The Relaxed Snowman

The Two Ways Of Anonymity (revised)

posted Tuesday, 24 November 2009


I have revised my 'Two Ways of Anonymity' (eight years in the drafting), at least partially thanks to a ghost-writer called Alexicon here: http://www.knibbworld.com/campbelldiscuss/messages/1/2904.html?1259082955


The Two Ways of Anonymity

(one) The most common way - to say something you don't want to be known as saying, i.e. possibly for *devious* purposes (which could be spite, nepotism, insult, cruelty, dubious joke etc etc.) -- or publishing pornography, issuing a Valentine's card, hiding one's identity to avoid reputation depletion etc, ghost-writing, being an artisan writer who is simply having anonymous fun on a literary internet discussion-thread, being in a war where identity-concealment could save a life...

(two) A way that is hardly ever used - to make an artistic statement (within the philosophy of Aesthetics), such as Nemonymity,
(i) whereby the fiction author wants some objective view of his work to be made without his name getting in the way -- and I, as an editor, equally don't want it to get in the way when I consider his submission for publication and
(ii) as an experiment in fiction anthology presentation as a new gestalt reading experience (i.e. stories written independently and remaining separate yet somehow more 'together') and
(iii) leading to a brainstorming approach to reviews and critical appreciation and
(iv) bringing fiction nearer to the artist-naming (late-labelling) approach of other arts such as fine arts, architecture, music etc. (instead of having the name on the spine, on the title page and, often, on the top of each alternate page throughout the book) and
(v) trying to bring fiction more easily to an interstitial or between/cross-genre optimum.

I think it true to say that some elements in (one) above bring anonymity into disrepute, a cross which Nemonymous has to bear.

Further input would be welcome.





comments (1)



1. Weirdmonger left...
Wednesday, 7 July 2010 3:44 pm
While writing about 'The Conspiracy Against The Human Race' by Thomas Ligotti today, I decided that a (vi) should be added to the list above, saying: "attempting to reach a state of pure pessimism".