Diversity Corner

[vetuste_ennemi]

I was going to use "Pseuds' Corner" as the title, then I realised that the following quote by a Peter Gordon doesn't even make it past Grade 1 Stupid.

Background to story. Novelist Lionel (it's a "her") Shriver has just been sacked as the judge of a short story competition because of an article ( I read it actually) ) in last week's Spectator in which she criticised Penguin's recently announced diversity policy. (Full article here: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/lionel-shriver-sacked-over-attack-on-penguin-random-house-ptlfr5pxq )

Part of Shriver's article:

“We can safely infer . . . that if an agent submits a manuscript written by a gay transgender Caribbean who dropped out of school at seven and powers around town on a mobility scooter, it will be published, whether or not said manuscript is an incoherent, tedious, meandering and insensible pile of mixed-paper recycling.”

The person who sacked Shriver, editor Debbie Taylor, came out with some middle grade pseud, saying:

“Mslexia’s raison d’être has been to provide a safe space for all women writers to develop their craft. We actively encourage entries from marginalised writers and frequently draw attention to the issues they face. Although we welcome open debate, Shriver’s comments are not consistent with Mslexia’s ethos, and alienate the very women we are trying to support”

Anyway, back to Mr Gordon, editor of the Asian Review of Books in Hong Kong, who "hits back" with:

“It is easy to deride diversity as a warm and fuzzy social objective without objective substance, but without diversity the English literary world would not have Homer, Dostoevsky or García Márquez.".

[Theland]

Well a big walking stick goes with the job.