What do Zadie Smith, Margaret Atwood, Hanif Kareishi, Ian McEwan,Will Self, and Robert Harris all have in common? These wordsmiths have participated in an international auction of character names for their upcoming works.
The money raised from this Immortality Auction goes to Freedom from Torture, a British medical charity devoted to providing treatment for survivors of torture. This event has raised tens of thousands of pounds for survivors.
Past Immortality Auctions have helped pen some of modern literature’s most (in)famous characters. For example, in Kathy Lette’s 2003 romantic comedy Dead Sexy, the name of the main character, Shelaine Green, was supplied by the auction’s highest bidder.