I came across an article on the Fusion website titled Books about women don’t win awards, and that’s a huge problem by Kelsey McKinney. In the article, Ms. McKinney writes the following:
Sometimes the winners of big literary prizes are female writers, but often their books center on the stories of men and boys. Stories about women and girls, written by either gender, rarely win prizes, and that reinforces a subtle but dangerous notion that the stories that should be told, written and rewarded are stories about men.
Novelist Nicola Griffith had a hunch that this theory was true. “I’ve been counting, subconsciously then consciously, for 20 years when I was first published and started to see how skewed the playing field was,” Griffith told me over email.
What she found, though, is pretty appalling. In the last 15 years 0 books about only women and girls have won the Pulitzer Prize.
“For the prize that recognises “the most distinguished fiction by an American author,” not a single book-length work from a woman’s perspective or about a woman was considered worthy,” Griffith wrote on her blog. “Women aren’t interesting, this result says. Women don’t count.”Essentially, the article goes on to say that we need stories about everyone. Ms. McKinney goes on in her article to add:
“Stories matter,” Griffith said. “If more than half human perspective isn’t being heard, then we are half what we could be. Stories subtly influence attitudes… If women’s perspectives aren’t folded into the mix, attitudes don’t move with the whole human race — just half of it.”How do you feel about books about women not winning awards?
This is so incredibly sad to me. And I think the worst part is is that no one really notices you know? I didn't really until I read this! I researched a little and I was so surprised that it was true! After the women's movement in the last century, people think that everyone is equal now but really, society has just found other ways of enforcing the norms and behaviors. They never left. We definitely need to bring this to people's attention!
ReplyDeleteLaura @BlueEyeBooks
I was a bit shocked at the news myself. I still don't think women are treated equally quite yet, despite the women's movement. I admit that I didn't think it was this bad when it came winning literary awards. I'm really surprised, shocked, horrified that more stories about women and girls don't win awards, especially in this day and age. Women and girls do make up half of society, so it is definitely important that stories about them are noticed in the literary world.
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