The BBC has called in Professor of English Literature Valentine Cunningham at Corpus Christi College, Oxford, to discuss the issue of name confusion stirred up by the Time magazine flap. They chose Prof. Cunningham, author of British Writers of the Thirties, thinking he himself may suffered a bit from the same problem. He pointed out that such confusion was more widespread than might be supposed, citing the case of the film actor John Wayne, whose original name was Marion. The problem is more acute in England, according to Cunningham, where names such as his own, as well as Hilary, Gabriel, and Aubrey can go either way. The latter two had, in fact, affected two of Waugh’s in-laws, his second wife’s sister and brother. A recording of the interview is posted here.
New York Magazine’s online journal “The Cut” has also weighed in with its own list of the names of the top 10 male writers (or not, as the case may be):
10. J.K. Rowling
9. George Sand
8. Carson McCullers
7. Lionel Shriver
6. James Tiptree
5. P.L. Travers
4. George Eliot
3. H.D.
2. Isak Dinesen
1. Harper Lee
