When I was young my name was rather unusual but these days every man in Wales seems to be called "Rhys". I sometimes wish I had kept the pen-name I invented for myself when I began writing. Actually I had several pseudonyms, the first being the rather abstruse "Theophrastus Rhaeticus" when I was 15, followed by "Zadig Dikdorff" (inspired by Voltaire); and then "Henry Jovial", which is the pseudonym I now wish I had stuck with. Henry is my middle name anyway: and the surname Jovial (hearty, gleeful) is a nod to the satirist Juvenal. I collected Classical authors back then. I still occasionally read them.
One of the finest works of Classical literature, in my view, is The Golden Ass by Lucius Apuleius, a novel the equal in imagination and ingenuity to any fantastical fiction that has ever followed, a book that should be mounted on a pedestal in some hypothetical Temple of Literature. In homage to Apuleius I created a blog called The Platinum Ass where I could post some of my stories online for free reading. My notion is to eventually post 100 tales there. I will post only fairly short works and they will be selected pretty much at random from my back catalogue. I have just added the 14th. Hope you enjoy!
I think you should now go with Henry Joviial. All your friends will tell everyone that it is really Rhys Hughes, until it finally catches on.
ReplyDeleteHa! Thanks Des. If my books are ever reprinted when I am an old man and have given up writing, maybe then I will be Henry Jovial at long last... :-)
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