Who's Writing This?

Who is really controlling the pen?Editor Daniel Halpern was profoundly curious about the creative processso he asked fifty-five world-renowned writers to briefly muse on "e;the fictional persona behind the scenes,"e; the alter(ed) ego who takes over when there is true literary work to be done. And the writers responded in a myriad of ways. Margaret Atwood, Frank Conroy, William Gass, Czeslaw Milosz, Susan Sontag, James Michener, Joyce Carol Oates, and others offered snap-shot reflections on the process, some thoughtful and deep, others downright silly. (Edward Gorey, for one, anagrammed his name to introduce all his secret selves, including the inimitable "e;Ogdred Weary."e;) Many provided self-portraits, included within.Joyous and wondrous, revealing and surprising, remarkable and ridiculous, Who's Writing This? is an unmitigated delightan eloquent celebration of self-knowledge and artistic expression that uniquely bares the writer's soul.