Among the wealth of campaign literature that accumulated over the past six weeks was a mock ballot from Carol Skelton, the Conservative candidate in Saskatoon-Rosetown-Biggar.
Skelton’s name was prominent among others on the ballot: Mirhe Widfson; Gympta Hafte; and the nearly vowel-bereft Fischise Ljhfdg.
The other names were pseudonyms, of course. From a campaign perspective, why give free name recognition to the actual opponents?
But besides the obvious political message, the mailer sparked thoughts about pseudonyms. They’re more common in the writing field than the political field, for the obvious reason that politicians want to be recognized and writers sometimes don’t.
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You don’t have to look hard to find a writer hiding under pseudonymic cover.
The High Plains Journal, a venerable agricultural publication based in Dodge City, Kansas, runs a column by Seymour Kleirly entitled Washington Whispers. In it, Mr. Kleirly, whoever he is, expounds his opinions on agricultural politics.
Closer to home, Manitoba’s Farmers’ Independent Weekly frequently runs a column by Maerz E. Doats entitled Let’s go Ridin.’
Bill Duncan, a columnist in Oregon’s Capital Press, last year related the tale of a unique newspaper pseudonym, Phlange Welder. As Duncan related, Phlange used to appear frequently in the Los Angeles Times, first as a philanthropist and then on lists of guests who attended parties held by the Times publisher.
Mr. Welder was once listed among the baritones and bassos of the New York Opera and was on the passenger manifest for the last voyage of the Queen Mary, according to the Times.
The name, of course, was a newspaper insiders’ joke and a fabrication by a Times staffer. Once the secret got out, the publisher demanded a halt, citing potential damage to the newspaper’s credibility. Nevertheless, the fictitious Phlange developed a fan club and still appears on various rosters.
In the case of the Journal and the Weekly, the transparency of the columnists’ names is an obvious signal to readers about the pseudonym. And you’ve got to admit that Phlange Welder is a pretty unlikely handle as well.
But, you never know. Doubtless many Rolling Stones fans think Nanker Phelge is a real person, instead of the pseudonymic author of songs written by all or several members of the band.
In case you’re wondering, we don’t use pseudonyms in the Western Producer. If we ever do, I suspect Fischise Ljhfdg is looking for a job.
