tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26654079.post116678547168589128..comments2023-05-21T14:46:54.138+01:00Comments on FictionBitch: Is There a Literary Boys' Club?Elizabeth Baineshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17193751871434773972noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26654079.post-90384220303828618922010-12-05T12:36:42.872+00:002010-12-05T12:36:42.872+00:00Thank you!
WRW, it's interesting you say that....Thank you!<br />WRW, it's interesting you say that. I have several Irish writer friends who feel the situation there is even worse than it is in EnglandDan Hollowayhttp://eightcuts.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26654079.post-65893625444485617152010-12-05T10:57:00.039+00:002010-12-05T10:57:00.039+00:00Important point, Sue. I have heard complaints from...Important point, Sue. I have heard complaints from readers, too.Elizabeth Baineshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17193751871434773972noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26654079.post-38602171551370149522010-12-05T10:08:46.145+00:002010-12-05T10:08:46.145+00:00And it's not just writers who bemoan the fact ...And it's not just writers who bemoan the fact that it is always the same writers one hears about. I know plenty of voracious readers who say that it's always the same writers on sale in bookshops and they get bored. They ask where's everyone else? Where indeed? Ultimately, you have to believe that by limiting the availability and recognition of writers, not only are other writers themselves suffering, but so are readers and the entire industry. As you say...."sheesh."Sue Guineyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13556228394020314560noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26654079.post-33517858105509182602010-12-05T09:13:15.505+00:002010-12-05T09:13:15.505+00:00Dan, your comment on the Guardian blog was a mirac...Dan, your comment on the Guardian blog was a miracle of reason - and you got to heart of it all in concluding that the whole thing was about names (ie celebrity) rather than literature.<br /><br />Nuala, this is interesting. These are the four Irish writers who are lauded in England, and it has always seemed to me that they are somewhat more 'English', both linguistically and in sensibility, than other Irish writers - Trevor and Toibin especially. Could it be that success in England is the key here - reflected back across the water...? ie these guys are marching to the same drum as McEwans etc?Elizabeth Baineshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17193751871434773972noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26654079.post-332292246797283072010-12-04T21:49:16.265+00:002010-12-04T21:49:16.265+00:00This is rife in Ireland too - a top few of lauded ...This is rife in Ireland too - a top few of lauded writers. Usually male. Heaney, J O'Connor, Colm Tóibín, W Trevor. It's like no one else exists!Group 8https://www.blogger.com/profile/07924947352624027079noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26654079.post-55717157988043031552010-12-04T19:02:36.345+00:002010-12-04T19:02:36.345+00:00Ooh, yes, I had to bit my tongue painfully whilst ...Ooh, yes, I had to bit my tongue painfully whilst commenting on McCrum's preposterous piece and I still spat feathers. The problem was he seemed, as you say, wilfully tomiss the point again and again. And the point is that there are some writers (I'd add Ishiguro) who , whatever they write, will find their way to the features page. There will always be a debate about the merit of "the latest McEwan" and people will talk about whether or not Amis' latest is on the Booker shortlist, and for most writers that's just not the case. Even the fact that we have this debate shows there is an issue. There are so few column inches available to culture, and so many of those are taken up in relation to this tiny group, it's a terrible shameDan Hollowayhttp://eightcuts.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.com