If there is blood to be spilt on the pages of a thriller, it very often belongs to a poor unfortunate female victim. Or multiple victims in the case of best-selling serial killer novels such as Stieg Larsson's The Girl with a Dragon Tattoo.
However, a new literary prize for the thriller genre is hoping to disrupt this disturbing norm.
Open to all authors over the age of 18, the Staunch Book Prize wants to break away from such clichés. Instead, it will reward a great thriller that doesn’t feature a woman being “beaten, stalked, sexually exploited, raped or murdered”.
Bridget Lawless, a British author and screenwriter who founded the prize, credits the #MeToo movement against the sexual abuse and harassment of women in Hollywood and beyond as catalyst for launching the prize. She wanted to do her part to keep the conversation going.
“This is a critical point in time, and the prize, in its small way, is getting people talking about the issues,” she tells me via email.
"When the #MeToo campaign started, I decided to abstain from voting for the Baftas," she says. "I knew there would be more stories of abuse coming out, and I didn't want to unwittingly reward someone whose story only came out later. This is far from over.
“I’d really like to see discussions in writers’ courses, reading groups, publishers, agents and among the producers, directors and actors who might be involved in adaptations.”
The author believes that books and other media that use violence against women as a plot device are doing it for commercial gain. The result is rather lurid, instead of informative, fiction.
“People who are interested in the reality of [violence against women] tend not to read that kind of fiction, because they find it distasteful and exploitative, and maybe part of the problem.
"They put their efforts into finding out more about what's happening to real women,
and trying to do something about it."
For those determined to tackle the popular thriller genre, what does Lawless suggest they write about instead? How about “hostile environments or extreme weather”? She adds that predatory behaviour and “people injuring and murdering each other is only a small part of what’s possible with the genre”.
Lawless clearly feels that violence against women is a rather tired trope. "It's a very well-worn and overused way to go," she says. "Why do you need to concentrate on stories where that's part of the plot? Can your characters use their wits to avoid these things? Can you come up with a situation in which no one is a victim?"
While the Staunch Book Prize has been praised for being innovative and fresh, there are critics. Some suggest that awarding a prize for excluding violence against women ignores the ongoing issue or makes it seem as though writing or reading about it is a terrible thing.
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Read more:
Women's March 2018: Celebrities show solidarity for women's rights
Why unequal pay should be as socially unacceptable as sexual harassment
Najwa Zebian: The Lebanese poet speaking up about the #MeToo movement
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"There is an element in the criticism that almost suggests thrillers which contain [this topic have] some kind of educational role, or are 'shining a light' on a difficult and otherwise hidden subject. I don't buy into that," Lawless argues. "It's quite surreal sometimes hearing people argue for violence against women… or describe the prize as a ban or censorship, or a call for violence against men or children. It's very clearly stated that we're looking for original writing and alternatives."
Submissions to the prize are invited from publishers, agents and directly from writers from February 22 to July 15. Alongside Lawless, the judges include comedian Doon Mackichan (Smack the Pony, Plebs) and literary agent Piers Blofeld. The winner of the £2,000 (Dh10,346) will be announced on November 25 to coincide with the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.
For more information, visit www.staunchbookprize.com
Famous left-handers
- Marie Curie
- Jimi Hendrix
- Leonardo Di Vinci
- David Bowie
- Paul McCartney
- Albert Einstein
- Jack the Ripper
- Barack Obama
- Helen Keller
- Joan of Arc
MATCH INFO
Kolkata Knight Riders 245/6 (20 ovs)
Kings XI Punjab 214/8 (20 ovs)
Kolkata won by 31 runs
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The specs: 2018 Genesis G70
Price, base / as tested: Dh155,000 / Dh205,000
Engine: 3.3-litre, turbocharged V6
Gearbox: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 370hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque: 510Nm @ 1,300rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 10.6L / 100km
THREE
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Company%20Profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20myZoi%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202021%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Syed%20Ali%2C%20Christian%20Buchholz%2C%20Shanawaz%20Rouf%2C%20Arsalan%20Siddiqui%2C%20Nabid%20Hassan%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20UAE%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20staff%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2037%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Initial%20undisclosed%20funding%20from%20SC%20Ventures%3B%20second%20round%20of%20funding%20totalling%20%2414%20million%20from%20a%20consortium%20of%20SBI%2C%20a%20Japanese%20VC%20firm%2C%20and%20SC%20Venture%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
