Kiwi Author D J Connell Causes a Stir

New Zealand-born author DJ Connell has caused a media stir with an article she wrote for the UK’s Guardian newspaper book blog on August 4. The piece about funny women in fiction was immediately picked up by major websites around the world, sparking a debate about whether women can write seriously funny books or should simply stick to the lighter stuff of ‘chick-lit’.

What started out as an article on why Connell chose to write as DJ ended up prompting discussion on the perils of a female name in humorous fiction. In her piece entitled, ‘Who in Playboy Mansion hell calls women chicks?’ Connell suggested that a woman’s name is an affliction for a seriously funny writer. Distancing herself from the romantic comedy genre, she also criticised the ‘chick-lit’ label as outdated and offensive.

‘I am deadly serious about writing humour and wanted my book to be judged on its merits and not according to my gender,’ she wrote. ‘I take personal offence at the way women’s fiction, particularly humorous fiction written by women, is still getting shunted to the back of the queue.’

The day after Connell’s article appeared, the Guardian had Michele Gorman respond with a piece entitled: ‘Light doesn’t have to mean stupid.’ A ‘proud’ chick-lit writer, Gorman defended the genre and took issue with the points raised in the original article.

Both pieces generated a massive response from readers and were reprinted on key sites such as the Huffington Post and Jezebel. The two writers were subsequently invited to debate the issue live on Canada’s national CBC radio and on 4FM radio in Ireland. Connell went on to speak with Comedian Jeni Barnett on London’s LBC radio this week.

‘The response was remarkable, especially from fans and detractors of chick-lit,’ says Connell. ‘For the record, I have no beef with people reading chick-lit. It’s the name I detest. It doesn’t belong in the twenty-first century.’

D J Connell is the author of ‘Julian Corkle is a Filthy Liar,’ published by Blue Door, an imprint of HarperCollins. The book, out in New Zealand since March, debuted in the UK in July and was chosen as Book of the Week by Time Out magazine.




Read Connell’s original article on the Guardian on-line:http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/booksblog/2010/aug/04/chick-lit-debate-dj-connell

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