'Women are better writers than men': novelist John Boyne sets the record straight

Male authors are always pronouncing their own brilliance – or boasting about not reading books by women. So, after a lifetime of writing and attending literary festivals, John Boyne would like to get something off his chest …Do you know what the literary tea towel is? It’s an Irish phenomenon that can be found hanging in half the pubs of Dublin and all the tourist shops. Also taking the form of a calendar, a beer mat, a T-shirt and a poster, the tea towel features images of 12 great Irish writers, most of whom look as if they’ve spent the morning drowning puppies.There’s George Bernard Shaw looking constipated, while Flann O’Brien stares into the distance. Oscar Wilde at least has a half-smile on his face, as if Bosie has just lifted his shirt to show off his abs. Only Brendan Behan seems truly happy, but then he is sitting in a pub.My claim will probably get me kicked out FUMA – the Fraternity of Underappreciated Male AuthorsMale writers obsess about establishing a reputation, while ignoring the importance of just writing something good Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2017-12-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
News tagged with: #reading books #john boyne #ve spent #oscar wilde

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I write ‘women’s commercial fiction’ –why is my work still seen as inferior to men’s? | Emma Hughes

A recent roundup of the ‘best books of 2021’ had every possible genre of novel – with the unsurprising exception of romanceIn the four months since my first novel came out, I’ve had the same conversation probably a dozen times.“What’s it about?” a well-meaning stranger will ask. “Well,” I’ll... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2021-12-05 15:25:24 UTC ]
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Female Spanish thriller writer Carmen Mola revealed to be three men

Trio step out from behind pseudonym marketed as ‘Spain’s Elena Ferrante’ to accept €1m prizeA million euro literary prize has lured three Spanish men out of anonymity, to reveal that they are behind ultra-violent Spanish crime thrillers marketed as the work of “Spain’s Elena Ferrante”The men had... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2021-10-16 22:37:44 UTC ]
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John Murray pre-empts Lichtarowicz's Soviet-set novel on exclusive submission

Paula Lichtarowicz's latest novel, inspired by her grandmother's life, has gone to John Murray in a pre-empt. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-10-13 13:23:16 UTC ]
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Ugandan novelist Rukirabashaija named 2021 International Writer of Courage

Ugandan novelist Kakwenza Rukirabashaija, who was subjected to torture by the his home country's government while detained last year, has been named the International Writer of Courage at the PEN Pinter Prize ceremony. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-10-11 20:57:34 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #home country #international writer


Proof goth is not dead: A first edition of Frankenstein just set a world auction record.

Mary Shelley was goth before it was cool. She wrote Frankenstein—sometimes described as the world’s first science fiction novel—as part of a horror story writing game. She lost her virginity to Percy Shelley on top of her mother’s grave. (To be fair, it was one of her main leisure spots, but... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2021-09-17 16:41:12 UTC ]
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Women's Prize for Fiction launches initiative for writers under 35

The Women’s Prize for Fiction is partnering with Good Housekeeping magazine to launch a new initiative celebrating writers of fiction aged 35 and under. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-08-06 23:54:31 UTC ]
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When unemployed writers set out to chronicle America

The story of the “rich and weird” guidebooks produced by a Depression-era project. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2021-07-16 12:00:00 UTC ]
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Why do so few men read books by women? | MA Sieghart

No matter if it is Austen or Atwood, the Brontës or Booker winners, data shows men are reluctant to read women – and this has real world implicationsThe byline at the top of this piece reads MA Sieghart, not Mary Ann. Why? Because I really want men to read it too. Female authors through the... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2021-07-09 07:00:41 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #mary ann #female authors #bront sisters #george eliot #jk rowling #nielsen book


Review: Why do women stay with toxic men? A debut novel has some uncomfortable answers

Megan Nolan's "Acts of Desperation," about a woman in thrall to an older man, stands out from similar tales with an uncannily self-aware narrator. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2021-03-03 15:00:19 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #older man #debut novel


Historian Beth Allison Barr: 'Jesus Sets Women Free'

Barr’s new book weaves history and personal experience to argue that the patriarchal concept “Biblical Womanhood” has left a trail of sin and destruction. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-01-13 05:00:00 UTC ]
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These women divers are living legends. How novelist Lisa See captured their story

Bestselling novelist Lisa See brings'The Island of Sea Women' to the L.A. Times Book Club Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2021-01-08 15:00:51 UTC ]
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John le Carré didn’t just invent the characters in the foreground of the spy world. He designed the entire set.

His genius was that his re-imaginings of people and events have proved more memorable than the real things. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2020-12-14 10:02:24 UTC ]
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WATCH: Novelist C Pam Zhang in Conversation with John Freeman

Click below to watch the first virtual meeting of the Alta California Book Club, which Books Editor of Alta Journal David Ulin describes as: an opportunity for us to rethink the book club as a kind of ongoing process involving events, involving posts and interviews and discussions on the Alta... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2020-12-02 09:48:47 UTC ]
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Women Writers Spotlight 2020

Find more Religion & Spirituality coverage here on women authors writing books aimed at female audiences. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-11-21 05:00:00 UTC ]
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John Murray acquires debut set in all-girls boarding school

John Murray has acquired Emily Layden's debut novel All Girls, already optioned by HBO, exploring assault, consent and "what it means to be a young female in today’s world". Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-09-24 22:43:02 UTC ]
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Mary Trump's memoir sells 950,000 on first day, setting a record for publisher

'Too Much and Never Enough,' Mary L. Trump's book on her uncle Donald Trump sets record for Simon & Schuster. But POTUS has nothing on Voldemort. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2020-07-16 16:14:02 UTC ]
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Women's Prize Trust launches writers' development programme

The Women's Prize Trust is launching Discoveries, a writers’ development programme offering aspiring female writers of all ages and backgrounds "encouragement and support" at the beginning of their creative journeys. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-06-18 07:15:38 UTC ]
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Rob Biddulph sets new world record for largest online art lesson

Children's author and illustrator Rob Biddulph has broken the Guinness world record for largest online art class, in collaboration with Entrepreneur First and Art World Records. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-06-03 13:43:13 UTC ]
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7 of the Best Audiobooks by Muslim Women Writers

Ramadan Mubarak to all who celebrate! In honor of this special holiday, here are some excellent books written by Muslim women authors! Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2020-04-28 10:31:23 UTC ]
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8 Contemporary Novels by Japanese Women Writers

My novel The Perfect World of Miwako Sumida is a story of how a young woman’s unexplained suicide shapes and transforms the lives of those she left behind. It’s a literary mystery with elements of magical realism set in Japan, not unlike my debut novel Rainbirds. Because of these, I am often... Continue reading at Electric Literature

[ Electric Literature | 2020-03-09 11:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #young woman #literary mystery #electric literature #debut novel