Our subject of conversation today is interesting and strange, because it is not clear where exactly to start. But we still try to start like this: a co-author is a complex phenomenon. It can be formal, but it can be real. Much depends on the relationship between the authors of the work.
Value
But be that as it may, it is best to start with a definition. Of the famous copyright duets, science fiction come to mind - Henry Lyon Oldie and the Strugatsky brothers. We remind you that the first name is the creative pseudonym of Ukrainian science fiction writers Dmitry Gromov and Oleg Ladyzhensky. But, naturally, creative unions are not the prerogative of just science fiction writers. Reality is filled with similar examples. For example, James Cameron co-wrote scripts for The Terminators with other people.
It seems that we are already mentally prepared to hear the opinion of the explanatory dictionary on this subject. So, a co-author is a person who, together with someone, is the author of a work. As you can see, no intrigue, but sorry, right?
Different relationships between co-authors
Do you know the most common joke about co-creation? For example, they ask: “How do you write together?” The answer is almost always in the style of the Goncourt brothers: "One runs around the editorial offices, and the other guards the manuscript so that friends don't steal it." But these are all jokes, but what really is? This question is very difficult. A co-author is a person who can be both a real, necessary element of the tandem, and its appendage. Of course, we will not and cannot even give examples when one person carries another in a creative sense. Because, firstly, there is ethics, and secondly, who will open the door to his creative laboratory. The word “co-author” may annoy someone, but now we will prove that a full-fledged creative tandem is possible.
If you leave the mysterious literary work alone and take, for example, translators, then everything is much simpler. Remember the case of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince? When Sergey Ilyin and Maya Lahuti literally translated for a while to release the book as soon as possible. When it comes to translation, then most likely the book is divided into two parts, and then the editor eliminates the stylistic discrepancy between the authors (if there is a mismatch).
Thus, more often than not, a co-author is not just some kind of appendage, but a person performing his part of the work. Therefore, he, in fact, gets his status.
Is man the author of his fate or co-author?
People still argue whether a person has a destiny or not. Some are of the opinion that man is his own master; others say that everything is in God's hands. A compromise would be the point of view that there is a fate, but a person still has free will. Simply put, he can choose. Even if we ignore the theological debate and think about the fact that a person has a character that programs his fate, then within it he can still choose his own path. And the character, by the way, can change under the influence of shocks, so it’s logical to assume: changing the character, a person gives a different direction to his fate. Therefore, whatever one may say, a person is a co-author of his fate, because there is no absolute freedom in the world.
Of course, in any case, there are individualistic people who do not need a partner, especially in creativity. But sometimes it is necessary. A huge project cannot be done independently; it is physically impossible. Therefore, the value of the co-author is difficult to overestimate. But writers prefer to work solo, that's true.