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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.
snap!
ReplyDeleteI guess it's no wonder you go by your shorter name :)
ReplyDeleteI 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'.
ReplyDeleteNOT 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.
ReplyDelete