I Was Just Thinking…..Who was anonymous? Why did they hide?

Creative written, visual, musical artists deserve to be identified. No more anonymous.

By: Norma Adams-Wade

Ever wonder who was this person Anonymous, also known as Anon?

Whoever he or she was, they sure wrote and designed a lot of things.

Of course, I’m saying this tongue in cheek. 

We should acknowledge that behind every written, visual or musical work attributed to Anonymous was actually some unknown human who I feel should be known and deserves credit for their creation.

That individual either chose not to be identified…or…their identity, for whatever reason, became lost in time; often for nefarious reasons – i.e., thief by a rival, the artist’ fear of retribution, or some such regret. 

Alternately, we can suppose that the writer, visual or musical artist wanted the work rather than him/herself to be the focus of attention, so they chose to remain anonymous. They or their publisher chose a pen name or the label “Anonymous Author” or “Anonymous Work.”

It always riles me, though, when I see those labels at the end of a creative work. I think of the creative effort that goes into composing an artistic piece. Then, after all that, no one is able to tell you, “Good job… I love it!”

I was just thinking… consider the lack of appreciation, having to figurative hide in a closet and never be able to say: “I wrote that.” “I painted, sculpted or composed that.” “It’s mine.”

Ancient anonymous works

Society has long accepted that we likely will never know the creators of prehistoric works such as the Stonehenge sculptures in England or the world-famous stone age animals engraved on walls such as the Lascaux Caves in France. That we may never know does not stop us from wondering.

Besides visual art, some scholars argue that there is no solid proof about the authors of various early written works. One such writing that has been scrutinized is the Qur’an, a faith-based holy book that tradition says an angel revealed to the Islamic prophet Muhammad, more than 600 years after the death of the Christian Christ.

 The female author of another noted writing — the Gothic horror story Frankenstein — originally was identified as anonymous when first published in 1818. Researcher speculate that gender bias against women may explain why the author’s identity was first kept secret. Finally, in 1823, English novelist Mary W. Shelley was publicly identified as the Frankenstein author. Then in 1831, her husband, Percy Bysshe Shelley, was credited with writing the book’s preface.

A few other early books attributed to Anon include the Old English epic poem Beowulf, The Arabian Nights, The Book of Aquarius, One Thousand and One Nights, and  I Ching — a guide to the universe. 

Biblical works

Biblical researchers vigorously debate about true authors of 12 of the 39 Old Testament books and six of the 27 New Testament books. The argument goes that rabbinic tradition rather than any solid references in the books’ texts identify the authors. Some Old Testament books that spark debate are Genesis, Ruth, Judges, Esther, Job, and Ecclesiastes. New Testament books under dispute are Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts, and Hebrews. Of course, individuals choose to believe what they believe.

Modern works

There are modern written works whose creators choose to be anonymous. These include writers of the modern day books, Go Ask Alice, Diary of an Oxygen Thief, and the political novel Primary Colors. One of the art world’s best-known anonymous visual artist has never been definitively identified and is referred to only as the male Banksy. Some researchers identify him as a graffiti artist. Banksy is credited with painting thought-provoking images on walls as he travels from place to place in international sites. 

Anonymous quotations

One of the world’s 25 most famous quotes is identified as,  “In the begiving, God created the heavens and the earth.” Researchers attribute it to anonymous. But a hosts of Bible scholars credit the prophet Moses as the writer of Genesis in the Bible where the statement is found. 

Perhaps two of the more irritating wrongfully attributions quotes are (1) people who attribute the African Village quote to Hillary Clinton and (2) those who confuse two distinct comments about fear and courage from author Marianne Williamson and South African leader Nelson Mandela.

Mandela and fear/courage

The misattributions between Mandela and Williamson is hard to shake. In his 1994 autobiography, Long Walk to Freedom, Mandela stated: “I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but triumph over it.” 

In Marianne Williamson’s 1992 self-help book,  A Return to Love, the author and former 2020 U. S. Presidential candidate wrote, “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.”

Commencement speakers and others began to erroneously attribute Williamson’s quote to Mandela. Williamson and Mandela both put out statements correcting the misinformation. Yet, speakers today still continue to attribute the quote in error.

Hillary Clinton and the village

“It takes a village to raise a child traditionally is identified as an oral history African proverb. But confusion set in in the late 1990s. First, author Jane Cowen-Fletcher wrote a children’s book in 1994 entitled It Takes A Village. Then in 1996, Hillary Clinton wrote her book, It Takes A Village: And Other Lessons Children Teach Us. 

The Cowen-Fletcher book served its purpose for children and did not cause ripples. But the Hillary Clinton book caused reviewers and the public to begin crediting the village quote to Clinton. One commentator even stated that there was no evidence that the quote had ties to Africa! 

In conclusion

On social media, we often get statements, posters and flyers that convey interesting, cute, funny, and/or powerful sayings. Here’s a request. Please pay attention to the true author or creator and credit them if you repeat their work. The world has enough curious anonymous treasures to last until the end of time. Please do not continue to add to the list.

Norma Adams-Wade, is a proud Dallas native, University of Texas at Austin journalism graduate and retired Dallas Morning News senior staff writer. She is a founder of the National Association of Black Journalists. norma_adams_wade@yahoo.com.