2010/02/10 New York
Varieties
Anecdote
One of the funniest anecdotes about the deceased J.D. Salinger came from John Seabrook and was published in last week’s New Yorker: “Jerry had an encyclopedic knowledge of mushrooms, and often traveled under the alias Mr. Boletus, which was one of his favorite varieties.”
It’s possible that J.D. Salinger was an amateur mycologist.
What other explanation can there be for traveling under the alias Mr. Boletus? If you really would like to go unnoticed you would opt for Mr. Johnson, Mr. Smith, Mr. Peterson or Mr. Charleston, to name just a few other aliases I like to travel under.
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21 comments 
What about the alias: Mr. Mysantropovitsch?
´alias ´ isn´t alias for ´unnoticed´ , rather an ´alterego´ , a creation of the other you, like acting but not on stage. a Mr. ordinary Smith hides something afterall, or does ´alias´ means somenthing else in the American English?
Cletus Boletus
Mr. Boletus sounds lovely. Perhaps Salinger wasn't a hermit all those years. Perhaps he was just incognito."Mr. Smith" really Arnon, I thought you would be much more creative. If I were a private investigator, I'd try asking for a "Mr and Mrs Smith" at the motel reception right away.
Personally I like "Jehovah Pandemonious" but "Bodo Schlumpeter" comes in a close second. Of course there's "Carlos Dee" too...
Nabokov did the airy butterflies, Neruda the watery shells and Salinger did earthy mushrooms, so which big writer collected something firery? And if there wasnt or isnt any this is a golden opportunity for you Arnon, only question is: to collect what? Pipes, matchsticks, no.. its not that easy to become one of the great writers in the world.
From now I'll pass on as Zany Zadie.
Dee
When it comes to choosing an alias creativity is a deadly sin, my dear Mr. Dee.Of course I speak as an undercover cop, not as a novelist.
Iz
"alias"noun
a false or assumed identity : a spy operating under the alias Barsad.
thanks , not specifficly ´unnoticed´ thus. I see you are in a good mood , there you go, a performance of a true agent
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=feXaUhHvoKs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=feXaUhHvoKs
Iz
Why would a famous author use an alias while traveling? Why would a spy use an alias? To attract attention?It’s really not that difficult.
Iz
P.S.Thanks for the link. These are the spectacles I use while operating undercover south of 14th Street.
ok, i see your point , anyhow some people just can´t deny an attention, even if they, for some purposes, use an other identity. Salinger had fun being a mashroomman , obviously . Call it dimentions in necessarity.
at P.S.
a true spirit of ´a Mr´. Smith´ i see . By the way this agent comes from a place in NYC where you can create ,design your own true muppet , but i guess you kne w it!Arnon
Which would you think is more likely to be an alias:Larry Lockwood, or
Herbert Schlegelmilch?
Actually I think the trick of assuming an alias is not so much the name, as just acting and looking as boring and forgettable as possible. At least if you want to be undercover. After all, inadvertent fame under an assumed name can present certain difficulties.
I have a few aliases. Some of them sound Jewish-German, others are derived from my deceased begetter. One of them, which I never use, just sounds great to me. A real Flemish name: Fons Verbrakel.
Mr. Boletus, what an explosive name. It sure leaves its spurs.
Mr. Boletus, what an explosive name. It sure leaves its spurs.
Dee
Well, in Bavaria I would opt for Larry Lockwood.In Tokyo I would choose Herbert Schlegelmilch.
Please remember the first law of choosing an alias: location, location, location.
Dens
What do you need this for?Are you an undercover cop as well?
Or are you one of those predators surfing the Internet, always on the lookout for an underaged donkey?
Nou moe!
Heer Grunberg,Heb ik me dat al beklaagd dat ik als nickname Drs. Johan Arendt Happolati heb genomen, zeg! Telkens als ik mij bekend maak, reageert men met: "drs. wie?" En het is ook telkens een heel getyp. Had ik dit alles vooraf geweten, ik had mezelf gewoon dr. Degroot genoemd. Makkelijk zat.
Wat denkt u ervan?
Mr. Arnon
As much as one can like underaged donkeys, this is not the case with me. I do it purely out of fear for the future.If I use my real name too often (on the internet, for example, but for subscriptions, unofficial things as well), it will follow me throughout my whole life. I intend to start my life as clean as possible when it's time to do so.
Dens
I hate to tell you this but your life has already started.Mr. Arnon
Let's hope you are mistaken or this is the worst thing someone can do to another.Johan Schokker
To Johan Schokker, if you are still out there. Could you email me? I have a confession to make: mail@aliefka.comRegards.
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