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1avaland
It's been all the talk in the book world over the last week or so, but Publishers Weekly(most prominent trade publication in the US book biz) issued its annual top ten books of the year recently. The list had NO books written by women on it.
The bias towards male-written literature in our cultures is so ingrained that we aren't even aware of it most of the time. There are legitimate reasons why a list from, say, 1890 might be skewed in this way, but this is the 21st century. There are certainly as many female writers in the field as there male writers, and there certainly as many excellent women writers as there are excellent male writers. I use this test: Can one imagine honestly a PW list that where all ten of the books were written by women?
Other venues have done similar things, but I thought it would be fun to assemble our own "best of" list. What book written by a woman and published this year would you nominate for best of the year?
note: PW has an extended list of recommended books which does include many books written by women but that doesn't mean I'm going to let them off the hook!
note2: Granted PW is not the NYTimes Book Review and does try to have a mix of types of books in their Top 10. The NYTBR, btw, regularly features only about 33% titles by women...(yes, I still count from time to time)
The bias towards male-written literature in our cultures is so ingrained that we aren't even aware of it most of the time. There are legitimate reasons why a list from, say, 1890 might be skewed in this way, but this is the 21st century. There are certainly as many female writers in the field as there male writers, and there certainly as many excellent women writers as there are excellent male writers. I use this test: Can one imagine honestly a PW list that where all ten of the books were written by women?
Other venues have done similar things, but I thought it would be fun to assemble our own "best of" list. What book written by a woman and published this year would you nominate for best of the year?
note: PW has an extended list of recommended books which does include many books written by women but that doesn't mean I'm going to let them off the hook!
note2: Granted PW is not the NYTimes Book Review and does try to have a mix of types of books in their Top 10. The NYTBR, btw, regularly features only about 33% titles by women...(yes, I still count from time to time)
2avaland
I'll nominate:
The Winter Vault by Anne Michaels
Little Bird of Heaven by Joyce Carol Oates
(while I really enjoyed the new Atwood, I think these two are a bit better...)
The Winter Vault by Anne Michaels
Little Bird of Heaven by Joyce Carol Oates
(while I really enjoyed the new Atwood, I think these two are a bit better...)
3Essa
I hadn't heard about PW's women-free list, so went to their site to read about it. It's nice that PW claims they "ignored gender and genre," but ZERO women? Really?
Little or none of my reading was published in 2009, so I don't think I can nominate anything, but I did find this long list by Women in Letters and Literary Arts (WILLA), Great Books By Women In 2009. It lists fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and young adult.
Little or none of my reading was published in 2009, so I don't think I can nominate anything, but I did find this long list by Women in Letters and Literary Arts (WILLA), Great Books By Women In 2009. It lists fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and young adult.
4teelgee
The Earth Hums in B Flat by Mari Strachan
The Day the Falls Stood Still by Cathy Marie Buchanan
Wilderness by Samantha Harvey
The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters
The Help by Kathryn Stockett
That's without even trying very hard. And the ones I haven't gotten to yet that I'm sure will be on the list, i.e. Wolf Hall, Lark and Termite, The Children's Book.
Now my blood pressure is up and I need to go to bed. Deep breaths. It is quite unbelievable -- it leaves me speechless.
The Day the Falls Stood Still by Cathy Marie Buchanan
Wilderness by Samantha Harvey
The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters
The Help by Kathryn Stockett
That's without even trying very hard. And the ones I haven't gotten to yet that I'm sure will be on the list, i.e. Wolf Hall, Lark and Termite, The Children's Book.
Now my blood pressure is up and I need to go to bed. Deep breaths. It is quite unbelievable -- it leaves me speechless.
5lauralkeet
>4 teelgee:: Now my blood pressure is up ... You know, same here. Last night I even visited PW's website and I just started to get angry.
6avaland
>5 lauralkeet: Well, while lots of industry professionals would read the list, I don't think any bookstores would stock their bookshelves by it. I suppose a publisher might use the list to promote a book...though I've not seen it used like "NY Times Notable Book" is.
7Nickelini
I don't usually read new books, but thanks to Belletrista.com, this year I've read three, and they were all very good: The Disappeared, by Kim Echlin; Brixton Beach, by Roma Tearne; and For Grace Received, by Valeria Parrella.
8avaland
I've bought American Salvage, a collection of short stories by Bonnie Jo Campbell, which is a finalist for the National Book Award. It's in the pile, as we say:-)
9KimB
I'm another one who doesn't read many new books, keep trying to rectify that!
From the few I have read -
The Children's Book by A.S. Byatt
Sorry by Gail Jones
The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters
Also, I suspect, once I've read it, that Wolf Hall will make my list.
ETA
Ones that I was hoping would make it but just missed out
The Girl in the Blue Dress by Gaynor Arnold
The Lost Dog by Michelle de Kretser
The Clothes on their Backs by Linda Grant
From the few I have read -
The Children's Book by A.S. Byatt
Sorry by Gail Jones
The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters
Also, I suspect, once I've read it, that Wolf Hall will make my list.
ETA
Ones that I was hoping would make it but just missed out
The Girl in the Blue Dress by Gaynor Arnold
The Lost Dog by Michelle de Kretser
The Clothes on their Backs by Linda Grant
10rebeccanyc
I don't read a lot of new books either, but of the ones by women I've read this year, I would wholeheartedly say Wolf Hall -- thisand Carpentaria by Alexis Wright are actually the only new novesl by women I've read this year (out of 9 new novels altogether). I would also nominate (but it probably doesn't count The Cost of Living by Mavis Gallant, a collection of her stories published for the first time as a book, but written decades ago.
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