What's in a pseudonym?

The Colin McEnroe Show

From pen names to online aliases, pseudonyms are all around us. This hour, we’re talking about what compels people to adopt an alternate identity when they write.

Do pseudonyms liberate us? Do they make us treat each other better? Or do they stop credit from going where it’s due?

GUESTS:

• Carmela Ciuraru: Author of “Nom de Plume: A (Secret) History of Pseudonyms” and, most recently, “Lives of the Wives: Five Literary Marriages”

• Daniel A. Gross: Editor at the New Yorker and author of the Atlantic article, “The Mystery of the Hardy Boys and the Invisible Authors”

• Alfred Moore: Senior lecturer in Politics at the University of York

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Colin McEnroe, Lily Tyson and Dylan Reyes contributed to this show, which originally aired on February 14, 2024.

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