I am reading "The Cuckoo's Calling", a book authored by Robert Galbraith. A few days ago it was revealed that Robert Galbraith was actually a pseudonym of the celebrated J. K. Rowling, who is of course known the world over for her 'Harry Potter' series.
The question on most minds would be why Ms. Rowling wrote a book using a pseudonym. Wouldn't it be far more satisfying to write under her own name?
The answer lies in the way her first book (after the Harry Potter ones) 'Casual Vacancy' was received by critics and fans all around. She was slammed for writing adult content; some found her characters 'too dark' after Harry and company; some lauded her on her courage to do a complete 360⁰ in terms of her writing style.
As she herself is supposed to have said "I was yearning to go back to the beginning of a writing career in this new genre, to work without hype or expectation". “It was a fantastic experience and I only wish it could have gone on a little longer.”
Be that as it may...my quandary is this...will I enjoy this book more because I now know it is written by Rowling, a woman I admire deeply for her fantastic imagination? How would I have felt about about it had the pseudonym secret not been made public?
Sales of 'The Cuckoo's Calling' which were sluggish initially have definitely now skyrocketed with the author's true identity being made public. Ms. Rowling too has successfully won her lawsuit against the law firm that 'outed' her, donating the damages to charity.
Women like Mary Anne Evans (George Eliot), Currer, Ellis and Acton Bell (the Bronte sisters) in the 19th century did use pseudonyms because they have wanted their work to be taken seriously. It took the success of their works for these authoresses to declare themselves as creators of such seminal works.
Ms. Rowling might have looked forward to basking in the success of her latest work, albeit in literary disguise...but for fickle tongues.
The book, in my humble opinion, promises to be a good whodunit and I will try to appreciate it for just that...and try not to be influenced by the knowledge of Ms. Rowling's awesome intelligence at work.
The question on most minds would be why Ms. Rowling wrote a book using a pseudonym. Wouldn't it be far more satisfying to write under her own name?
The answer lies in the way her first book (after the Harry Potter ones) 'Casual Vacancy' was received by critics and fans all around. She was slammed for writing adult content; some found her characters 'too dark' after Harry and company; some lauded her on her courage to do a complete 360⁰ in terms of her writing style.
As she herself is supposed to have said "I was yearning to go back to the beginning of a writing career in this new genre, to work without hype or expectation". “It was a fantastic experience and I only wish it could have gone on a little longer.”
Be that as it may...my quandary is this...will I enjoy this book more because I now know it is written by Rowling, a woman I admire deeply for her fantastic imagination? How would I have felt about about it had the pseudonym secret not been made public?
Sales of 'The Cuckoo's Calling' which were sluggish initially have definitely now skyrocketed with the author's true identity being made public. Ms. Rowling too has successfully won her lawsuit against the law firm that 'outed' her, donating the damages to charity.
Women like Mary Anne Evans (George Eliot), Currer, Ellis and Acton Bell (the Bronte sisters) in the 19th century did use pseudonyms because they have wanted their work to be taken seriously. It took the success of their works for these authoresses to declare themselves as creators of such seminal works.
Ms. Rowling might have looked forward to basking in the success of her latest work, albeit in literary disguise...but for fickle tongues.
The book, in my humble opinion, promises to be a good whodunit and I will try to appreciate it for just that...and try not to be influenced by the knowledge of Ms. Rowling's awesome intelligence at work.
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