diff --git a/mercurial/templatekw.py b/mercurial/templatekw.py
--- a/mercurial/templatekw.py
+++ b/mercurial/templatekw.py
@@ -168,9 +168,8 @@ templatekeyword = registrar.templatekeyw
 
 @templatekeyword('author', requires={'ctx'})
 def showauthor(context, mapping):
-    """String. The unmodified author of the changeset."""
-    ctx = context.resource(mapping, 'ctx')
-    return ctx.user()
+    """Alias for ``{user}``"""
+    return showuser(context, mapping)
 
 @templatekeyword('bisect', requires={'repo', 'ctx'})
 def showbisect(context, mapping):
@@ -757,6 +756,12 @@ def showtermwidth(context, mapping):
     ui = context.resource(mapping, 'ui')
     return ui.termwidth()
 
+@templatekeyword('user', requires={'ctx'})
+def showuser(context, mapping):
+    """String. The unmodified author of the changeset."""
+    ctx = context.resource(mapping, 'ctx')
+    return ctx.user()
+
 @templatekeyword('instabilities', requires={'ctx'})
 def showinstabilities(context, mapping):
     """List of strings. Evolution instabilities affecting the changeset.
diff --git a/tests/test-template-keywords.t b/tests/test-template-keywords.t
--- a/tests/test-template-keywords.t
+++ b/tests/test-template-keywords.t
@@ -91,7 +91,7 @@ Keys work:
   $ for key in author branch branches date desc file_adds file_dels file_mods \
   >         file_copies file_copies_switch files \
   >         manifest node parents rev tags diffstat extras \
-  >         p1rev p2rev p1node p2node; do
+  >         p1rev p2rev p1node p2node user; do
   >     for mode in '' --verbose --debug; do
   >         hg log $mode --template "$key$mode: {$key}\n"
   >     done
@@ -702,6 +702,33 @@ Keys work:
   p2node--debug: 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000
   p2node--debug: 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000
   p2node--debug: 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000
+  user: test
+  user: User Name <user@hostname>
+  user: person
+  user: person
+  user: person
+  user: person
+  user: other@place
+  user: A. N. Other <other@place>
+  user: User Name <user@hostname>
+  user--verbose: test
+  user--verbose: User Name <user@hostname>
+  user--verbose: person
+  user--verbose: person
+  user--verbose: person
+  user--verbose: person
+  user--verbose: other@place
+  user--verbose: A. N. Other <other@place>
+  user--verbose: User Name <user@hostname>
+  user--debug: test
+  user--debug: User Name <user@hostname>
+  user--debug: person
+  user--debug: person
+  user--debug: person
+  user--debug: person
+  user--debug: other@place
+  user--debug: A. N. Other <other@place>
+  user--debug: User Name <user@hostname>
 
 Add a dummy commit to make up for the instability of the above: