Editing Nemonymous

{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2014}}
[[File:Nemonymous.jpg|frame|right|First issue cover]]
'''''Nemonymous''''' was an experimental [[short story|short fiction]] publication that labeled itself a "megazanthus" (a [[portmanteau]] of magazine and anthology).<ref name="BestHorror">"Summation 2010," ''The Best Horror of the Year: Volume Three'' edited by [[Ellen Datlow]], Night Shade Books, 2011, page 15</ref><ref name="Asimovs3">"On Books" by [[Paul Di Filippo]], ''[[Asimov's Science Fiction]]'', January 2005, pages 135-136.</ref> It was published and edited in the United Kingdom from 2001–2010 by D.F. Lewis.<ref name="Asimovs">"On Books" by [[Paul Di Filippo]], ''[[Asimov's Science Fiction]]'', August 2002, page 140.</ref><ref>"Summation 2003 Fantasy," ''The Year's Best Fantasy & Horror: Seventeenth Annual Collection'' edited by Ellen Datlow, Kelly Link, and Gavin J. Grant, St. Martin's Griffin, 2004 pages xxxi to xxxii.</ref><ref name="BestHorror"/>

This publication was distinctive in that all stories were published [[Anonymity|anonymously]], with the identities of contributing authors being normally withheld until the following issue, an arrangement intended to temporarily strip the reader of any prejudices surrounding the author's name (including popularity, gender and place of origin), and thus level the playing field for the writer.<ref name="Asimovs"/><ref>"Magazine Round-Up" by David Mathew, [[Interzone (magazine)|Interzone]] #201, November–December 2005, page 56.</ref> (Later issues did not follow this exact model.)

==History==
The first issue of ''Nemonymous'', subtitled ''A Journal of Parthenogenetic Fiction and Late Labelling'', appeared in November 2001, published in what [[Paul Di Filippo]] described as a "unique, handsome, perfect-bound format roughly as big as an autoowner manual."<ref name="Asimovs"/> Nine issues were published through July 2010. The final four editions were more like books than journals: ''Zencore'' (2007), ''Cone Zero'' (2008), ''Cern Zoo'' (2009) and ''Null Immortalis'' (2010).{{citation needed|date=January 2024}}

All stories saw their first publication in ''Nemonymous''. A few notable republications after appearing in ''Nemonymous'': "The Assistant To Dr Jacob" by Eric Schaller and "England and Nowhere" by Tim Nickels were chosen for [[Year's Best Fantasy and Horror]] anthologies. "Strange Scenes From an Unfinished Film" by Gary McMahon was chosen for ''Year's Best Dark Fantasy & Horror''.<ref>''The Year's Best Dark Fantasy & Horror 2010'' edited by Paula Guran, Prime Books, 2010, page 572.</ref> The novelette "The Lion's Den" by Steve Duffy was chosen for ''The Best Horror of the Year Volume Two'' edited by Ellen Datlow and  ''The Weird'' edited by [[Ann VanderMeer|Ann]] and [[Jeff VanderMeer]]<ref>''The Weird: A Compendium of Strange and Dark Stories'' edited by Ann VanderMeer and Jeff VanderMeer, Tor Books, 2012, page 1120.</ref> and was also a finalist for the 2009 [[World Fantasy Award—Novella|World Fantasy Awards]].<ref>"[https://locusmag.com/2010/08/2009-world-fantasy-awards-nominees/ 2009 World Fantasy Awards Nominees]," Locus Magazine, August 24, 2010.</ref>

Two stories apparently remain anonymous in perpetuo: the influential "Vanishing Life and Films of Emmanuel Escobada" and "George the Baker." Also, Nemonymous Two in 2002 is reputed to have published the world's first blank story. And Nemonymous Six existed only through its non-existence, according to records.<ref>"[https://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/pl.cgi?300969 Nemonymous 6]," [[Internet Speculative Fiction Database]], accessed 1/4/2024.</ref>

