In the case of very old works, the author's name may simply be lost over the course of history and time.
"[1] In the case of very old works, the author's name may simply be lost over the course of history and time.
In such cases the author is often referred to as Anonymus, the Latin form of "anonymous".
The author's reasons may vary from fear of persecution to protection of his or her reputation.
[citation needed] An author may also wish to remain anonymous to avoid becoming famous for their work.