A Belgian story.

I have a French first name and a Flemish last name.

In Belgium, Quentin’s Flemish counterpart is Quinten. I was constantly misnamed, leading to Belgian surreal moments.

Between Quentin in French, Quinten in Dutch, Kwentin in English and countless wild takes like Quente in Brazil, which translates to “hot”, or even Quentron in Korea, I simplified.

“Call me Q“.

The nickname stuck. I am now “ungoogleable”, reclaiming both privacy and the freedom to explore sensitive topics in my work.

The fact that Q in French is slang for “ass” just makes it funnier.