The Winter Olympics and Literature...An Unlikely Combination?

Today I have enjoyed reading an article by John Dugdale on the Guardian website about the seemingly surprising connections between winter sports and fiction. Dugdale's inventive feature comes in the wake of the opening of the Sochi Olympics and authors' protests over the creative 'choke hold' created by Putin's anti-gay and blasphemy lays. Though literary giants like Salman Rushdie and Margaret Atwood have spoken out against this controversial legislation, Dugdale's article takes a break from intense political debates about freedom of expression and attempts to enlighten us to the unexpected legacy of winter sports in fiction.

Firstly, there is of course the ice skating that takes place on frozen river in Louise May Alcott's Little Women. This is an episode which Dugdale interprets as speed skating since Laurie and Jo are racing and leave Amy behind when she falls through the ice. Don't forget that ice skating also features in The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger, as Holden Caulfield agrees to take Sally to Radio City for a spot of skating.

Dugdale also identifies James Bond's potential Olympic prowess in On Her Majesty's Secret Service, as the spy executes slalom, biathlon and skeleton skilfully. The following cover demonstrates Bond's ability to ski and shoot a gun at the same time, which probably undermines the dangerous nature of the Olympic skiing events currently on show in Sochi.

Poetry, of course, has a fair share of winter sports as well. T. S. Eliot's The Waste Land features some bobsleigh action, as an Austrian countess recalls fun in the snow before the war: "... he took me out on a sled, / And I was frightened. He said, Marie,/ Marie, hold on tight. And down we/ went". Robert Burns' also explores the peculiar sport of curling in 'Tam Samson's Elegy'.

So, winter sports do have a legacy in literary history...who'd have thought it?

(A link to Dugdale's article can be found in the first paragraph).

Where are the Women? The Invisible Girls of Art.

In a slight divergence from the literary angle of my most recent blog posts, today I bring you Jemima Kirke (a.k.a Jessa in Lena Dunham's Girls) discussing gender inequality in the visual art world. In this Youtube video, which is part of the Tate's Unlock Art short film series, Kirke explores the continuing under representation and subordination of female artists throughout history. Written by Jessica Lack, the video focuses on the erasing of female artists from art history. I felt this post would flow on nicely from yesterday's discussion of the #readwomen2014 campaign, as it further proves the continuing disenfranchisement of female artists across different creative fields.

Take a look at the video below:

The video touches on the difficulty art historians face to represent female artists without having to rewrite the history of art and the problems with publishing books solely about female artists, which would further marginalise female artists from the wider historically contexts. A particular highlight of the short film is the segment about the ironic uproar that surrounded Margaret Harrison's feminist exhibition in the 1960s because of her manipulation of the male body in her art.

Give the video a watch - it's educational and will open your eyes to the pervasive subordination of female artists beyond literature.

#readwomen2014: Let's challenge our sexist reading habits

Joanna Walsh's recent article for the Guardian poses an interesting literary-themed New Years resolution. Reflecting on VIDA's annual calculation of the rates of male and female publication, in which their attractive pie charts show that female authors are considerably discriminated against in the publishing world, Walsh decided to start a new reading campaign. Walsh asks readers to think about the gender of the next author they are about to select from their bookshelves, and advises them to pick a female author as a way to combat pervasive sexist reading habits. The #readwomen2014 hashtag promotes Walsh's aims to challenge the inequality found in the book market, and she's even created some female author inspired bookmarks to further the cause.

Interestingly, Walsh also considers the way female writers are published as a detriment to gender equality in publishing. The flowery, girly covers used for female author's books take away their serious, weighty sentiments and create an impression that the title contains writing of 'delicacy' (bluergh). You may be baffled to learn that Lionel Shriver's 'nasty' novel Game Control was originally destined for an equally 'feminine' cover. It's a publishing approach that seems old fashioned, not to mention patronising, but Walsh points out that it is a trend still very much present in the publishing industry.

I definitely think this is an innovative and thought-provoking way to challenge sexism in reading, and the use of social media is certainly going to attract more public support. In my own experience, I have been witness to a reader's surprise that their 500-page WWI themed novel was, in fact, written by a female author (shock, horror).

It's true that male writers dominate the bestseller lists, book charts and English degree syllabuses. I am frequently asked to consider the topic of the literary 'canon' as a point of discussion in my university seminars, and so I am fully aware how male-dominated (and, more often than not, dead) the literature curriculum is. Perhaps universities are becoming more aware of this issue, as it was a surprise to me that the first author I was asked to read at university was Hilary Mantel.

The #readwomen2014 campaign is gaining attention. Glamour, Harpers Bazaar and LA Times are just a few publications to take notice and promote literary gender equality. So, why don't you join in! Who is your favourite female author? And, who is the next female author you will read?

Here is Joanna Walsh's article - read it for yourself!

Would you go on a blind date with a book?

'Don't judge a book by it's cover' - it seems book shops all around the world have started taking this famous idiom quite literally with the recent 'Blind date with a book' promotional trend. 

Book shops and libraries have attempted to challenge customers' preconceptions about books by wrapping titles in plain brown paper and only revealing the genre and key plot points.

This charming marketing idea even conceals the author's name and title - tempting the reader with only a few words that describe the book (e.g. 'empire', 'aliens', 'Victorian England' - a pretty random and vague collection of terms that could equal H.G. Wells's The War of the Worlds?)

