A nom de plume that does not make me want to read the book
It’s not unusual for a writer to use a pen name (nom de plume in French). Mark Twain is probably the most famous fake. Twain’s real name was Samuel Langhorne Clemens, but he also used Sieur Louis de Conte.
Here's the headline from a crappy-as-usual Outskirts Press book announcement:
"Outskirts Press Announces Nubian Gold, the Latest Highly-Anticipated History – Other Book from Houston, TX, Author Tarchon the Etruscan."
If the author was Conan the Barbarian, Atilla the Hun or Andre the Giant, I might have read more.
If the category was more exciting than "History - Other," I might have read more.
If the publisher was not Outskirts Press, I might have read more.
If the press release was written better, I might have read more.
If the Etruscan was from ancient Italy -- not modern Texas -- I might have read more.
And finally, the full title is Nubian Gold: A Conspiracy of Jewish Proportions. I've heard enough antisemitic crap about alleged Jewish Conspiracies and will not buy the book.
If you're more curious or motivated than I was, it's on Amazon.com
OOPS. I'm not through.
If you need another reason to ignore the book, read this egomaniacal bullshit about the author: "Tarchon the Etruscan is a student of the human condition, wielding the written craft to enrapture the mind much like an artist wields a brush. The pages are a blank canvas on which to draw from a talent heralded by many and matched only by an imagination that rises to the task. Nubian Gold is the reminiscences of a seer’s vision."
It's hard to read that without puking.
Sorry, Tarchon. Somehow, I just don't feel much of an urge to have my mind enraptured, especially by an egomaniac who is afraid to use his or her real name.
No comments:
Post a Comment