In the second in our occasional series on the ways in which writers use literature to make political cases, we turn our attention to feminism.
Women and literature have hit the headlines over the last week, both for positive reasons – Téa Obreht's victory at the Orange prize - and, in the case of VS Naipaul's baffling outburst on the subject of female authors, less positive ones. The spring edition of Granta magazine also tackled the subject: entitled The F Word, it was entirely given over to pieces by women.
In this week's podcast, we hear from Obreht in the wake of her Orange triumph, speak with a former Orange winner, Ann Patchett, about her latest novel, and talk to Granta editor John Freeman and contributor, the novelist Naomi Alderman, about the thinking behind the latest edition of the magazine, and the place of women in literature today.
Reading list
The Tiger's Wife by Téa Obreht (Weidenfeld & Nicolson)
State of Wonder by Ann Patchett (Bloomsbury)
The F Word (Granta)
The Lessons by Naomi Alderman (Viking)
