"Write about what you know" is the mantra of creative writing courses, but this rule was debunked today at Hay by Turkish writer Elif Shafak (The Bastard of Istanbul), who chose Orlando by Virginia Woolf as her top pick from a list of the best 100 books written by women since 1918, when some women got the vote. "That book taught me that anything is possible," Shafak said. "I could write about how I feel, not what I know."
In agreement was comedian Sharia Mirza who said that in her stage performances she dealt with issues that interested her, not about race, gender and being a Muslim woman. She referred to a book she read when she was 12: The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13 3/4 by Sue Townsend who, with accuracy, humour and insight, created a boy character very far from the author's own experience.
The #Vote100 project is a collaboration between Hay Festival and The Pool.
"The term 'chicklit' makes my blood boil," said Allison Pearson, who also dreads World Book Day. "Why is it that you only find the note from the school the night before and have to stay up all night making your child's costume?"
Classicist Edith Hall praised Dorothy Parker, as a writer whose quips could cheer her up on a bad day analysing Greek tragedy. "And her statements helped me to read fiction in a gender-political way," she said.
While scientist Garbrielle Walker regretted the absence of seminal titles such as Silent Spring by Rachel Carson, all agreed it was a brilliant list. While many on it are feminist titles, it was stressed that this was not a feminist list but a list of great books written by women. A reminder that labels can be restrictive.
The chair, Lynn Enright from The Pool, highlighted that fact that only a third of books by women are on the school curricula. There is work to be done.