WHAT IS A PEN NAME AND WHY DOES CK USE ONE?

A pen name is an alias used by a writer / author for several possible reasons, including a desire for anonymity. The use of pen names is common in the field of literature. Commonly too, a pen name will become associated with particular fictional characters or a particular series of publications. Some examples are:

• JK Rowling - Harry Potter. Robert Galbraith - Cormoran Strike. Both are pen names of Joanne Rowling.

• Agatha Christie - Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot - Murder mysteries. Mary Westmacott - Romantic fiction. Both are pen names of Agatha Christie nee Miller.

  Celestial Koan is therefore a pen name. Such may be used for many reasons including where:

  • the author wishes the message to stand in its own right independent of the messenger,

  • the author wishes to retain some degree of personal privacy or anonymity,

  • the name is intended to convey a separate image / brand identity,

  • multiple persons may be presenting behind a single identity,

All of these reasons are true in the case of Celestial Koan, although all books published under the pen name of Celestial Koan are written by the one and same person.

It should be noted that Joanne Rowling used a separate pen name for her adult detective fiction series featuring Cormoran Strike for more than one of the reasons listed above.