Sampson’s suggestion regarding women’s reluctance to ‘assume literary authority’ picks up only half the point as literary authority is a baton that is passed on. The very act of handing the baton to someone imbues that person with the confidence to act in the role. Sheenagh Pugh’s experience suggests that sometimes that baton is not passed on or is simply dropped even when it has been previously proffered.

Her comment regarding male reviewers also shows that it is at times purposely withheld. A sense of oneself as commanding any literary authority grows through serious consideration by your peers, other writers and reviewers, and by others championing your work.

For me, anyone involved in literature has the responsibility to champion the breadth of possibilities that literature offers and to ensure writers of all kinds are offered the baton.

Has she asked them? I used to review quite often for Peter Forbes when he edited PR; in fact I once asked him why he sent me so many books by women to review, and he told me he had to get women reviewed by women because some of of his male reviewers refused to review books by women – interesting, or what?

I haven’t reviewed for PR since Peter left, and the reason for that is not that I have any reluctance to assume literary authority but that no one since has ever asked me to. True, by now I feel I don’t really want to (paid dues, want to concentrate on own work) but there may be others who would if anyone asked them.