The Creation of a Female Writer
Tracy Chevalier, Ayelet Gundar-Goshen, Fay Weldon
Chair: Sam Leith
Is the novel an inherently feminine form? And is it a distinctive thing to be a female novelist or is that in itself a misogynistic idea? Focusing on the writing that best illustrates their careers, Tracy Chevalier, Ayelet Gundar-Goshen and Fay Weldon — with literary critic and token male Sam Leith — explore these and other questions such as: where do the voices in their fiction come from, and what does it give them (and take away)? Do they feel connected to fellow female novelists, living and dead?
In Association with the New Israel Fund
Tracy Chevalier FRSL is the author of ten novels. She is best known for the international bestseller Girl with a Pearl Earring, which has been translated into 43 languages, sold over 5 million copies worldwide, and been made into a film, play, radio drama, and opera. Her new novel about Venetian glass, The Beadmaker, will be published later in 2023. She grew up in Washington DC and in 1984 moved to the UK, dividing her time between London and Dorset.
Ayelet Gundar-Goshen is an Israeli psychologist, author and script writer. Her film scripts have won prizes at international festivals, including the Berlin Today Award and the New York City Short Film Festival Award. One Night Markovitch, her first novel, won the prestigious Sapir Prize for best debut.
Fay Weldon
Sam Leith is literary editor at the Spectator, a columnist at the Financial Times and Prospect, and his work appears regularly in the Guardian, The Times and the TLS among others. His books include You Talkin' to Me? Rhetoric from Aristotle to Obama.
