The literary canon has historically been overpopulated with male writers. Even in the twenty-first century, the male experience continues to enjoy more airtime in the critical world than any other perspective.
While we’re certainly making strides in the right direction, last year, the Booker Prize Shortlist featured more men named Paul than women. While hilarious in theory, the reality of such limited women’s representation left a sour taste in many mouths and resulted in accusations that the eventual winner – Prophet Song by Paul Lynch – was merely “Booker bait” (in other words, a novel which incorporates themes and styles which have historically won the coveted prize), which isn’t an uncommon criticism in the Booker world.
