VS Naipaul finds no woman writer his literary match – not even Jane Austen

[msrisotto]

I could have just called the thread "What a twat"

www.guardian.co.uk/books/2011/jun/02/vs-naipaul-jane-austen-women-writers

How arrogant can you get? I can't imagine even coming close to such levels of twattery.

How do you know the lurker ratio SGM?

I bet we're higher because of all the people who say they're too scared to post

the lurker ratio is the reason why I am always posting links to books even though the person I am arguing with usually finds it patronising and infuriating - it's not for their benefit, it's for people who are on this section because they actually want to find out about feminism.

Cool, thanks for that little education! That's interesting to know :)

You would think wouldn't you, that if you were wandering around the earth with an automatic privilege simply because you had a penis and therefore all your endeavours were greeted with far more fanfare, praise and attention than if you were not in possession of that penis, you would thank your lucky stars that you had that privilege and that the ownership of your penis had blinded everyone to how very ordinary you are and you would STFU and continue to pretend that you were frightfully clever and important and not alert the world to the fact that actually, you're just another willy-waving wanker with a deep and reasonable suspicion that you actually are not as good as all those inferior women you despise so much.

I read one of his novels - "A Bend in the River"

It was tedious in the extreme.

Nobel prizes for literature must be handed out on receipt of 5 cereal box coupons.

I've just heard from my parents who are sailing in the Caribbean - they have just arrived in Chaguaramas in Trinidad, which is where he was born and made some kind of homecoming a few years ago, as I found out from Wikipedia earlier. I have asked them to find out the word on the street if they get a chance. Funny how worlds collide sometimes. Never read any of his books, mind, although I think my Dad has.

HerBeX - I like your post. Willy-waver is my favourite term to use in an argument with men like this. Or rather, "Put your cock away, it impresses no-one". I nearly got punched by an Italian guy who was trying to start a fight with my Dad last year because I crooked my little finger at him. Took the wind out of his sails. Almost literally, as it was a boat-related fight.

Meh, he writes quite well bit I doubt anyone will still be reading his work in a hundred years. His comments once again demonstrate that he's really quite stupid. His comments about JA simply demonstrate his entire lack of understanding about what she writes about. In fact, he's so wide of the mark, I wonder if he's actually read any.

Don't rise to the bait - he's just seeking publicity. As Barbara Ellen puts it in the Observer:

The next time false provocateurs such as Naipaul let rip, we should collectively feign cultural deafness and refuse to react to their headline-hungry splutterings. How else are they going to learn?

www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/jun/05/children-sexuality-naipaul-kate-moss

It would be interesting to see if his book sales do increase after this little stunt.

who is he?

HerBex, I want a T-shirt with your last post in it, no sorry, a tattoo

on it, on the T-shirt, not in it