Ɖ Gardịn vy on nonfix́n bî wimin: so mć berid treźr
Transcription of a Guardian editorial of 18 June 2023
Nirli ʈri decedz aftr ɖ fǎndñ v ɖ Wimin’z prîz, ɖ fît fr spes in fix́n hz larjli bn wún. It’s tîm t muv on t poḷtics, hisṭri, sayns, sport…
Súnde, 18 Jūn 2023
Ɖ aword v ɖ Wimin’z prîz fr fix́n t ɖ Americn raitr Barbra Cñsolvr last wīc z unyźl in an awordz inḍstri ɖt z olwz on ɖ lŭcǎt fr ny dparćrz: it z ɖ frst tîm in ɖ prîz’z 28-yir hisṭri ɖt eni raitr hz wún it twîs. In uɖr rgardz, hvr, ɖ Wimin’z prîz z dîvrṣfayñ, wɖ planz t aword a sistrprîz fr nonfix́n fṛm nxt yir.
T si ɖ lojic v ɖs, it’s wrʈ scrolñ bac. Ɖ plan fr a fix́nprîz xclusivli fr wimin imrjd ǎt v a siriz v mītñz btwn publiśrz, oʈrz, ejnts, bcselrz n jrṇlists in ɖ wec v ɖ 1991 Bcr śortlist, ẃć fīćrd no wimin at ol. Anɉla Cartr’z joys fînl novl, Wîz Ćildṛn, wz amñ ɖoz eliɉbl, ɖo sadli ɖs jaynt v 20ʈ-snć̣ri litṛćr daid tù rli t beṇfit fṛm ɖ ny aword.
Ɖ arîvl v ẃt wz ɖen ɖ Orinj prîz in 1995 wz nt yṇvrṣli welcmd: Ōbṛn Ww nicnemd it ɖ Lemn prîz, A Z Bayt rfyzd t let hr wrc b entrd, n Jrmen Grir cmplend ɖt smwn wd sn fǎnd an aword fr raitrz wɖ red her. Ɖ orijinl sponsr, Mitsubiśi, wz scerd of bî a nyzpepr coḷm dsmisñ it az sxist.
Ɖo ɖr z no rūm fr cmplesnsi, ɖ batl fr repriznteśn v wimin in fix́n hz larjli bn wún: ɖ Bcr-prîz śortlist last yir hd a 50:50 split, ẃl ɖs yir’z Granta list v ɖ 20 bst raitrz undr 40 includd jst for men, cmperd wɖ 14 in its frst tū vintjz v 1983 n 1993.
Ɖ cntstd teritri nǎ z nonfix́n, in ol its vrayti. On ɖ srfis, ɖs dz’nt lc az dîr az ɖ Bcr drǎt v 1991. Ɖ Wimin’z prîz itslf calklets ɖt fīmel raitrz wún jst ovr a ʈrd v ɖ goñz awordd bî sevn YC nonfix́nprîzz ovr ɖ last 10 yirz. Bt ɖ patn v unḍrepṛznteśn z rpitd acrs nyzpepr rvyz n bc-v-ɖ-yir noṃneśnz, wɖ a noc-on ifct on oʈr rnñz.
F y strip ǎt speṣ́lizmz in ẃć fīmel raitrz tnd t clustr, sć az memwar, ɖ picćr gts mor sirịs, az ɖ sayns raitr Gaia Vins rout aftr bcmñ ɖ frst wmn t win ɖ Royl Ssayti’z prîz fr sayns-bcs in 2015. Mz Vins tráct ɖ unḍrepṛznteśn bac t ɖ start v ɖ pubḷśñproses, ẃr editrz, wɖ an î t ẃt wd sel, wr les lîcli t axpt mańscripts bî wimin, firñ (roñli) ɖt men wd’nt rīd ɖm.
Ɖt fîv v ɖ sevn Royl Ssayti prîzwinrz sins Mz Vins hv bn fīmel mt sīm lîc evidns ɖt a ny ira v iqoḷti hz olrdi arîvd, untl y lc at ɖ jndrsplit v ɖ śortlists fṛm ẃć ɖe wr drwn. Hir, mel oʈrz doṃnet bî 26 t 16. It’s anɖr vrśn v ɖ old sw ɖt t gt ʈru at ol, wimin hv t b ɖ bst in ɖer fīld.
Ɖs z nt jst a probḷm v ɖ sort v raitrz bt ɖ sort v bcs ɖt gt pśt t ɖ frunt, wɖ a los t rīdrz v bʈ dîvrṣti n pspctiv. It z xîtñ t ʈnc hǎ mni mor wl mc ɖer marc, n fṛm ẃć diṣplinz – hisṭri, poḷtics, sport, or ny eriaz intîrli – ẃn gvn sm rūm v ɖer ǒn.
