In an effort to curtail gauche cocktail references to "that dude who wrote Fight Club," the latest Vanity Fair offers a phonetic spelling of Chuck Palahniuk's elusive last name: Paula-nick. Now the Voice is doing its part to help readers avoid embarrassing pronunciation pratfalls. What follows is a selection from our Authoritative Guide to Saying Authors' Names Right. So next time you're invited to Planet Plimpton, carry this crib sheet—and relax.
Plimpton: Plim-town
Palahniuk: Polo-na-hook (replaces Vanity Fair version)
Oe: Ooo-eeee
Rhys: The s is silent
Wodehouse: Wid-HOSS
Gaitskill: Gaskell
Updike: Oop-decay
Wurtzel: Pronounced with a V
Sebald: Sebold
Chabon: Ka-BONE
LeRoy: Rhymes with La Croix
Houllebecq: Hail Beck
Murdoch: Say as one syllable
Vidal: Rhymes with fiddle
Eugenides: You Genies
Lethem: Second e is long
Safran Foer: Saffron [pause] Fore!
Waugh: Whoah
Komunyakaa: Sounds like it's spelled
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