was a woman writing in the heavily male-dominated genre of science fiction; she was a lesbian who may have wanted to avoid the inherent biases of her readers; and she was a career intelligence officer, first in the Army Air Corps and then in the early years of the CIA, for whom concealment was a way of life. James Tiptree Jr ( August 24, 1915 &ndash May 19, 1987) was the Pen name of American Science fiction author near as long as it used to be several months ago It has been actively summarized and split into sub-articles and there is a dynamic talk page discussion of all
Non-western cultures
Persian and Urdu poetry
- Note: List of Urdu language poets provides pen names for a range of Urdu poets. List of Urdu language writersListed below are major Urdu poets sorted by date of birth Urdu ( ur '''{{Nastaliq اردو}}''' trans Urdū, historically spelled Ordu) is a Central Indo-Aryan language Urdu is a standardised
A shâ'er (a poet who writes she'rs in Urdu or Persian) almost always has a takhallus, a pen name, traditionally placed at the end of the name when referring to the poet by his full name. A poet is a person who writes Poetry. Etymology From the Ancient greek: ποιέω, poieō: "I make or compose" In Urdu, Punjabi, Hindi, Shaayaree or poetry essentially comprises Couplet, or Sher Urdu ( ur '''{{Nastaliq اردو}}''' trans Urdū, historically spelled Ordu) is a Central Indo-Aryan language Urdu is a standardised Urdu poetry ( Urdu: اردو شاعری, Urdu Shayari) is one of the most dominant and prominent poetries of times and has many different colours & types For example Hafez is a pen-name for Shams al-Din, and thus the usual way to refer to him would be Shams al-Din Hafez or just Hafez. Khwāja Šamsu d-Dīn Muḥammad Hāfez-e Šīrāzī, or simply Hāfez ( was a Persian mystic and Poet. Mirza Asadullah Beg Khan (his official name and title) is referred to as Mirza Asadullah Khan Ghalib, or just Mirza Ghalib. Dabeer-ul-Mulk Najm-ud-daulah Mirza Asadullah Baig Khan ( Urdu / Persian: مرزا اسد اللہ بیگ خان) Pen-name Dabeer-ul-Mulk Najm-ud-daulah Mirza Asadullah Baig Khan ( Urdu / Persian: مرزا اسد اللہ بیگ خان) Pen-name
India
In Indian Languages, writers put it at the end of their names, like Ramdhari Singh 'Dinkar'. Ramdhari Singh 'Dinkar' (रामधारी सिंह 'दिनकर' ( September 23, 1908 April 24, 1974) was an Indian Sometimes they also write under their pen name without their actual name like Firaq Gorakhpuri. Raghupati Sahay 'Firaq' Gorakhpuri (1896-1982 was one of the most noted contemporary Urdu poets from India.
Japan
Japanese poets who write haiku often use a haiga or penname. is a form of Japanese poetry. Previously called The famous haiku poet Matsuo Bashō had used fifteen different haiga before he became fond of a banana plant (bashō) that had been given to him by a disciple and started using it as his penname at the age of 38. was the most famous poet of the Edo period in Japan During his lifetime Bashō was recognized for his works in the collaborative haikai no renga form today
Similar to a pen name, Japanese artists usually have a gō or art-name, which might change a number of times during their career. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. The definition of an artist is wide-ranging and covers a broad spectrum of Activities to do with creating Art, practicing the Arts and/or demonstrating An is a Pseudonym, or Penname, used by a Japanese artist which they sometimes change In some cases, artists adopted different gō at different stages of their career, usually to mark significant changes in their life. One of the most extreme examples of this is Hokusai, who in the period 1798 to 1806 alone used no fewer than six. was a Japanese Artist, Ukiyo-e painter and Printmaker of the Edo period. Year 1798 ( MDCCXCVIII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Year 1806 ( MDCCCVI) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Manga artist Ogure Ito uses the pen name 'OH! great' because his real name Ogure Ito is roughly how the Japanese pronounce "oh great. is the Japanese word for a comic artist or Cartoonist. Outside of Japan, Manga usually refers to a Japanese Comic book and mangaka "
Etymology
Despite the use of French words in the name Nom de plume, the term did not originate in France. H. W. Fowler and F. Henry Watson Fowler ( 10 March 1858 – 26 December 1933) was an English schoolmaster Lexicographer and commentator G. Fowler, in The King's English [1] state that the term nom de plume "evolved" in Britain, where people wanting a "literary" phrase, failed to understand the term nom de guerre, which already existed in French. The King's English is a book on English usage and grammar It was written by the Fowler brothers Henry Watson Fowler and Francis George Fowler Since guerre means war in French, nom de guerre did not make sense to the British, who did not understand the French metaphor. The term was later exported to France (H. W. Fowler's Modern English Usage). A Dictionary of Modern English Usage, often referred to as Fowler's Modern English Usage or simply as Fowler's or Fowler See French-language expression, although amongst French speakers pseudonyme is much more common. Here are some examples of French words and phrases used by English speakers. French ( français,) is a Romance language spoken around the world by 118 million people as a native language and by about 180 to 260 million people
See also
- Stage name - the equivalent concept among performers. A stage name, also called a screen name, is a Pseudonym used by Performers and Entertainers such as
- Chinese courtesy name
- List of pseudonyms
- Art-name
- Pseudepigraphy
- Ghostwriter
- List of notable pen names
References
- ^ Ch. A Chinese style name, sometimes also known as a courtesy name ( zì) is a given name to be used later in life Here is a list of Pseudonyms, in various categories Pseudonyms are similar to but distinct from secret identities. An is a Pseudonym, or Penname, used by a Japanese artist which they sometimes change Pseudepigrapha (from Ancient Greek ψευδής A ghostwriter is a professional Writer who is paid to write books articles stories reports or other content which are officially credited to another person This is a list of Pen names used by notable people See also List of pseudonyms Art-name Bhanusingha 1, p. 43 (Foreign Words, #5),
External links
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