In celebration of this year’s International Women’s Day, I thought I would reflect on some of my favourite women writers and their works. I am sure you have read a few of them.
Jane Austen Such a classic writer! Her novels interpret, critique and comment on British society. Austen gained status after her death and her six full-length novels have rarely been out of print. I re-read her work regularly and Pride and Prejudice is a favourite.
Virginia Woolf Another English writer, Woolf is considered one of the most important modernist authors of the 20th Century. She was a pioneer in the use of stream of consciousness. My personal favourite is To the lighthouse along with her essay A room of one’s own.
Joan Didion I wanted to be Joan Didion when I was a student. She completely changed the way literary non-fiction was written and viewed. She has a spare, no nonsense style with acute observational skills. Her memoir about the death of her husband, The year of magical thinking is one of the most moving books I have read.
J K Rowling I love Rowling because she made reading ‘cool’ for thousands of young non-readers with her series of six books about young wizard Harry Potter. She has sold more than 500 million books and is the best-selling children’s author in history.
Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche My favourite of this Nigerian author’s books is Half a yellow sun where five characters tell of their war experiences in Nigeria. She gave a TEDx talk in 2012 entitled ‘We should all be feminists’ which has been viewed more than five million times and is worth a look.
Helen Garner One of Australia’s best writers, her first novel Monkey grip established her as an original voice on the Australian literary scene. I particularly enjoyed Joe Cinque’s consolation and her recent diaries have been a delight.
Shirley Hazzard I’m always surprised when I meet people who haven’t read Hazzard. She was an Australian American novelist, short story writer and essayist. My favourite book is The great fire, although the Guardian calls her book The transit of Venus her breakthrough novel.
Gail Jones One of Australia’s most celebrated writers, she has received numerous literary awards. Like many Australian writers her work has been translated into several languages. Dreams of speaking and Five bells are fantastic.
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