These cute promotions could definitely have their bonuses. First, could this imaginative idea maybe bring in some extra cash for bookshops during the Amazon Kindle generation? Not to mention, this 'blind date' could introduce a customer to an under-rated author they would never have picked off a shelf before. So, it's a win-win situation for author, book shop and reader!

So what do you think? Would you pick your next read blind?

'Shelf Help': Can literature be an alternative to the Self-Help book?

Today, Vintage have launched a campaign to promote fiction and non-fiction books as a source of inspiration for readers in 2014, rather than self-help books.

Asking readers to step away from the self-help category and towards some literary and serious non-fiction alternatives, Vintage have published a list of 12  titles that they hope will make people feel happier this year.

The list of 12 is said to include the 2013 publishing success Stoner by John Williams, Why be happy when you could be normal? by Jeanette Winterson, and Sebastian Faulks' Human Traces.

With a new book for every month, Vintage are hoping to make you feel better about your life with a little literary help throughout the year.

The curator of the list of 'Shelf Help' books, Alex Clark, has spoken about how 'books can improve our lives—not just as a sticking plaster to make us feel better, but as powerful spaces that can help us to expand the way we see and think about the world and ourselves.' (As quoted on The Bookseller - click here to read their article!)

This marketing campaign is definitely praise-worthy, in my opinion, as I believe we must promote literature and art as a learning platform from which we can learn how to reflect about our own life experiences.

But what do you think? Will you be seeking some Shelf Help this year?

Books set to dominate your shelves in 2014

A belated Happy New Year to my readers! Having recently read some exciting things about new book releases for this year, I thought that my first post of the year let you know what to look out for in bookshops this year!

So, without further rambling introductions, here are a few titles to add to your 'To Read' list of 2014:

1) The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton

Set to be published in July 2014 (just in time to pack for your summer holiday), this debut novel from Burton is set in 1686 Amsterdam and focuses on the stories of two women seeking 'freedom in a repressive, judemental society'. The Miniaturist also contains 'a trial, a hidden love, a miniaturist who predicts the fate of her customers, a parakeet called Peebo and a plan to escape to the sea', according to the author's website. Intriguing? Well, Harper's Bazaar, Stylist Magazine, ASOS and the Guardian seem to think so and have recommended Burton's debut. The Miniaturist is definitely one to look out for!

2) The Poets' Wives by David Park

If you're interested the lives of writers' behind their words on page, David Park's novel about three wives of important poets could be the right read for you. It's focus on three women who led their lives in the shadows of their husband's work is a compelling approach. Although the three women (Catherine Blake, Nadezhda Mandelstam, and a contemporary poet's wife) have their obvious differences - across the centuries and countries that separate them - Park finds a way to net their stories cleverly together. 

3) The Quick by Lauren Owen

Already recommended by Hilary Mantel and Kate Atkinson, The Quick is set in Victorian England and is a tribute to the traditional Gothic novel. Though set in a period we have all probably read a lot about, this debut promises to be a nuanced story of Victorian London.

4) We Are Not Ourselves by Matthew Thomas

This is another highly anticipated debut of 2014 and focuses on a heartbreaking story of an Irish-American woman, Eileen, 'raised in 1940s Queens by an alcoholic mother and a union-employed father, as she grows up, marries, and early-onset Alzheimer's affects her family'. There is much buzz surrounding this novel, as publishers on both sides of the Atlantic offered up six figure sums to land the title, according to the Guardian.

5) Elizabeth is Missing by Emma Healey

28-year-old debut novelist Healey has also received a lot of hype for Elizabeth is Missing, set to be published in June. It follows elderly Maud's attempts to find a lost friend whilst also coping with the on-set of dementia. Set to be simultaneously heartbreaking and comic, look out for Healey's novel soon!

Under pressure? Some literary motivation for you

If there is anything I need right now (other than possibly a repeat of Christmas and a working time machine), it's motivation to get my university work done. Essays, revision...the deadlines are looming but I am becoming more and more reluctant to just sit down and write. I'm going to great efforts everyday to find new excuses to stay 10 feet away from my desk at all times (e.g. 'I haven't seen this episode of the Kardashians before...' (lies - I've seen almost all of them, oops there goes my guilty secret).

Anyway, in a search for motivation, I stumbled across this article about classic novels that have been written in less than 6 weeks. Turns out some of the most notable writers have done their best work whilst working to a tight schedule. Look at  Jack Kerouac, for instance. His novel On The Road was typed out in 3 weeks on one giant roll of paper and became known as one of the best English-language novels of the 20th century. William Faulkner's As I Lay Dying, penned in a space of weeks, is considered a notable work of recent history as well.

I also found out (here) that Robert Louis Stevenson knocked out the first draft to The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde in just 3 days whilst Arthur Conan Doyle wrote the first Sherlock Holmes novel (A Study in Scarlet) in 3 weeks. Arguably, both texts have become embedded in our modern culture today, as the many TV/film adaptations of these stories or characters will prove. Both writers are considered part of the English-language literary canon as well (I have actually had both these books on my university reading list this year). Becoming part of literary history after a  few days/weeks worth of work? Not bad!

And so, I wonder, if these writers can produce what some may call 'masterpieces of literature' in such a short space of time, why can't I do a 3000 word essay in a couple of weeks? It gives me no excuses really, does it?