# Authors who write themselves into the book **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 15, 2020, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/authors-who-write-themselves-into-the-book/851854 "2020-04-15T14:47:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Personal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Personal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Personal)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2020, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/authors-who-write-themselves-into-the-book/851854/21 "2020-04-16T12:27:36Z")
Philip José Farmer did in several of his novels, I believe. In his Riverworld series, one of his characters is Peter Jairus Frigate, a science fiction writer. Farmer not only was a sci-fi/fantasy writer, but he was also from Peoria, Illinois, and if I recall correctly Frigate was from the Midwest US as well. And in his World of Tiers series, a principal character is Paul Janus Finnegan. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2020, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/authors-who-write-themselves-into-the-book/851854/22 "2020-04-16T15:24:22Z")
> [@Personal](#): > > Philip José Farmer did in several of his novels, I believe. In his Riverworld series, one of his characters is Peter Jairus Frigate, a science fiction writer. Farmer not only was a sci-fi/fantasy writer, but he was also from Peoria, Illinois, and if I recall correctly Frigate was from the Midwest US as well. And in his World of Tiers series, a principal character is Paul Janus Finnegan. See the OP ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2020, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/authors-who-write-themselves-into-the-book/851854/23 "2020-04-16T15:29:58Z")
double post ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2020, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/authors-who-write-themselves-into-the-book/851854/24 "2020-04-16T15:54:41Z")
Here’s an obscure one: in the unfinished story _The Notion Club Papers_ by J.R.R. Tolkien, a minor character is the grumpy Professor Rashbold, an expert in the Anglo-Saxon language. Tolkien was of course a scholar of the Anglo-Saxon language and elsewhere he noted that his name is derived from the German “Tollkiehn” meaning “foolhardy”. ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2020, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/authors-who-write-themselves-into-the-book/851854/25 "2020-04-16T17:36:32Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > The late Clive Cussler did this a lot. At first he just described the character, or gave his “CC” initials, but eventually he outright named himself. His character always came out of nowhere – a sort of \* Cussler ex machinus\* – and gave whoever that novel’s hero was some crucial piece of help or information he needed. Or at least a chance to rest and eat. Then he disappeared from the story as effortlessly as he entered, avoiding whatever Bad Guys were chasing the hero. One time Cussler even brought his wife in. These were pretty clearly sheer indulgence. You could cut the pisodes out altogether, finding some other way for the hero to find that particular McGuffin if need be, and the story wouldn’t be changed. > > Philip Jose Farmer did almost the same thing. In two of his series he introduced characters who shared his PJF initials. In his _World of Tiers_ series it was Paul Janus Finnegan, and in his _RiverWorld_ series it was Peter Jairus Frigate. In _The Lavalite World_, part of the World of Tiers series, he implies that Finnegan is the great grandson of Phileas Fogg, the hero of Jules Verne’s _Around the World in Eighty Days_. That’s interesting, because Fogg’s initials are “PF”, as in Philip Farmer. I wonder if Farmer thought of himself as Fogg when he wrote _The Other Log of Phileas Fogg_. Sort of an extreme example of Mary Sue. > > I couldn’t think of any more examples, but the Wikipedia page on “Author Surrogate” gives the examples of > > – Steve Gerber and Chris Claremont both introducing themselves in _Man Thing_, saving the universe. > > – Grant Morrison put himself in _Animal Man_ as the omnipotent author. > > – Gabriel Garcia Marquez – a Nobel laureate, no less! – put himself in at the end of _One Hundred Years of Solitude_ > > In fact, come to think of it, Stan Lee and Jack Kirby used to put themselves in some early issues of _Fantastic Four_[. I think the last time they did it was in FF Annual #3 when they got turned away from the wedding of Reed Richards and Susan Storm. Sort of a precursor to all of Stan Lee’s MCU cameos. > > I’m sure Dopers can come up with other cases. I’m not looking for shout-outs to other characters or real people in worlds, or mere cameos. I’m looking for cases where the author or director placed themselves, as themselves, in their work for a short "speaking role.\* > > \*It’s not really the same thing, but Danny deVito created a character that he could play as a confidante of Jimmy Hoffa in the movie _Hoffa_, that he directed. Spike Lee did the same with himself in the movie _X_. But in neither case was the character supposed to be the actual director There was an issue of \* Fantastic Four\* where they meet God, who is Jack Kirby, in 2004. > **[Fantastic Four Vol 1 511](https://marvel.fandom.com/wiki/Fantastic_Four_Vol_1_511)** > > Featured Characters: Fantastic Four ⏴ Mr. Fantastic ⏵ ⏴ Invisible Woman ⏵ ⏴ Human Torch ⏵ ⏴ Thing ⏵ (Resurrection) Supporting Characters: God (Appears as Jack Kirby) (First appearance) ⏴ Dan Grimm Other... ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2020, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/authors-who-write-themselves-into-the-book/851854/26 "2020-04-16T17:54:03Z")
