Anger at Holocaust romance novel’s award listings

In the US, an influential romance blogger has criticised the Romance Writers of America (RWA) for shortlisting a novel at its annual awards about the relationship between a Nazi officer and a Jewish prisoner, reports the Guardian. Kate Breslin’s For Such a Time (Thorndike Press) was shortlisted for two prizes at this year’s Romance Writers of America RITA Awards for best first book and best inspirational romance, prompting romance blogger Sarah Wendell to write an angry letter to the RWA board, which has since been published on her blog. ‘This is a romance between a Jewish prisoner and a Nazi officer who was in charge of a concentration camp. To put it mildly, I don’t see this set-up as an imbalance of power that could possibly be redeemed in a romance narrative, nor do I think the setting and characterisation is remotely romantic. But I think this issue is much larger than my individual opinion,’ wrote Wendell. The RWA’s board said in a statement that ‘censoring entry content is not something the board supports’. ‘If a book is banned from the contest because of its content, there will be a move for more content to be banned. This is true, even especially true, when a book addresses subjects that are difficult, complex, or offensive,’ said the board.

Category: International news