Author's Other Personality

When a writer changes his name, it is not just a matter of putting on a mask; sometimes it is a matter of completely rebuilding his literary identity, and sometimes it is a matter of creating a whole new soul. Becoming a completely different person, finally expressing what was inside and diversifying it with the roles he takes on, helps to create literary value.

Pseudonyms (or pen names in literature) have often been used in the history of literature to conceal the identity of authors, to challenge social norms and to create an alter ego or persona.

When you think about it, why would authors have resorted to such a method? What prevented them from using their own names? Was it simply the fashion of the time? Let us examine.

Photo by Sujal Patel on Unsplash

One of the first points that might come to mind is actually revealed in retrospect. Women writers in particular, unable to make their voices heard in a male-dominated world (not only in literature), have often resorted to this method. In this way, which they see as an escape from social pressure, they have also found ways of being taken seriously by using male names. For example, I later learned that the author James Tiptree Jr, whose two books I had read, was actually Alice Bradley Sheldon. The masculinity of the story, and the fact that the authorities at the time thought she was a man, were undoubtedly factors in getting the book published.

Another famous author to use this method is J K Rowling. She preferred to leave her gender ambiguous by using this name, which means, she used a kind of concealment strategy. But the problem of the successful author is actually different. She wanted to protect her private life and publish her writings under a different identity because she was already quite famous. I found out about her pseudonym, Robert Galbraith, when I was researching her for this article, so that if readers gave Robert a chance, they would not be constantly expecting the success of Harry Potter. We can say that it gives the author a margin of safety and hides her personality. Lewis Carroll, the author of Alice in Wonderland, also used a pen name when writing his children's books in order to separate himself from his academic identity.

Again, Agatha Christie, as a well-known author, is one of those who have resorted to this. She also used the name Mary Westmacott to reset readers' expectations while writing in a genre other than her usual style. Of course, it is also understandable that the author who wanted to get away from detective fiction and expand her creative freedom by writing in a completely different genre would resort to this. For example, my favourite author, Herbert George Wells, occasionally wrote satirical articles under the pseudonym (and character) Reginald Bliss after his science fiction and fantasy novels.

Meanwhile, I'd like to mention a term called heteronym, but I'll keep it short. The term refers to a form that is different from a pseudonym, but has a similar characteristic. Unlike a pseudonym, a heteronym means that the author adopts a fictional persona that is completely independent of his or her real identity. It is a literary identity used to create different personalities, styles and imaginary biographies, which may be more than one, and which can be associated with a character. We are really talking about taking on a role. So perhaps it can be defined as multiple author identity. For example, the philosopher Kierkegaard creates and portrays two characters while discussing different or opposing philosophical thoughts in order to force the reader to think. Another interesting example takes a different approach. In the science fiction series Doctor Who, there was a scriptwriter with the pseudonym David Agnew, but this name was actually a single personality that involved a team of people. Everyone writes by adopting “a person” called David Agnew, and it is claimed that the script for that episode was written by the same person.

Let's return to the reasons for using pseudonyms. This time we continue with Stephen King. He is also known as the “King of Horror”. As you can see, he really does have a brand name. It is actually hard to get away from it when you think about it. It might not always be positive for him to write under the name King when he changes genres or writes his unusual thoughts. Because his recognition actually means that he is open to too many interpretations. Either he had to think before every step he took, or he had to take the more sensible route. Yes, for a while he published many books under the pseudonym Richard Bachman, which he also described as his alter ego.

There is also the question of censorship. Those who write about political or controversial subjects use pseudonyms to hide their real identities, which is understandable. I think it is self-explanatory. Voltaire, for example, was one of those who preferred to do so in order to protect himself from the authorities of the time. Pablo Neruda also published his political poems under a different name.

If we think in the context of a persona, the work can shift to a more psychological denominator. Let's think like this. You are in a place where you would like to be and you enjoy writing. Then, life being life, you move to another place. You can't go there anymore, you can't fully experience the same feelings. Of course, this situation affects your writing to some extent. Now imagine that you prefer to wear a mask. You prefer to distance yourself from your personal feelings and experiences in order to increase the psychological factor. You might write a braver, more objective and “unlike you” article. You might even consider using a pseudonym. It is no longer you, and what you write are the words of the character you have created. Just like the words you use and the behaviour you adopt towards your family, friends and strangers.

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After researching the subject, I realised that I was actually doing it without realising it. A pseudonym I chose when I first entered the internet and then social media has become a full part of my life. In fact, I have adopted and internalised it so much that sometimes it feels strange to read my name. Due to the frequency of my use, even most of my relatives think it is my second name. I use this name in my fictional writings to escape my reality. I also include myself as a character in my writings, and when I read them again after a long time, I see that I am involuntarily reflecting my own thoughts. Although I cannot understand exactly what makes this happen, I can observe this difference in my fictional and non-fictional writings. And in such non-fictional writings, I become just a word weaver.