Martin Amis wrote himself into _Money: A Suicide Note_. What do others think of Martin Amis? I loved his _Time’s Arrow: or The Nature of the Offence_; so I bought several others of his novels of which I found only _Money_ tolerable. (I see that _Money_ appears on a [List of the 100 Best Novels Ever Written in English](https://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/aug/17/the-100-best-novels-written-in-english-the-full-list).) (I think he wrote himself into _London Fields_ also, possibly with a different name but keeping the initials M.A.) ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2020, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/authors-who-write-themselves-into-the-book/851854/27 "2020-04-16T18:13:01Z")
George R.R. Martin has written himself into A Song of Ice and Fire as Sam Tarley. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2020, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/authors-who-write-themselves-into-the-book/851854/28 "2020-04-16T18:53:26Z")
> [@Jonathan\_Chance](#): > > Niven and Pournelle did it - under pseudonyms - in Footfall. > > … what names did they gives themselves? ---
**Author:** ![gdave](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gdave/32/3683_2.png) [@gdave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gdave)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2020, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/authors-who-write-themselves-into-the-book/851854/29 "2020-04-16T19:08:10Z")
> [@Superdude](#): > > There was an issue of \* Fantastic Four\* where they meet God, who is Jack Kirby, in 2004. > > [Fantastic Four Vol 1 511 | Marvel Database | Fandom](https://marvel.fandom.com/wiki/Fantastic_Four_Vol_1_511) Yes, but since Jack Kirby died in 1994, I don’t think he wrote himself into that issue. Unless…:eek: ---
**Author:** ![SuperNelson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7feea3/32.png) [@SuperNelson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuperNelson)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2020, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/authors-who-write-themselves-into-the-book/851854/30 "2020-04-16T19:17:37Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > what names did they gives themselves? It’s probably been close to 20 years since I’ve read this, but Wikipedia says Niven was Nat Reynolds, and Pournelle was Wade Curtis. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Footfall](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Footfall) ---
**Author:** ![Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/intergalactic_gladiator/32/112_2.png) [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intergalactic_Gladiator)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2020, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/authors-who-write-themselves-into-the-book/851854/31 "2020-04-16T19:45:49Z")
In the late 80s, Grant Morrison wrote himself into the DC comic Animal Man. The series was pretty meta before meta was a thing and Morrison ran the character through a wringer before wrapping it all up at the end. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2020, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/authors-who-write-themselves-into-the-book/851854/32 "2020-04-16T21:43:35Z")
In movies, writer Charles Kauffman made himself the lead character of \* Adaptation\* ---
**Author:** ![Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hilarity_n.suze/32/6223_2.png) [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilarity_N.Suze)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2020, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/authors-who-write-themselves-into-the-book/851854/33 "2020-04-16T22:06:35Z")
Jack Kerouac? He and his buddies were all in there and apparently he slipped up a couple of times and put “Neal” instead of “Dean” (That would be Dean Moriarty as a pseud for Neal Cassidy) ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2020, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/authors-who-write-themselves-into-the-book/851854/34 "2020-04-17T03:27:20Z")
> [@Jonathan\_Chance](#): > > Niven and Pournelle did it - under pseudonyms - in Footfall… Yes, and included a thinly-disguised Heinlein under another name, too, advising the President on how best to handle an alien invasion. In one of his _Spenser_ books, I forget which one, Robert B. Parker had the Boston PI in a bar, sitting at a wooden table on which someone had carved, “RBP [hearts] JHP,” the initials of the author and his wife, Joan Hall Parker. ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2020, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/authors-who-write-themselves-into-the-book/851854/35 "2020-04-17T03:54:48Z")
> [@](#): > > In the 1980s, at least, it was official Marvel Comics canon that Marvel Comics existed in-universe. The conceit was that our fictional super hero comics are actually “real life adventure” comics from the Marvel Universe. > > Marvel characters would occasionally visit the Marvel comics offices, especially in “special” issues that weren’t quite in the normal continuity, such as annuals and “Assistant Editors Month” issues. They would interact with various writers, artists, editors, and other staff. > > I’m willing to bet that the majority of long-term Marvel writers, artists, and editors appeared in at least one of their own books during the 1980s. in the original transformers marvel comic the"robot master" who claimed to be the master of the transformers on tv (for a publicity stunt) in a small arc was a fired marvel comics freelance writer And yes Megatron used him for no good and it ended badly and the 'bots had to save him ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2020, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/authors-who-write-themselves-into-the-book/851854/36 "2020-04-17T19:12:17Z")
[Robert Anton Wilson](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Anton_Wilson) wrote himself into some of his novels. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/authors-who-write-themselves-into-the-book/851854.md?page=1)