Robin Hobb is a she :)

[-putawaythosepliers-]

Why is it that many people think Robin Hobb is a he?
Is it because of the spelling? for instance, i know someone called Robin who is male, but i also know someone called Robyn, who is female.
Is it this spelling which determines the gender of a certain person?
Or is it *here's my turn to be a raving feminist * because they are a successful writer in the fantasy genre? Would it be unfair of me to imply that people automatically think she is a he because they have sold many books and are very good at what they do, in a genre, which to be fair, is not actually overly male-dominated? I think it would be unfair.
If you look through the sub-forums in the authors box, and are sad enough to count, like i am, then you will find that only 9 out of a total 36 authors are female, if i'm right, which isn't always.

It is however, a common mistake, and a completely forgivable one. ive had my rant now, so i'll sit in a corner and be quiet now.

[Mouse]

Yep, I think it's because of the way it's spelt. Robin Hobb has said that she wanted a name that could've been male or female, that's why she chose it.

[-putawaythosepliers-]

yes, she used to write under a psydoe.... something... mmm.. must learn to spell long words properly. I mean, she used to write under a different name didnt she?

[Mouse]

Megan Lindholm. And there's no mistaking that name for a man's!

[j. d. worthington]

Just a couple of thoughts on this. It may be partly the spelling, though I've known more women with that spelling of Robin than any other. And I think we've still got a lot of unconscious tendency in our society to have that idea about writers, yes. The fact that it is so unspoken and unrecognized unless one really starts probing, makes it harder to combat. But, if you're interested in both a very sharp, smart and entertaining book on the subject, try Joanna Russ's How to Suppress Women's Writing. I think a lot of people would be surprised at how often they fall into one or another of the traps she examines in that book without realizing it. Plus it really is just a very enjoyable book by a very talented writer.

Oddly, though... I never thought of Robin Hobb as anything other than a woman.... Not quite sure why, but that's the case. And, as you note, fantasy is certainly more given to women writers than is science fiction, overall. But that's another discussion for another time....

[murphy]

For some reason, I always thought of Robin Hobb as a woman. Maybe because I really liked her books and most of my favorite authors are women. Reverse gender discrimination on my part, maybe.

[SpaceShip]

When I find a new author I always look them up on the net and get as much info about them as possible, so I don't very often read a book not knowing which sex they are. However there will always be a problem when people's names can be either male or female. Not like Marion (something or other) - John Wayne or Shirley (something or other) - Big Daddy: a wrestling champion. Their parents have a lot to answer for don't they?

[Paige Turner]

Well, I was just talking about this issue with my friends Kim, Pat, Chris, Jamie and Terry. The women thought it was an ongoing issue in a lot of places, but the guys thought it was no big deal.

[manephelien]

Paige, interesting about your friends, it's impossible to tell by their name alone whether they're male or female.

I knew before I read any of Robin Hobb's books that she's female, although it did shock me to find out that James Tiptree, Jr. was a pseudonym for a female author!

[Wiggum]

Uhm, I originally thought that Tracy Hickman was a woman.

It's pretty much just the name.

[Somebloke]

How can anyone who has read Hobb's books believe that she is a he? The books are so clearly written from a woman's perspective!

[Teresa Edgerton]

Originally Posted by -putawaythosepliers-

If you look through the sub-forums in the authors box, and are sad enough to count, like i am, then you will find that only 9 out of a total 36 authors are female

I only count eight, which is an even worse showing.

We need to start and post in more threads about our favorite female authors, then we can ask for some new sub-forums.

(If it was up to me, we'd have forums for Bujold, McKillip, and Cherryh.)

[the_faery_queen]

i thought robin was male because i knew a man named robin, but not any women. thinking about it, her bo0oks are very female because they're more character driven than plot, which is something i find that female writers do. *shrug* but it's not something i thought of in a sexist way, oh she's successful, must be male, because when i first read her, it was when the farseer book was new out, so she wans't successful! i just thought it because i knew a male robin. and hear it more as a male's name (robin hood)

but i do agree that there are not a lot of female writers listed on the threads, but, i hate to say this, especially as a woman, i prefer male writers. they're often grittier, darker, *shrug* i prefer female singers, male writers. but it is true that it is mostly male writers who become listed as the big names, who seem to make it big, martin, eddings, brooks, tolkein, even when some of them, aren't actually that great!

[greedo]

Originally Posted by Somebloke

How can anyone who has read Hobb's books believe that she is a he? The books are so clearly written from a woman's perspective!

I completely agree. Just compare it with a GRRM book, and you'll see what i mean.

[cornelius]

well people I have to say I read the cover before I read the book and in my case it said something like " she's a fan of Tolkien , which explains her writer's name - hobb(it) "