Dmitri Borgmann facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Dmitri Borgmann
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Borgmann in a 1964 portrait by Jeff Lowenthal
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| Born |
Dmitri Alfred Borgmann
October 22, 1927 |
| Died | December 7, 1985 (aged 58) Dayton, Washington, U.S.
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| Known for | Logology |
Dmitri Alfred Borgmann (born October 22, 1927 – died December 7, 1985) was a German-American writer. He became famous for his work in recreational linguistics. This is a fun field that explores word puzzles and language games.
Dmitri Borgmann's Early Life
Dmitri Borgmann was born in Berlin, Germany, on October 22, 1927. His parents were Hans and Lisa Borgmann. In 1936, his family moved to the United States. They settled in Chicago to escape the Nazi government in Germany.
Dmitri finished college at the University of Chicago in 1946. He then started working as an actuary. An actuary is a person who uses math to figure out risks for insurance companies. In 1964, he left this job to focus on writing. Later, in 1971, he started his own company called INTELLEX. This company helped write and edit stories, books, and scripts for TV and movies. Sometimes, up to 15 writers worked for him. These writers often ghost-wrote for others, meaning they wrote for someone else who then took credit. Dmitri later moved his company and family to Dayton, Washington.
His Amazing Word Skills and Writing Career
Dmitri Borgmann first got public attention in 1958. He appeared on a TV show called It's In The Name. For eight weeks, he beat 22 other contestants. He won almost $3,800 with his amazing word skills. Around this time, he also started writing word puzzles and trivia for the Chicago Tribune newspaper. He found many ideas from an old magazine called The Enigma. This was the official magazine of the National Puzzlers' League, which he joined in 1956. By 1964, people knew him as "the country's leading authority on word play." He kept this title until he passed away.
His first book, Language on Vacation: An Olio of Orthographical Oddities, came out in 1965. It was published by Scribner's. Important magazines like Time and Scientific American praised his book. Today, this book is best known for making the word logology popular. This word describes the study of fun language games. Because of this, Dmitri Borgmann is often called the "Father of Logology."
After his book became famous, a company hired Borgmann to create brand names. He is widely known for creating the name "Exxon." Standard Oil paid him $10,000 for this name. People joked that he was the highest-paid writer ever, earning $2,000 for each letter! His book also caught the eye of puzzle writer Martin Gardner. In 1967, Gardner suggested Borgmann become the editor for a new magazine. This magazine was called Word Ways: The Journal of Recreational Linguistics. Borgmann edited the magazine for its first year. However, he quit because the publisher would not pay him enough. When another word expert, Howard W. Bergerson, took over, Borgmann refused to speak to him again.
In 1967, Borgmann published another book, Beyond Language: Adventures in Word and Thought. It was not as popular as his first book but still received good reviews. He also edited a book about crossword puzzles in 1970, called Curious Crosswords. Throughout the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s, he wrote regularly for the Chicago Tribune, Games, and Puzzle Lovers Newspaper. He also kept writing articles for Word Ways. He often used fake names, like El Uqsor or Prof. Merlin X. Houdini. He also ran word contests called "Jackpot Jubilee."
Later Years and Passing
Dmitri Borgmann was known for being very private. This became even more true in his later years. None of his colleagues, not even his literary agent Joseph Madachy or Martin Gardner, ever met him in person. His house was also very private. Most windows were covered or boarded up, and he did not allow mirrors inside. Borgmann rarely left his cluttered room upstairs. He would sometimes work secretly for weeks without seeing his family.
He was diagnosed with a heart condition. However, he did not take his medicine. He passed away from a heart attack on December 7, 1985. He was 58 years old. He was survived by his wife, Iris Sterling, and their two sons, Mark and Keith.
After he passed away, his son Keith and A. Ross Eckler, another word expert, looked through his papers. They found material for many articles. These were published in Word Ways after his death. The Stanford University Libraries has collected many letters between Borgmann and Martin Gardner. These letters are kept safe in their special collections.
