Wu Ming, Chinese for "anonymous", is a pseudonym for a group of Italian authors formed in 2000 from a subset of the Luther Blissett community in Bologna. Four of the group earlier wrote the novel Q (first edition 1999). Unlike the open name "Luther Blissett", "Wu Ming" stands for a defined group of writers active in literature and popular culture. The band authored several novels, some of which have been translated in many countries. Their books are seen as part of a body of literary works (the "nebula", as it is frequently called in Italy) described as the New Italian Epic, a phrase that was proposed by Wu Ming. Meaning of the name In Chinese, "wu ming" can mean "anonymous" () or, with a different tone on the first syllable, "five people" (; 名 is a measure word), the pun being part of the reason the collective adopted the name. The name is meant both as a tribute to dissidents ("Wu Ming" is a common byline among Chinese citizens demanding democracy and freedom of speech) and as a rejection of the celebrity-making machine which turns the author into a star. "Wu Ming" is also a reference to the third sentence in the Daodejing: "Heaven and Earth's nameless origin" (). The group has since grown to include more than five members. As a result, "anonymous" became the preferred interpretation of the name. Members and public personae The members of Wu Ming are typically known as "Wu Ming 1", "Wu Ming 2", "Wu Ming 3", "Wu Ming 4", and "Wu Ming 5". Their real names are not secret, though: Roberto Bui (Wu Ming 1) Giovanni Cattabriga (Wu Ming 2) Luca Di Meo (Wu Ming 3 – He left the group in the spring of 2008) Federico Guglielmi (Wu Ming 4) [Not to be confused with the Italian music journalist of the same name] Riccardo Pedrini (Wu Ming 5 – He left the group in the summer of 2015) The five authors do extensive book tours (which they describe as "almost gratefuldeadesque") and frequently appear in public. However, they refuse to be photographed or filmed by the media. Even on their official website, they do not provide any pictures of themselves. Here is how Wu Ming 1 explained the group's stance in a 2007 interview: In Wu Ming's official biographical page (Italian version), the collective denies rumors they once beat up a press