“Ayn” was inspired by the name of a Finnish writer (who she refused to disclose) and the last name “Rand” is an abbreviation of Rosenbaum.įor millions of readers, entering Rand’s objectivist world was an unforgettable experience. Rand adopted the pseudonym in 1926 when she emigrated from Russia to the United States. Ayn RandĪyn Rand is the pen name of Alissa Zinovievna Rosenbaum. Among her most famous works are O Constituinte (“The Constituent”), which received awards from the União Brasileira de Escritores-RJ (“The Brazilian Writer’s Union-Rio de Janeiro”) at the Academia Brasileira de Letras (“Brazilian Academy of Letters”), and the Editora Só Livro Bom (“Only Good Book Publisher”). Her pen name is an homage to Hannah Arendt and Pablo Neruda, her favorite authors, and she’s been writing poetry since 2012.Īrendt is a children’s book author, a playwright, a novelist and a poet. Alencar, is a Brazilian poet and diplomat.

10 Author Pseudonyms And The Stories Behind Them Ana Paula ArendtĪna Paula Arendt, the pseudonym of R. We put together a list of some of the authors with the most interesting pen names, and explored why they chose to use this editorial tactic. These are just a few examples of famous author pseudonyms that have been used hide someone’s true identity for whatever reason.Ī pen name can act as a shield that allows the author to express themselves without fear of criticism or judgment, shed preconceived notions and write freely in their genre of choice. Rowling is a pen name that the author, Joan Kathleen Rowling, chose in order to hide her gender. What about Robert Galbraith? Well, Galbraith is a pen name for none other than the architect of the wizarding world: J.K. For example, have you ever heard of Richard Bachman? Maybe, but he’s better known as Stephen King. Have you ever thought about doing the same? Also referred to as a pseudonym, a pen name is a fictitious name that an author uses to publish their work.

Whenever I learn the story hiding behind a name, I get so carried away that I start daydreaming about what my pen name might be if I had to hide my identity.

Zeno's Conscience by Italo Svevo