Headlines

These was a week of curious headlines: An interview I did with Hot Press in Dublin, well specifically Anne Sexton and thoroughly enjoyed was published with the headline The Milf and the Fury. It’s a striking headline and reflects some of the content of the interview. I liked it. The summary was less striking. I’m described as having “firmly-held” opinions. That’s as opposed to what type of opinion? The “vague half-screwed in flickering lightbulb opinion?” The interview (and thank you to Anne Sexton for her thoughtful work) has disappeared behind a paywall, but I will upload it to a page on my website shortly.

More peculiar, nay downright peculiar and patronizing, was the print edition of the Camden New Journal which possessed a most thoughtful piece of criticism written by Kate Webb but was given the bungling headline Cervix With A Smile. I kid ye not. I’d suggest to the person who wrote such a daft headline in future they ask themselves would they put such a headline on a John Banville or Julian Barnes review and if not then apply the same standards across the board. Clearly the headline writer didn’t read Malarky because they would have noted such a headline is inaccurate.

Writers do not write their own headlines or summaries on articles or interviews. Editors write them.

I noticed Eleanor Catton has recently been subjected to several pretty stupid articles (“unassisted blond hair”) and a loathsome op-ed in the Toronto Star which had passport control overtones, was deeply regressive and embarrassing, hence I am not providing a link. You’ve better ways to waste time than read this man’s bilge.

Perhaps the cold weather is causing brain-cell seize ups?