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| Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie - another 'difficultly named' writer - pic from The Guardian |
The Athlone Advertiser has a wee feature on my event with Gabriel Rosenstock at the Athlone Literary Festival on the 8th October.
They have my name spelt incorrectly but I am very used to that, having a name like mine. I remember when I was writing a few years, my Ma rang with a very serious voice. 'Now, there's something I need to talk to you about. Myself and your Da have been talking and we think you need to change your name.' I thought she was going to tell me someone had died!
Maybe I should have changed it back then (reverted to Nuala O'Connor) but that's my Ma's name and it's also a very well known TV producer's name, so I felt it would only lead to more confusion. So I kept my name and here we are: nobody can say or spell it. Mind you, it doesn't seem to have done Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie much harm. Pronounce that, people!
Anyway, I digress. Myself and Gabriel's event is on the writer and place: 'a discussion on the influence of landscape on writing' according to the programme. So I'd better get thinking about that.
4 comments:
snap!
I guess it's no wonder you go by your shorter name :)
I met Kit F last night and she was buzzing about your new collection.
If it makes you feel any better - having a very easy name does not make things any 'easier'.
NOT ONE person can spell my name correctly. Weiss, Wyse, Wize, I get everything except the plain old boring as it sounds 'Wise'. I usually, exhaustedly, retort when having to spell it for the gazillionth time 'W.I.S.E. as in 'Wise Ass'' ... Then they get it.
My maiden name was Dempsey and I gave A LOT OF thought to the name change years ago when we wed, and decided that Wise was the best choice - seeing as it is so much easier to spell than Dempsey.
Ha!
Empathy, Móna. My eldest son is called Cúán, which people find difficult. So I called the second son Finn. Easy! No! People want to call him Fionn. Grrrrrr.
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