V.S. Naipaul (seemingly a professional misogynist at times) rankled many by suggesting there are no women writers that can equal him and calling Jane Austen “sentimental.” Now the Guardian offers up a quiz that challenges readers to identify the gender of an author simply by reading a passage of his or her writing.
The Naipaul Test
Characterizing Sleep
On this date 109 years ago, a cartoonist first paired the letter “Z” to the act of sleeping, beating out other attempts to write out the sound of slumber such as the tenacious “g-r-r-k-k-k-k” and the elegant “z-z-z-c-r-r-k-k-k-k.”
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Ask Us Anything: Swarm & Spark
Swarm and Spark, a new column at The Millions, invites you to write with your questions about publishing, the literary life, or writing. The column is written by two anonymous figures: a NYC editor with years in the industry and an MFA professor at a long-established program. Ask anything that has plagued, confounded, pleased or troubled you about your life in and around literature and you may be answered, always with respect: your question will be treated as anonymous as well. Send your true confessions, complaints and queries to [email protected].
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TLS Best Books of the Year
The Times Literary Supplement offers “Best Books of 2009” picks from a smattering of contributors, including Julian Barnes and Ali Smith.
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Bearded Bards
Gilbert Alter-Gilbert (of “Literary Pets” notoriety) is the author of the new book Poets Ranked by Beard Weight. To celebrate its publication, 50 Watts‘ Will Schofield has posted some of his favorite excerpts.
Jane Friedman’s AMA
Last week publishing and web guru Jane Friedman did a Reddit AMA. She fielded questions about self-publishing, breaking into the industry, and her helpful list of resources for writers.
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