author's notes: backstory of the backstory

[lagilman]

Random bit of trivia, mainly because it came up in a reader's comment today:

"Jerzy" is a Polish variant of George. I wanted a name for my hero that clearly showed that he was NOT a Standard Whiteboi Hero [he's actually from the land-mass that would have been southern Russia, more or less, with a trace of the steppes], and the thought of a hero named George pleased me. So now you know.

The point of the naming conventions was to show how diverse the population was: while the general populace might not ever travel more than a day's journey from their birthplace, the slave trade ensured that Vinearts found their way to where they needed to be, scattering them throughout the Lands Vin. In addition, the Washers and Solitaires are both constantly on the move once they finish training, and since they're not obligatory celibates, their genetics [and native traditions] get spread around, too. There are a few non-identifiable names, of course, since cultures rose in this world that didn't in ours... but I worked to give most of those a non-European base, too.

It was tough, because I knew that some people, reading on the surface, would think "that's a weird name" and "that name doesn't work in a European or a British or a whatever culture." And yes, that was the point. Neither Malech nor Jerzy were born in The Berengia -- they ended up there via the slavers and Vine-magic. Mahault, on the other hand, is a creature of her birthplace, as is Detta (Bernadette), and even Ao, whose culture is created out of several different historical ones, falls within a specific naming tradition. Once you start to think about it, the trends of the world come clear. Ideally, anyway....

And in book 2, some names are significant clues.

Comments

[mtlawson.livejournal.com]

That's a cool bit of backstory.

I have to be honest that when I saw the name Jerzy, my first thought -knowing that you live in NYC- was that his name was a bastardization of [New] Jersey.

[lagilman]

and that, my dears, is why bringing your knowledge of the author into the reading of the book is often a Bad Thing. Because your assumption is more often than not incorrect.

(actually, I was influenced by Jerzy Kosiński more than any locale...)

[mtlawson.livejournal.com]

Point taken.

You know, I've never read any of Kosinksi's work. I've seen Being There, but that really doesn't count.

[chaoticgoodnik.livejournal.com]

Thanks for mentioning this. Every time I have seem the name so far, I've either thought of sports jerseys or Jesry from Neal Stephenson's Anathem. Maybe this post will unconnect those particular things for me.

[mizkit.livejournal.com]

I never thought about it at all! ...but I put an equal amount of thought /into/ my character names. :)