[beppe]

I'm a man and there is no clear gender bias to the authors I read.

True. I did not use a first order estimate of my preference counting my books, but being an expert statistician I noticed that the two books I reread more in my whole life are one with a male author and one with a woman author.

E. Annie Proulx The Shipping News and Lev Tostoy Anna Karenina.

Proulx tells the story from the inside of a male protagonist, the story being how he and his aunt recover peace and beauty after being traumatized by a brute (father and brother). But the story is wonderful, intertwined with nature, magic, pain, joy, compassion, passion, despair and warmth. Tolstoy's story is made with the same ingredients, although with a much wider scope and value, and obviously it is much more acclaimed. Rightly so.

An other example that bears on a certain point of discussion. My favorite author of thrillers/suspance/police whatever is a French, by the pseudonym of Fred Vargas, historian, archaeologist and writer. Has won three International Dagger Awards from the Crime Writers Association, for three successive novels: in 2006, 2008 and 2009: the first author to achieve such an honor. In each case the translator into English has been Sîan Reynolds, who was also recognized by the international award.

Well this very catching writer has taken position on a hot "political" issue that is really against my grain and that hurts me and offends me. Will I stop reading the stories of Commissaire Jean-Baptiste Adamsberg: peripatetic police chief, with Zen research methods? I am not a masochist. Of course I will.

What is the point. That Fred Vargas is a lady and her political stances as a crime writer do not matter a dry fig.