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Why Men Don't Read Books
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Book News
 08 May 2010, 08:40 #87900 Reply To Post
Why Men Don't Read Books


Much as I enjoyed Roman Polanski's suave political thriller "The Ghost Writer," one early scene struck me as egregiously off. The main character, a scribe-for-hire played by Ewan McGregor, takes a meeting to discuss writing the memoirs of a politician. The other attendees are the head of the book publishing company, one of the editors, the writer's agent and a representative of the politician. Five people in a room discussing a book deal, and all of them men. View Salon article
Miller
 14 May 2010, 14:43 #88547 Reply To Post
Interesting, provocative article. Thanks for highlighting it.

It's always seemed to me that the publishing profession is dominated by female employees. As a result, have often wondered about the degree of bias that may engender towards publishing books the female sex may prefer.

Temperance
 14 May 2010, 16:43 #88558 Reply To Post
Hey Joe. A natural extension of that would be to also publish more women writers. Do you think that's the case?

As a matter of interest do you read more male authors than female? Not saying you would actively choose one over the other just are you likely to be more interested in their chosen subject matter?

Tx
Everyone has a price - mine is chocolate

Chocolate is important.
sulcus
 14 May 2010, 17:54 #88570 Reply To Post
Quote: Temperance, Friday, 14 May 2010 16:43
Hey Joe. A natural extension of that would be to also publish more women writers. Do you think that's the case?

As a matter of interest do you read more male authors than female? Not saying you would actively choose one over the other just are you likely to be more interested in their chosen subject matter?

Tx


I read more men than women cos in my preferred 'genre' there are infinitely more men writing than women, apart from Jeanette Winterson.

Show me a female Michel Houllebeq or Don Delillo. I don't know if that's cos women face barriers to entry here, or this type of philospohical forensics doesn't appeal to women to want to write it
"A,B&E", "Not In My Name" and "52FF" (flash fiction anthology) all available on Amazon Kindle

"How a psychopath makes sweet love. I can get you ringside. Royal box even."
Miller
 14 May 2010, 19:48 #88592 Reply To Post
Quote: Temperance, Friday, 14 May 2010 16:43
Hey Joe. A natural extension of that would be to also publish more women writers. Do you think that's the case?

As a matter of interest do you read more male authors than female? Not saying you would actively choose one over the other just are you likely to be more interested in their chosen subject matter?

Tx


I have no idea, Tempy, whether more female writers are published than male. It would be very interesting to know, though.

Even were that the case, mind you, it would not provide empirical evidence that the alleged predominance of female employees in publishing was creating a bias.

A quick scan of books recently read (very loose, this) reveals male authors lead by about 7 to 3. (That will vary if I go on a Donna Leon splurge.) Anyway, doubt it means much. I'm not aware of choosing male rather than female authors, but who knows? Maybe I do that intuitively.

On the female author side, recently read A L Kennedy's 'Paradise.' Also started but did not finish, 'The Sinner' by Petra Hammesfhar (may go back to that) and also, 'We Need to Talk about Kevin' by Lionel Shriver, which I'd always meant to read. Couldn't do it. Found it over written and the character of Eva too self-indulgent. But maybe that's male bias.




This post was last edited by Miller, 14 May 2010, 20:04
Temperance
 14 May 2010, 22:16 #88625 Reply To Post
Quote Miller

'We Need to Talk about Kevin' by Lionel Shriver, which I'd always meant to read. Couldn't do it. Found it over written and the character of Eva too self-indulgent. But maybe that's male bias.


No, I don't think it is. I thought exactly the same thing.

Tx

Everyone has a price - mine is chocolate

Chocolate is important.
sulcus
 14 May 2010, 22:42 #88632 Reply To Post
Quote: Temperance, Friday, 14 May 2010 22:16
Quote Miller

'We Need to Talk about Kevin' by Lionel Shriver, which I'd always meant to read. Couldn't do it. Found it over written and the character of Eva too self-indulgent. But maybe that's male bias.


No, I don't think it is. I thought exactly the same thing.

Tx



I loved it. I found it quite remarkable that the author who has no children herself got inside the mind of a mother so well. But her portrayal of Kevin was terrible. Overwritten? You say tomato & I say tomate-o...

Mind you neither of her follow up books have appealed to me to want to read them.

Re gender bias, she's called Lionel so you could argue it either way...
This post was last edited by sulcus, 14 May 2010, 22:43
"A,B&E", "Not In My Name" and "52FF" (flash fiction anthology) all available on Amazon Kindle

"How a psychopath makes sweet love. I can get you ringside. Royal box even."
Miller
 15 May 2010, 08:06 #88661 Reply To Post
Well, you know, horses for courses, et al. Thank God we all have different tastes.

Still on 'Kevin', I also felt it would have been better balanced had we had responses to Eva's letters from her husband. Or should that have been a second book? And could Shriver have written it?

sulcus
 15 May 2010, 10:27 #88669 Reply To Post
Quote: Miller, Saturday, 15 May 2010 08:06
Well, you know, horses for courses, et al. Thank God we all have different tastes.

Still on 'Kevin', I also felt it would have been better balanced had we had responses to Eva's letters from her husband. Or should that have been a second book? And could Shriver have written it?



Hard when the husband is dead. I actually guessed Kevin had killed him long before the reveal, but it still didn't spoil the book for me in any way such was the power of the writing.
"A,B&E", "Not In My Name" and "52FF" (flash fiction anthology) all available on Amazon Kindle

"How a psychopath makes sweet love. I can get you ringside. Royal box even."
Miller
 15 May 2010, 12:00 #88700 Reply To Post
Quote: sulcus, Saturday, 15 May 2010 10:27
Quote: Miller, Saturday, 15 May 2010 08:06
Well, you know, horses for courses, et al. Thank God we all have different tastes.

Still on 'Kevin', I also felt it would have been better balanced had we had responses to Eva's letters from her husband. Or should that have been a second book? And could Shriver have written it?



Hard when the husband is dead. I actually guessed Kevin had killed him long before the reveal, but it still didn't spoil the book for me in any way such was the power of the writing.


Was he dead, then? Ah. Didn't get that far.
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