The New Writing Controversy: the responses roll in

After yesterday’s shitstorm in the Guardian, things appear to be somewhat more tempered today, thanks to letters written by a variety of authors, including Michele Roberts, Julie Myerson and Stella Duffy, who writes:

"Not having seen the whole introduction to Ali Smith and Toby Litt’s collection, and very aware this piece may have been taken out of context, they do however raise the important point about the current distinction between universal and domestic. All too often men’s work – and that about men – is seen as universal, while that of and about women is read as domestic. Until we all – men and women – learn to read without gender bias, this gap is only going to widen. In my experience it is not usually the writing that is domestic – more the response, a way of reading that is all too often a conditioned response, one that cannot see the sweeping universal in the minutiae of experience. I do believe far too many writers of both sexes feel the need to conform to what is currently fashionable (sell-able?) in order to have their work seen. That said, an excitement about form and style is all very well, but if there is no story at the heart, then there is no point."

It’s bloody hard to argue with that.

Further commentary on the obsession with authors’ gender is given by AL Kennedy,

The full text of Ali Smith and Toby Litt’s introduction is available here, and to my mind, it puts their opinions — further elucidated here — in proper context.