Comments on: The Literary Glass Ceiling: Fact or Fiction?

By: Indu

Indu — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 07:00:58 +0000

Your post is very relevant in the wake of the recent comment on women writers by Naipaul. The comment itself was not in very good taste but it raised a number of interesting literary discussions on the subject of women writing.

I have always hated the term ‘women writers’ – do men who write call themselves ‘men writers’? Shashi Deshpande put it rather well when she asked if ‘literature was a public toilet that required labels for Men and Women’. As a reader I look for a book that appeals to me irrespective of whether the author is a man or a woman. I love George Eliot as much as Charles Dickens, Barbara Kingsolver as much as Salinger. Muriel Spark as much as Ian McEwan, Vikram Seth as much as Kiran Desai.

But more and more it seems a sad reality that books by women are not appreciated as much they would have been had they been written by a man. Hope this changes sooner than later. It is good to know that Tranqbar press represents a number of women writers.

By: Tranquebar

Tranquebar — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 11:12:56 +0000

Thank you for your responses, everyone!
Ranju: We’re glad you think that women are emerging from the margins of publishing and literature.
Kiran: We’re tracking each response as well; we would like to know if reading choices are gender-specific.
DK: That’s an excellent observation. A lot of women did assume male pseudonyms way back in the nineteenth century. We hope you continue reading our women (and male) writers!
JLT: A lot of articles suggest that the choice of Rowling’s writing-name was deliberate, since it is gender neural. Thank you for sharing your experiences with us. This is what makes updating a blog such a wonderful exercise: your insights! And yes, do look out for our titles!

By: jlt

jlt — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 07:20:55 +0000

Very true! In my younger days, there was a definite leaning towards Hardy Boys and Three Investigators (shunning Nancy Drew) by my male cousins, while we girls would read anything and everything…
My husband hasn’t bought any female author, tho’ he did appreciate Palace of Illusions, Devil Wears Prada and of course Harry Potter.

After reading your post, wonder if JK Rowling remained gender neutral deliberately…?

WAITING for The Kay Woman to get on the stands…!

By: dk

dk — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 06:18:14 +0000

Good to read a post that analyses possible reasons behind the findings of the VIDA study.. One particular point made by Laura Miller —”She says that while women may form the bulk of the reading population (58 percent of adult literary readers are female), their selections aren’t sex-specific. Women read across genres and gender categories, and are as likely to buy a novel by Dumas as one by Jane Austen. Men, on the other hand, tend to display a definite bias, preferring male authors and books about swashbuckling heroes.”— well explains the skewed ratio of book sales of titles by men vs. women. But i guess its not a recent phenomenon.
Didn’t women writers in the 19th century camouflage their identities by adopting masculine pen names to be taken seriously? george eliot and even the Bronte sisters are some examples.. About time perceptions changed. Good to see publishers like Tranquebar putting their faith in women writers.

By: Kiran Manral

Kiran Manral — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 10:10:35 +0000

I’m waiting for the responses to the question you posed at the end, I’d like to hope that my audience wouldn’t be limited to female readers, but have a sinking suspicion it just might.

By: Ranju

Ranju — Sat, 12 Mar 2011 10:47:43 +0000

Historically there have been more men than women who have been leading the writing arena. However last 2-3 decades have seen the emergence of more and more women as credible writers.

By: Tranquebar

Tranquebar — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 06:12:08 +0000

Thanks so much for writing in, Don, and for your generous feedback! We apologize if it appeared as though we were quoting you out of context. That wasn’t our intention, and we thought that the direct quote clarified that. We have tried modifying the paragraph mildly.

By: Don Share

Don Share — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 14:56:52 +0000

This is excellent: thank you. I’d like to clarify, however, that I was not at all, in the remark you’ve quoted, making the point that fewer women than men seem to be writing. I was pointing out that women who write face more obstacles than men, and that more demands are placed upon them.