Belle de Jour's history of anonymity

Subject: Belle de Jour's history of anonymity Mon Dec 31, 2012 2:58 am

While we may not know their names, anonymous writers have long shaped our worldview, says Brooke Magnanti, who wrote as sex blogger Belle de Jour.

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How do we know who's written the words we love to read?

The obvious answer is by the name on the cover. But the tradition of anonymity subverts any easy answers.

As someone who spent six years writing under a pen name, the topic of anonymity is fascinating to me. When I started blogging as Belle de Jour it was for practical self-protection - I didn't want to risk my career in science by people knowing I was also a call girl.

There are all kinds of reasons for wanting to be anonymous, and they started thousands of years before humankind even imagined blogs and the internet.

From the earliest times, we have told stories and tales, histories and thoughts. But even though sharing our experience of the world is a human universal, wanting to be recognised for that isn't.

At many times in history, being known for what you write has carried a high price. Laws from imperial Rome to 17th Century England made it possible for rulers to execute those who criticised them and their actions.

Harsh laws are in place even today, as those tweeting and blogging during the various Arab Spring uprisings can attest. Anonymity can save your life.

Literature mavens tease out real lives from the mischievous games authors have used to hide themselves. While we are well acquainted with the Bronte sisters today, they originally published under the names Currer, Ellis and Acton Bell.

Jonathan Swift got someone else to write out his manuscripts so his handwriting wouldn't be recognised by the printer. Swift saw it as part of the fun to keep people guessing.

More: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-20796615

Belle de Jour's history of anonymity

Belle de Jour's history of anonymity

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