Sunday – Mert Nertman reappears

Mert Nertman reappears. In 2016 I received an email from Jerry T who evidently removed to Japan. Part of what he wrote:

My Dear Mr. Grace:

Although we have never met (and probably never will on a face-to-face basis), I am, and have been, an ardent follower of your humanistic poetic endeavor of enlightenment “The Piranha Club” since long before it began appearing under that name.

I wish to tell you that you needn’t worry concerning the recent past nor the inevitable future of your former employee Mr. Mert Nertman. A Man’s gotta do what a Man’s gotta do, as the old saying goes. His axing will not affect him in any pecuniary fashion, as he is (and has been) intimately associated with the production of a strip entitled “Office Kenta” in a weekly half-page spread under the pseudonym Nawoki Karasawa which appears in “The Japan News.”

What I have stated above is not verifiable fact, but is a personal conclusion drawn from empirical observation of the similarities of inanities and mindless pap expressed in the characters “Baby Nicole” and “Kenta.” You have done the world a service in effecting Mr. Nertman’s severance.

…

Please forgive my aged ramblings. I thank you… and the editor of the newspaper I read–– especially for his good sense to include your work (and Thomas Joseph’s daily crossword) to offset Mr. Nertman’s–– for helping me to maintain some slight sense of sanity in this world of woe.

OK, just the other day I received this from Mr. J. Nertman, of all people:

Hi Bud,

I hope your fine.

My name is Jxxxxx Nertman and I am one of 4 living Nertman. 

I am just curious on how you came about to use our family name for your alias Mert Nertman. 

We actually don’t knew why a female ancestor decided to take the name in 1924 after (what we heard) having an affair and planing to merry the captain of at that time most luxourius cruise ships going to the US. But something happened and they never married and the name never came to be used. Until my father together my grand mother in the 60s got the idea to start using it as our family name. Instead of Andersson.

Is it just a coincidence or maybe you have something to tell me about our name?

Have a nice day

Jxxxx Nertman

If you didn’t know, My great-grandparents were Anderssons from Sweden.