she is a white Latina, and received a seven-figure advance for the novel.
This is a tale as old as time. White novelists have always borrowed the voices and experiences of others to tell stories that they don’t have the access and insight to accurately tell. Where does the responsibility lie, here? Is it with the publishing industry, which has consistently opted to publish these culturally lacklustre stories from unequipped authors? It would be easy enough for them to seek a novelist who could write an authentic American Dirt. Or is it up to the author to say: “This story isn’t mine to tell”?
Of course, writers should explore a multitude of narratives. We should be inclusive and reflect the society around us. But the Mexican community is large, and Mexican writers have stories to tell. Let them earn the seven-figure advances. It’s a small amount of compensation for the trauma that comes with a life so sensational it’s worthy of being fictionalised.
It’s fiction you idiot. Made up stuff. Where is this drivel coming from?
Candice Carty-Williams was born in 1989, the result of an affair between a Jamaican cab driver and a dyslexic Jamaican-Indian receptionist. She is a journalist, screenwriter, and author of the Sunday Times bestselling Queenie, a book described as ‘vital’, ‘disarmingly honest’ and ‘boldly political’. In 2016, Candice created and launched the Guardian and 4th Estate BAME (black, Asian and minority ethnic) Short Story Prize, the first inclusive initiative of its kind in book publishing.
Massive, eh?
“White novelists have always borrowed the voices and experiences of others to tell stories that they don’t have the access and insight to accurately tell. ”
Bollocks on stilts.
This criticism can be levelled at anything that isn’t autobiographical.
It’s fiction. How do you ‘accurately tell’ fiction?
‘This is a tale as old as time. White novelists have always borrowed the voices and experiences of others to tell stories that they don’t have the access and insight to accurately tell. Where does the responsibility lie, here?’
It lies in the inability of those who had the experiences to write their own fvcking book.
It is better for the story to be untold than for a white person to write it.
Candice is overtly racist.
How far we have fallen. The %70 white population SHOULD NOT ALLOW THIS SHIT!
Someone needs to point out her prize is exclusive, not inclusive.
@BiG: it excludes only stale pales – gammons, if you like. That isn’t exclusionary or racist, you see, because.
White novelists have always borrowed the voices and experiences of others to tell stories that they don’t have the access and insight to accurately tell.
This is true. The Lord Of The Rings was racist af towards black people and midgets.
Candice Carty-Williams was born in 1989, the result of an affair between a Jamaican cab driver and a dyslexic Jamaican-Indian receptionist.
I concede that my comment is prompted by a noxious cocktail of white privilege and toxic masculinity, but what is the significance of the dyslexia here?
what is the significance of the dyslexia here?
She thought he was going to show her his pennies.
Are male novelists equipped to write female characters, or are they without true access and inappropriately “borrowing” insight whenever they include the thoughts/speech/feeling of a woman in their story?
And are female novelists equipped to include male characters in their stories?
What can a 3/4 Jamaican 1/4 Indian person possibly know about the travails of Mexican/Latinx peoples?
Shouldn’t Candice be shutting the fuck up and staying in her lane?
Cummins wrote 2 historical novels set in Ireland, but I don’t recall anyone having a go at her for this.
And while it’s easy to mock halfwits writing in the Guardian, Cummins has had to cancel her promotional tour for the novel because of threats from racist cunts like Candice.
“Are male novelists equipped to write female characters…”
Surely they can temporarily identify as female when they write that bit…?
“Candice created and launched the Guardian and 4th Estate BAME (black, Asian and minority ethnic) Short Story Prize, the first inclusive initiative of its kind in book publishing.”
I’m not convinced whoever wrote that knows the meaning of “inclusive”.
Evidently British authors of Jamacian-Indian descent are subject to envy… Just like white folks.
It’s also interesting that Candice seems to think that white Latinos don’t seem to qualify as real minorities.
We are at the point where identity politics is turning in on itself.
“Are male novelists equipped to write female characters, or are they without true access and inappropriately “borrowing” insight whenever they include the thoughts/speech/feeling of a woman in their story?”
Given the success both male and female authors have had while using protagonists of the opposite gender, I’d say this question is moot : obviously the good ones can, and do so successfully.
The keyword here, of course, is “success”. Which mrs. Whingy mcPantsinabunch is not having, and is complaining bitterly about.
One of the major problems made visible by the rise of the internet is that there is a remarkably small amount of high quality creativity – in writing, in political thinking, in everything.
The immediate result is that businesses which make money out of eyeballs- the Grauniad, any political party,…. – has a dearth of anything worthwhile to publish.
But they gotta publish something, or the eyeballs go away.
So they publish shit. Over and over again.
Surprised no one has wanted to ban John Steinbeck’s “Tortilla Flat”. Not to mention the Harry Potter series, written by some white woman who most likely was not a wizard.
‘What can a 3/4 Jamaican 1/4 Indian person’
Guardian writer: I would have expected 3/4 Jamaican 1/2 Indian. 😉
@ Steve
LMFAO – pennies, classic.
Novels are going to be pretty boring from now on then. All one sex, all one race, and only involved in any activities/behaviour that the writer has personal experience of.
Dear Mr Worstall
I thought it was a well known fact that Agatha Christie was a serial killer who dressed as a man while writing about Poirot.
DP
Kazuo Ishiguro has some explaining to do.
We should go after Kipling too:
“This is a tale as old as time. Human novelists have always borrowed the voices and experiences of others to tell stories that they don’t have the access and insight to accurately tell. Where does the responsibility lie, here? Is it with the publishing industry, which has consistently opted to publish these culturally lacklustre stories from unequipped authors? It would be easy enough for them to seek a novelist who could write an authentic American Dirt. Or is it up to the author to say: “This story isn’t mine to tell”?”
How dare he appropriate the voices and experiences of tigers, bear, panther and wolves?
How much blessed we would be if only William had stuck to what he knew: Warrickshire and gloves. It’s enough to make you cry the waste of talent.
Why on earth is it considered relevant that her mother was dyslexic? As far as I know, nobody has ever suggested that the condition is hereditary.