Is English literature since 1918 really such a man’s world?

A new book celebrating the best writing of the past century follows a well-worn script when it comes to equalityI’ve been dipping in and out of DJ Taylor’s fat new book, The Prose Factory, a pleasingly gossipy history of literary life in England since 1918, and so far as it goes, it’s very enjoyable: the bits about money certainly put the writers-must-be-paid-to-appear-at-festivals debate in some perspective. But still, I have to ask: where are all the women?Taylor gives Virginia Woolf and Iris Murdoch quite a lot of attention. Also, for reasons that are perhaps less clear, AS Byatt, Margaret Drabble and Brigid Brophy. Edith Sitwell, Penelope Fitzgerald and Lorna Sage are treated sympathetically, and merit several paragraphs, as do a few others. But it’s the omissions that strike you, the many excellent and important female writers who are referred to only in passing, or not at all. Doris Lessing is mentioned just four times, and Muriel Spark and Angela Carter only twice; ditto Elizabeth Taylor. Among those left out entirely are: Sybille Bedford, Anita Brookner, Barbara Comyns, Olivia Manning, Antonia White and – this last truly amazes me – Stevie Smith. Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2016-02-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
News tagged with: #doris lessing #muriel spark #angela carter

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Essential end-of-the-world reading list offers a glimpse of the abyss

Emily St. John Mandel, Susan Orlean, T.C Boyle, Marlon James and others share apocalypse reading picks. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2020-05-13 18:56:28 UTC ]
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7 Weirdly Specific Libraries and Collections From Around the World

From hip hop to Yiddish works to sourdough starter, explore some of the most niche libraries and collections found on the globe and online. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2020-05-11 10:32:24 UTC ]
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Rob Biddulph to attempt world record for largest online art lesson

Children's author and illustrator Rob Biddulph is attempting to break the world record for the largest online art lesson, in partnership with HarperCollins and global talent investor Entrepreneur First. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-05-06 15:32:05 UTC ]
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When the world was too much with me, here’s what I read for some R&R

Mysteries from the Golden Age, Arthur Conan Doyle and a helluva good book about a Texas book dealer. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2020-05-06 12:00:00 UTC ]
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Spotify, Wizarding World bring Harry Potter to digital audio

Daniel Radcliffe, David Beckham and Dakota Fanning are among a handful of celebrities who will be reading various chapters of “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone/Sorcerer’s Stone” exclusively on Spotify. Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2020-05-05 18:54:51 UTC ]
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Caught Between Worlds? For Elizabeth Acevedo, It’s a Familiar Feeling

“Clap When You Land,” the latest novel from the National Book Award winner, delves into the split lives that many immigrants experience. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2020-05-04 09:00:24 UTC ]
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Literature on Lockdown 4: #CultureConnectsUs

Like moons, Ancient Greece and adolescence, spring has given writers inspiration for centuries. “To what purpose, April, do you return again?” asks Edna St Vincent Millay, noting the “redness / of little leaves” and “the spikes of the crocus”. To Shakespeare, this time of year puts “the spirit... Continue reading at British Council global

[ British Council global | 2020-05-01 14:56:50 UTC ]
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Lois Lowry’s Ode to the Fallen in World War II

In her new audiobook, “On the Horizon,” the children’s book author remembers her childhood against the backdrop of the Pearl Harbor and Hiroshima. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2020-05-01 09:00:05 UTC ]
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The Abnormalizing of the World: A Conversation On Mental Illness

Two celebrated memoirists of mental illness—Marin Sardy, author of The Edge of Every Day: Sketches of Schizophrenia, and Sarah C. Townsend, author of Setting the Wire: A Memoir of Postpartum Psychosis—discuss writing, families, and the struggle to make meaning out of madness. * Sarah Townsend:... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2020-05-01 08:47:51 UTC ]
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Publishing must ‘wake up to the world beyond the M25’, new report urges

A new report championing working class writers has published today (1st May), recommending better funding for “new collaborations” and the “decentralisation of UK publishing”–including asking more literary agents to move outside the capital–to help promote inclusion. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-04-30 13:41:58 UTC ]
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A world without bookshops

Could the coronavirus crisis and the UK lockdown be offering the publishing industry a glimpse into a world without bookshops? Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-04-30 02:18:22 UTC ]
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Virtual literature: where next?

At a Google Hangouts Meet this week a question was asked by one of the participants. ‘Can objects be made sentient through this technology?’ Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-04-29 15:54:59 UTC ]
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Branch Out with Historical Fiction: It’s More Than Just World War II

Here's why this reader thinks you should read historical fiction and some favorite books that aren't about WWII to get you into the genre. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2020-04-27 10:39:09 UTC ]
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Literature on Lockdown 3: #CultureConnectsUs

Many lives are radically different right now. But birthdays, anniversaries, and public holidays come and go as before. The pink supermoon would have appeared whether we’d watched it from our windows or outdoors among a crowd of strangers. This week, Earth Day, Shakespeare’s birthday, and World... Continue reading at British Council global

[ British Council global | 2020-04-24 14:34:13 UTC ]
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Kuala Lumpur Opens its World Book Capital Year

In Malaysia as it launches its World Book Capital year under the restrictions of the pandemic, the city's mayor quotes the Quran and 'Winne the Pooh.' The post Kuala Lumpur Opens its World Book Capital Year appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2020-04-23 16:33:24 UTC ]
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World Book Day Messages: Appeals for the International Industry

International publishing organizations are calling on this unique World Book and Copyright Day for support urgently needed by the books business—in the context of the coronavirus pandemic. The post World Book Day Messages: Appeals for the International Industry appeared first on Publishing... Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2020-04-23 15:50:28 UTC ]
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Hotels Share Favorite Travel Stories for World Book Day: Critical Linking, April 23, 2020

An awesome daily roundup of the most interesting bookish links from around the web! Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2020-04-23 10:30:24 UTC ]
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Sharjah World Book Capital Holds a Closing Ceremony Online

Sharjah's 2019 World Book Capital concludes in a live stream from the UAE, after announcing grants from its new Access Sharjah incubator. The post Sharjah World Book Capital Holds a Closing Ceremony Online appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2020-04-22 13:51:20 UTC ]
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Trade shows try adapting to a world of virtual meetings

The New York Comic Con has become a certifiable blockbuster show, with more than 200,000 tickets sold. The event is centered in the Javits Center but also includes Madison Square Garden and the... To view the full story, click the title link. Continue reading at Crains New York

[ Crains New York | 2020-04-21 18:29:44 UTC ]
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Joseph Coelho to helm National Shelf Service's World Book Night event

YouTube book recommendation series the National Shelf Service has announced a series of World Book Night broadcasts, to feature a bedtime reading hour with poet and author Joseph Coelho. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-04-21 10:36:13 UTC ]
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