M.A.R. Barker, author of Tekumel, also author of Neo-Nazi book?

Barker wasn't doing anything unlawful at the time. It was barely unethical; the pen name probably helped him dodge attacks by...
No one's suggested that he did anything unlawful. That's entirely missing the point, if not a deliberate red herring.

"Dodge attacks"; you mean dodge responsibility for his actions? Dodge judgement by people of any non-Nazi creed? Yeah. No doubt the pen name did help him avoid a lot of awkwardness and disgust while he was alive.
 

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"Dodge attacks"; you mean dodge responsibility for his actions? Dodge judgement by people of any non-Nazi creed? Yeah. No doubt the pen name did help him avoid a lot of awkwardness and disgust while he was alive.
Wasn't dodging reponsibility/repercussions the whole reason authors starting using pseudonyms in the first place?
 

Wasn't dodging reponsibility/repercussions the whole reason authors starting using pseudonyms in the first place?
That may be the original reason. There have been several different reasons, historically. Women used to often use male pseudonyms when women writers weren't taken seriously, for example. Even today it's not uncommon for them to use their initials instead. Professional genre writers sometimes use different pen names when writing in different genres, to maintain brand clarity. Back when physical book stores were more prevalent, this also helped them get more books on the shelves in different parts of the store.
 

Wasn't dodging reponsibility/repercussions the whole reason authors starting using pseudonyms in the first place?
I think it's fair to be a lot more critical of an author obscuring their efforts in furthering Nazi ideologies than trying to avoid discrimination or create a bit more separation between an author's public vs private life.
 

I think it's fair to be a lot more critical of an author obscuring their efforts in furthering Nazi ideologies than trying to avoid discrimination or create a bit more separation between an author's public vs private life.
Indeed. The Italian writer Elena Ferrante choose to eschew notoriety and to avoid having the critics try to guess which parts of her novels were autobiographical. I totally respect that and I think that the journalist who doxed her is a jerk.

The case of Barker is completely different and I appreciate those who found out and revealed the truth of the matter.
 



How many of the people in this thread have actually read the book in question, and how many are offended because they were just told to be offended?
Wow. Talk about not reading. If you had actually read the thread, you would see that it's not the book that is in question. It's the fact that Mr. Barker was a full on Nazi and belonged to a Nazi organization that's the issue.
 

How many of the people in this thread have actually read the book in question, and how many are offended because they were just told to be offended?
Your comment appears to be belittling people who are decent enough, noble enough and honourable enough to stand against pro-Nazi ideology.
Nazism is more than offensive. It is evil. So are it’s adherents and its lackeys.
 


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