First Lines
Authors can be found and sorted by the first initial of their last name.
Of course, not all cultures follow the same naming conventions as English-speaking countries.
Spanish-Speaking Countries
In Spanish-speaking cultures, authors typically have two last names: one from their father and one from their mother. The name from the father is used. So, Gabriel García Márquez would be listed under G for García (his father’s last name), even though Márquez is also part of his full surname.
East Asian Countries
In countries like China, Korea, and Japan, the family name is traditionally listed first, followed by the given name. For instance, Murakami Haruki (Japanese) would be sorted under M. Of course, Japanese names are typically already Westernized when published in English. Han Kang, the Korean author, would be sorted under H. A Chinese author like Mo Yan, would be sorted by M.
Iceland
More as a matter of interested, if you weren’t already aware, Iceland follows a unique naming system based on patronymics (derived from the father’s first name) or matronymics (from the mother’s first name). For example, Jonas Jónsson (son of Jón) or Anna Jónsdóttir (daughter of Jón) would be sorted by J for Jónsson or Jónsdóttir, reflecting the family lineage.
Russian and Slavic Countries
In Russia and other Slavic nations, patronymic names are used, with a middle name indicating the father’s first name. For example, Alexei Ivanovich Petrov would be sorted under P for Petrov, even though his patronymic Ivanovich reflects his father’s name.
For the purpose of our website’s filtering system, the names to be aware of are from Spanish and East Asia. In other regions, like Russia or Iceland, we follow the traditional surname structure, being familiar to English conventions.
This being said, you can shortcut all this nonsense by simply typing the author’s name in the search field. But thanks for reading.