French Sally

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What's in a name?

William Price or Peter Prince? Let's settle on William Prince.

Back when I was young, I wrote a novel, on the basis of which an agent fixed an appointment. Wow! The big moment! The breakthrough! One of her first questions was, 'Are you the Peter Prince who writes screenplays?'

'I'm sorry?'

She concealed her disappointment gracefully. What I had written showed promise, but it lacked that indefinable quality she was looking for. Yes, of course, she'd be willing to look at anything else I wrote.

When I sent off Place de la Comédie, I must have been wavering. Peter or William? Perhaps it wasn't wise to use my first name - why not use the second? Not long ago, I received an email from the Bibliothèque de France. Was I Peter Prince the novelist and playwright or Peter Prince who'd written a schoolbook for learners of English? More likely the second, I answered. The correspondence confirmed my choice of William for any literary endeavours. As for Price, well, I won't begrudge the writer of such a nice rejection letter for not paying full attention.