Up Front by Emma Hart

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Up Front: Well, Read Women

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  • Jen Hay,

    The saying 'close, but no cigar', apparently originates "from the practice of giving cigars as prizes at carnivals in the US in the 19th century; this phrase would be said to those who failed to win a prize"
    (wiktionary entry)

    Christchurch • Since Nov 2006 • 43 posts Report

  • Bart Janssen,

    Pretty sure the comment about Zadie Smith is referring to the practice of giving cigars as fairground prizes.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 4461 posts Report

  • Bart Janssen,

    Just 2 minutes too slow.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 4461 posts Report

  • Emma Hart,

    Ah, of course. For some reason I read it as "doesn't come close to being a cigar", which given that columnist's history, would not be out of the question.

    Christchurch • Since Nov 2006 • 4651 posts Report

  • Tim Hannah, in reply to Emma Hart,

    He messed up the saying. By saying Zadie Smith, who he claims to like, "does not come close to a cigar" he's calling her crap, not a close second but far down the ranks.

    Which is probably just bad writing...

    Wellington • Since Jan 2007 • 228 posts Report

  • Jen Hay,

    To be fair, I don't really like to read objectional newspaper columns written by apparent idiots, so I guess my own reading habits aren't completely balanced either...

    Christchurch • Since Nov 2006 • 43 posts Report

  • Bart Janssen,

    I'm mostly a SF and Fantasy reader. A genre with a long and storied history of sexism.

    But also genres with some amazing authors who don't have penises. I rarely think about the gender of the author although I have to say I've been bemused that some of my favourite female authors are gay. I have no idea why or even if it has any relevance at all.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 4461 posts Report

  • linger,

    Thomas Dolby on relationships and cigars… yes, from a male perspective, dammit...

    Tokyo • Since Apr 2007 • 1944 posts Report

  • Geoff Lealand,

    Cigar? Something to do with Freud, maybe?

    Screen & Media Studies, U… • Since Oct 2007 • 2562 posts Report

  • TracyMac, in reply to Bart Janssen,

    Who are you alluding to? Nicola Griffith? Melissa Scott? Two of my faves.

    I grew up reading Asimov. Still like the old bugger, although his portrayals of women were limited. Although better than many of the era. At least he had Susan Calvin as a lead character, with a brain, even if she was... odd.

    Canberra, West Island • Since Nov 2006 • 701 posts Report

  • Emma Hart,

    A friend has suggested the cigar line is a reference to Kipling:

    And a woman is only a woman, but a good Cigar is a Smoke.

    Christchurch • Since Nov 2006 • 4651 posts Report

  • Carol Stewart,

    My first thought was Kipling:

    And a woman is only a woman, but a good Cigar is a Smoke.

    The poem it comes from is quite .. something.

    Wellington • Since Jul 2008 • 830 posts Report

  • Carol Stewart,

    Ah snap!

    Wellington • Since Jul 2008 • 830 posts Report

  • Ian Dalziel,

    break out the Bronte-saurus...
    But not a diet of Chick lit lite, right?
    I'm thinking May, June or July would be possible months for a National Women's Writers Month - I'll start with a stack of Mary Patricia Plangmans and Kage Bakers ...

    Christchurch • Since Dec 2006 • 7953 posts Report

  • william blake,

    Whining and dining?

    Pat Barker
    Jeanette Winterson
    Annie Proulx
    AS Byatt
    Janet Frame
    Lee Childs.

    Since Mar 2010 • 380 posts Report

  • Bart Janssen, in reply to TracyMac,

    Melissa Scott

    Nope I was thinking at the time of Susan R Matthews. I'm pretty sure I've read Nicola Griffith's Ammonite but it appears to have gone from my memory. Which is cool because I can read it again :).

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 4461 posts Report

  • Emma Hart,

    I've always kind of loved Catharine Asaro. They're basically a combination of romance novel and the kind of hard scifi that spends five pages explaining how Klein bottles work.

    Christchurch • Since Nov 2006 • 4651 posts Report

  • Jeremy Andrew, in reply to Bart Janssen,

    I’m mostly a SF and Fantasy reader. A genre with a long and storied history of sexism.

    True, but if you haven’t encountered Sheri S Tepper, Octavia Butler, Andre Norton, Anne McCaffery, James Tiptree Jr, CJ Cherryh or Mercedes Lackey (amongst many others) then you’re probably deliberately avoiding female authors (and in the case of Tiptree AKA Alice Sheldon, doing some research to do so).

    (ETA - that's a generic 'you' not a specific one)

    Hamiltron - City of the F… • Since Nov 2006 • 900 posts Report

  • Ian Dalziel, in reply to william blake,

    Whining and dining?
    ....Lee Childs.

    odd man out?
    did you mean Leigh Brackett?
    or am I over-Reachering?
    ;- )

    Christchurch • Since Dec 2006 • 7953 posts Report

  • Stephen R, in reply to william blake,

    Lee Childs.

    I'm pretty sure Lee Child is the pen-name of a bloke in the UK, and Lee Childs is a (male) tennis player...

    Wellington • Since Jul 2009 • 259 posts Report

  • Andrew Stevenson, in reply to Jeremy Andrew,

    Julian May, Elizabeth Bear, Martha Wells, Connie Willis, Tanya Huff, Elizabeth Moon...
    All good writers and storytellers.
    P.S. if you haven't go back over Emma's post and read the tool tips when you hover over the links.

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 206 posts Report

  • william blake, in reply to Ian Dalziel,

    Whining and dining, end of para four of Emma's text.

    Had to throw in Jack Reacher as the latest incarnation of the hyper masculine comfort read (dick lit?)

    Since Mar 2010 • 380 posts Report

  • Greg Dawson,

    No Robin Hobb/Megan Lindholm? And you call yourself SF/F readers :P

    ETA: Also how amazing was the return to fitz this year?! So amazing.

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 294 posts Report

  • B Jones,

    Lois McMaster Bujold writes lovely SF. I could rant about her for hours. One of her most interesting books, Ethan of Athos, is about a planet populated entirely by males - the story follows one obstetrician's quest to replenish the planet's failing stock of ovarian cell lines.

    I hesitate to try unfamiliar male sf/f authors, because there's just so much of a higher chance of their female characters being few and poorly drawn within those genres.

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 976 posts Report

  • Andrew Stevenson, in reply to B Jones,

    <cough>JohnRingo<cough>

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 206 posts Report

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