Publisher defends diversity drive after Lionel Shriver's attack
Penguin Random House has responded to the novelist’s criticisms, saying it aims to ‘reflect the society in which we live’
Lionel Shriver’s blistering assertion that, “drunk on virtue”, Penguin Random House is putting diversity ahead of literary excellence has been dismissed by the publisher, which said on Monday that “books shape our culture, and this should not be driven only by people who come from a narrow section of society”.
Writing in the Spectator, Shriver took issue with an email sent by the publisher, which lays out its goal that by 2025, its authors and staff will reflect the diversity of UK society. The email said: “We want our authors and new colleagues to reflect the UK population taking into account ethnicity, gender, sexuality, social mobility and disability.”
Related: Lionel Shriver: ‘Few writers are willing to put themselves on the line for free speech’
