What does the K.A. bit stand for?
A friend, Russell Farr , once suggested it stands for “Kick Arse”, which I quite liked, while finding it hilariously inapt. The K is because I share my father’s first name, which is Kenneth, and I’m very happy about that. I’m generally known by my middle name, Adrian. This was to prevent confusion with my dad when I was growing up. It’s also meant a lifetime of other confusion among various parts of officialdom who persist in thinking that my given name is Kenneth, and call me that. Every year of school, during the initial roll-call, I would have to interrupt the teacher and explain that, no, my name is Adrian. My parents, when I turned 18, offered to let me change it around, to A.K., by deed-poll. Which would have been tempting, had I not by this time already formed an embryonic identity as a writer, and I quite liked the initials. It is a conceit, I’m well aware, just as it’s a conceit on my part to have a beard in order to cover my rippling multiple chins. Plus, of course, I’m a laz