== Critical reception ==

Writing in ''[[Asimov's Science Fiction]]'', [[Paul Di Filippo]] described the magazine's level of writing as very high, and that Lewis and his cloaked crew were "excavating the purest veins of writing, where only text, not the hype, matters."<ref name="Asimovs2">"On Books" by [[Paul Di Filippo]], ''[[Asimov's Science Fiction]]'', January 2004, page 134.</ref> David Mathew writing for [[Infinity Plus]] called ''Nemonymous'' "a beautifully produced, sleek and shiny new magazine of short stories: a good thing. And the stories appear with no author's name noted: a brave thing. But it all seems to work: a democracy of prose."<ref>"[https://www.infinityplus.co.uk/nonfiction/nemo2.htm Review of Nemonymous: a journal of parthenogenetic fiction and late labelling]" by David Mathew, [[Infinity Plus]], 14 September 2002.</ref>

Three different issues of ''Nemonymous'' were finalists for the [[British Fantasy Award]] for Best Anthology, in 2008, 2009, and 2010.<ref>"[https://locusmag.com/2010/06/2010-british-fantasy-award-nominees/ 2010 British Fantasy Award Nominees]," [[Locus (magazine)|Locus Magazine]], June 18, 2010.</ref><ref>"[https://isfdb.org/cgi-bin/award%20category.cgi?76+1 British Fantasy Award, Best Anthology]," [[Internet Speculative Fiction Database]], accessed 1/4/2024.</ref> ''Nemonymous'' was also a finalist for the same award in 2006 in the category of Best Small Press.<ref>"[https://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/ay.cgi?7+2006 British Fantasy Award, Best Small Press]," [[Internet Speculative Fiction Database]], accessed 1/4/2024.</ref>

== Authors published ==

''Nemonymous'' released the first short story published by [[World Fantasy Award]] winning author [[Lavie Tidhar]] ("The Ballerina" in ''Nemonymous'' 3).<ref>"[https://www.thebooksmugglers.com/2010/01/guest-author-lavie-tidhar-on-inspirations-and-influences.html Guest Author: Lavie Tidhar on Inspirations and Influences]" by Lavie Tidhar The Book Smugglers, January 8, 2010.</ref> The magazine also published brand new fiction by many other authors including stories by [[Tony Ballantyne (writer)|Tony Ballantyne]], Rosalind Barden, [[Keith Brooke]], [[Mike Chinn]], [[Simon Clark (novelist)|Simon Clark]], [[Brendan Connell]], Gary Couzens, Jetse de Vries, Lawrence Dyer, [[Scott Edelman]], [[Paul Evanby]], Avital Gad-Cykman, [[John Grant (author)|John Grant]], [[A. D. Harvey]], [[Rhys Hughes]], [[Jay Lake]], Rachel Kendall, [[Joel Lane]], [[Bob Lock]], Tony Lovell, Gary McMahon, [[William Meikle]], [[Paul Meloy]], [[Robert Neilson]], [[Reggie Oliver (writer)|Reggie Oliver]], [[Monica O'Rourke]], [[Ursula Pflug]], [[Cameron Pierce]], [[Steven Pirie]], [[Joseph S. Pulver]], [[Ekaterina Sedia]], [[Marge Simon]], [[Sarah Singleton]], [[Steve Rasnic Tem]], G. W. Thomas, [[Mark Valentine]], [[Jeff VanderMeer]], Neil Williamson, [[D. Harlan Wilson]], [[A. C. Wise]], and [[Tamar Yellin]].<ref>"[https://isfdb.org/cgi-bin/pe.cgi?25923 Nemonymous]," [[Internet Speculative Fiction Database]], accessed 1/3/2024.</ref>

==See also==
* [[Science fiction magazine]]
* [[Fantasy fiction magazine]]
* [[Horror fiction magazine]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.nemonymous.com/ Nemonymous from Megazanthus Press]
* [http://matthewfryer.com/2010/07/23/null-immortalis-nemonymous-ten/ Review of ''Nemonymous'' 10 by Matthew Fryer]
* [http://futurefire.net/archive/ookami.co.uk/nemonymous__5.html Review of ''Nemonymous 5'' from Whispers of Wickedness] (archived)
* [http://reviews.futurefire.net/2008/12/nemonymous-8-2008-rev-terry-grimwood.html Review of ''Nemonymous'' 8 at TFF-Reviews]
* [http://www.ttapress.com/647/ten-writers-question-their-editor/0/5/ Interview with editor and authors] at [[Black Static|TTA Press]]

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[[Category:2001 establishments in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:2010 disestablishments in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Defunct science fiction magazines published in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Magazines established in 2001]]
[[Category:Magazines disestablished in 2010]]