I ask cuz I was chatting with someone today about a creative project I'm working on, and said if I ever were to publish it I'd want to do so under a pseudo-name because if it did really well I wouldn't want to become famous, the idea of being famous at all makes me anxious.
They felt this was weird of them. Personally I think this can't be an uncommon sentiment, I mean plenty of authors out there despise public life, so I think it's a pretty common feeling.
Nah pretty sure he was a true believer. I think what he did was stupid and impulsive, he probably coulda done more good for communism from his beachside home, but his heart was in it.