Literary Awards Solely for Women?

Culture
1

Literary Awards Solely for Women? - I think not, and Antonia Fraser agrees with me!


'The all-women shortlist for the novel category in this year's Costa Book Awards has rekindled the debate on whether the UK ought to continue with a prize dedicated exclusively to women's fiction, 17 years after the Orange prize for fiction was established to bring outstanding women writers to the attention of readers.



The Costa category shortlist comprises four women novelists, includingBernardine Bishop, who was selected posthumously for Unexpected Lessons in Love, as well as Kate Atkinson, Maggie O'Farrell and Evie Wyld.



The strong all-women line-up prompted Dame Antonia Fraser to question whether a prize for women writers was still needed. "Have women suddenly taken to writing better novels? I think possibly they have," she said, in a piece in the Times. "One thing it proves is that we don't need a women's prize. The only reason for having a prize for one sex was that women weren't getting fair treatment. That was the case when the Orange prize started."



The Orange prize for fiction was proposed in 1996 by a group of female and male journalists, reviewers, agents, librarians, publishers and booksellers, as a response to the Booker prize shortlist of 1991, which included no women at all.'


(see-


http://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/nov/28/costa-shortlist-womens-prize-unnecessary-antonia-fraser


for complete article.)


What is your opinion?

2

Good. It's something I've always believed. We are singing from the same hymn, or as its Christmas, carol sheet then.

3

You've got it Glyn! I don't see why men and women shouldn't compete in the same arena as far as writing goes. Having a literary award only for women writers is patronizing. I can see how you could have taken my former remark either way though.

4

Susan, I'm seriously not trying to stir, but I don't understand your answer. If you mean stopping prizes for women makes your feminist reflexes stir then I would have to disagree with you completely. Surely having a special prize for women is patronising to women. And sexist. Women are as good a writer as men. I for one read a book. I don't always look at the name on the spine. I avoid genres such as hard hitting mens books and wet romantics. My favourite authors are Anne Tyler (who can write better?) Anita Shreve, PD James, Doris Lessing but along with a whole lot of men. It doesn't make any difference.

I accept that in other fields of work men dominate. But that is another matter.

5

Just the thought of it makes my feminist reflexes flair up!