A Case of Nemonymitation

Each of the first five annual issues (2001-2005 inclusive) of Nemonymous was what I called a ‘megazanthus’: i.e. a cross between a magazine (or, rather, a literary journal) and a book anthology. The authors of the stories were not named at all in the actual issue in which they appeared but in the subsequent one.

The latest three issues (2007-2009 inclusive) have been large book-shaped anthologies. Each has its authors’ names randomised on the back cover and a year later assigned to the correct story in the subsequent issue.

The first three issues contained stories that were contracted for publication *before* I knew the authors’ identities myself! The later issues gave a choice to the author submitting a story to submit it anonymously to me or not.

From 2001, inspired by my study of 'The Intentional Fallacy' since the sixties as well as by an original experiment in the neutralising of author name-prejudice, Nemonymous is arguably the world’s first uncredited anthology of fiction stories. And the effect of reading a multi-authored group of non-by-lined stories has been said by many to lend itself to a ground-breaking 'gestalt' effect. And more...!

Forgive the pretentiousness, but I thought I should clarify the above points. df lewis

Relevant blog entry at link immediately above.