I want to let everyone know that I will no longer be publishing under the name Gunther Quinte but will instead use my intials, like so: GM Quinte or G.M. Quinte.
Someone informed me recently that my name, pronounced "American-style," sounds an awful lot like the name Kunta Kinte.
It's hard enough to avoid confusion in the poems. I want to avoid it with my name. For those of you who know me personally, of course, I'm still going to go by Gunther, or Gun. Nobody wants to say "Hey GM, how are you enjoying your steak dinner?" That sounds very pretentious.
FYI, Kunta Kinte was played in the film Roots by the German-born actor LRM Burton, Jr. (pictured here as the Homerically blind Jordy LaForge).
3 comments:
Gunter,
I am very disappointment in how you distance yourself from African-American culture. One hopes you are not a racist, nor a Trekkie.
Hi i am disappointed in how you distance youreself too. Why change your name just becase it sounds like somthing eles. You know its not and you should be proud of your name not try to hid it.
Why do you say its an awful name how can it be when so many people look up to him for insrations and respect?
Sorry for the confusion.
I said it sounds an "awful lot like the name Kunta Kinte"--meaning it sounds very much like the name Kunta Kinte.
I DID NOT say that Kunta Kinte is an awful name.
I am not trying to distance myself from African-American culture or from my "real name."
I'm just avoiding the inevtiable jokes that arise when people pronounce my name "American Style"--I do not want people to think that I am a joke.
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