Trudi had a terrible time deciding the winner. She said:
‘Ali A made an interesting point about social taboos overseas and later about the way male/female writers write, Denis’s points were good, Sarah and Margaret pointed out that Australia is ahead of the curve with gender roles …’
But in the end she had to go with Martin who said:
‘This is a really big question and I don’t think any one thing can explain it (it could be the basis of a dissertation if not a PhD).
As a UK reader I have noticed that a lot of the female writers on the shop shelves, and my bookshelves (all barr one actually), are
australian. Likewise, most of the male writers are from the US. I think another big question is why are there so few fantasy authors (of either gender) in the UK?
I’d say like some others above me, that the relaxed Aussie lifestyle is good for imagination muscles. As well as the stunning scenery. On a deeper level, while Australia still has an ample history, it is a relatively newborn country compared to many others. I’d hope that this would mean the sexist tendencies embedded in many societies run weaker in the Aussie environment.
Whatever the reasons, I’m very grateful for the many lovely stories coming from Oz and let’s hope there are many more to come (whether from female or male writers).’
Please email me, Martin. rowena(at)corydaniells(dot)com
And thanks to everyone who commented. It was a great discussion!
Congratulations Martin.