A heteronym is an invented poet or author persona with its own name, voice, background, and sometimes a distinct style or worldview. Unlike a simple pen name, a heteronym is treated as a separate literary identity, often used so one writer can create poems that sound as if they come from different people.
The term is most strongly associated with Fernando Pessoa, whose heteronyms wrote in noticeably different tones and forms.
Example
Under the name Elias North, I write in stark, spare lines:
The wind keeps count
of every bare branch.
Under Mara Vale, I write in longer, singing lines:
The evening gathers lilac at the window,
and even the shadows lean toward the lamp.
Related Definitions
[n] two words are heteronyms if they are spelled the same way but differ in pronunciation (e.g. `bow')