Carmen Mola is a pseudonym for Jorge Diaz, Agustin Martnez and Antonio Mercero. Kike Rincon/Europa Press/Getty Images
After receiving a highly coveted literary award, Carmen Mola, a best-selling Spanish crime writer, was exposed to be three men.
Mola's works often feature strong female protagonists. This has been called a "must read" by and for all women.
The three writers chose to use the name, despite the potential repercussions of writing under a female name.
The identity of a well-respected female crime writer was revealed, and it was like a plot twist straight from a novel. It turned out that "she" was actually three men.
Three men accepted the 2021 Premio Planeta literary award - valued at one million euros - on Friday. It was for Mola's unpublished work, "The Beast."
Jorge Daz and Agustn Martnez are both writers. Between them, they have written many scripts for television. They chose to use the pseudonym without considering the gender of the name and for no other reason.
According to the Financial Times, Daz stated that Carmen Mola was not, unlike all the lies we have been telling, a professor at a university. "We are three close friends who decided four years ago to combine our talents to tell a story."
Mola, a professor at a university and mother to three children, was the third member of the trio. She has been praised for her portrayal of strong female protagonists. Her latest award-winning work is about the investigation into child murders in nineteenth century Spain.
Mola's other works also received praise, such as "La Novia Gitana," a translation of Mola's book into eleven languages that will become a TV series. Castille-La Mancha (a Spanish branch of the Women's Institute) included her book "La Nena” in a 50-title list that helps readers "understand and experience women's reality."
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To protect their identities and avoid social biases, women used to publish works under pseudonyms of men in the past.
"I don’t know if a pseudonym for a female would sell more than a one for a male, I don’t have the faintest idea but it is possible," Mercero said to Spain's El Pas newspaper. "We didn’t hide behind a female pseudonym, we just hid behind a name."
Critics of the actions of the trio point out the exploitative nature behind the men's deception.
Beatriz Gimeno, former Head of Women's Institute, tweeted that "Beyond using a female pseudonym these guys have been answering interview for years." It is more than the name. It is also the fake profile that it has shared with journalists and readers. They are fraudsters.
"It is not a secret that the idea of a university professor, mother of three, who taught algebra classes in morning and then wrote ultraviolent macabre novels in the afternoon made for a great advertising operation," Leticia Blanco wrote in Spain's El Mundo newspaper.
Business Insider has the original article.
