Bidisha
Encyclopedia
Bidisha is a feminist, critic, broadcaster and writer. She began writing professionally for arts magazines such as i-D, Dazed and Confused and the NME
at the age of 15 and published her first novel at 18.
who emigrated from India
in 1972. She was educated at the private school
Haberdashers' Aske's School for Girls
and speaks English and Bengali
. She studied Old and Middle English at St Edmund Hall
, University of Oxford
and gained an MSc in Moral and Political Philosophy and Economic History at the London School of Economics
.
. Her first novel, Seahorses, was published two years later, during her first year at university. During this time she also had regular opinion columns in The Big Issue
magazine, the Daily Telegraph and the Thursday edition of The Independent
newspaper. Bidisha's second novel, the thriller Too Fast to Live, was published when she was 21. Her third book, Venetian Masters - a travel memoir - was published in February 2008. She was a contributing editor of the feminist magazine Sibyl and the style magazine 2nd Generation. She has written for The Guardian
, the Financial Times
, Mslexia, The Observer
, New Statesman
and arts magazine The List. She was one of the judges for the 2009 Orange Prize for Fiction
and was announced as one of the judges of the 2010 John Llewellyn Rhys Prize
.
Bidisha's writing focuses on gender
, and she describes that writing about this particular topic "comes naturally". She describes herself as a "lifelong feminist" and as the daughter of a feminist. Writing in the Guardian on sexual harassment
, she calls street harassment "verbal rape": "When a male intentionally breaks into a woman's peace of mind and violates her space, when he perpetrates the act to enjoy her chagrin and discomfort, his psychological processes are the same as any rapist." In the piece she also states, "It has become a rhetorical nicety to say that the majority of men respect women and that all abuse is perpetrated by a minority. I do not believe this. I believe that the majority of people of both sexes hate women." She often writes on matters and events she perceives to be misogynist. In an article on "casual sexism" she writes, "Apart from outright slander, jibes, names and insults there is: talking down a woman's work, interrupting her, teasing her, mocking her, talking over her, patronising her, sighing or rolling one's eyes when she talks, invading her personal space." She also writes, "Any man who thinks it's OK to live in a household where the woman does the overwhelming majority of all the housework, childcare and family admin is a woman-hater. If he weren't, it would agonise him to live in such an unequal and exploitative setup."
's Newsnight Review. For BBC Radio 4
she has contributed regularly to Saturday Review
and Front Row
as well as presenting Archive on Four, Heart and Soul and Woman's Hour
. She was one of the regular presenters of BBC Radio 3
's arts programme, Night Waves. On the World Service she was a guest presenter of the books programme The Word
and was a regular stand-in host for The Strand
.
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
at the age of 15 and published her first novel at 18.
Early life
Bidisha is an only child, her parents are both lecturers in information technologyInformation technology
Information technology is the acquisition, processing, storage and dissemination of vocal, pictorial, textual and numerical information by a microelectronics-based combination of computing and telecommunications...
who emigrated from India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
in 1972. She was educated at the private school
Private school
Private schools, also known as independent schools or nonstate schools, are not administered by local, state or national governments; thus, they retain the right to select their students and are funded in whole or in part by charging their students' tuition, rather than relying on mandatory...
Haberdashers' Aske's School for Girls
Haberdashers' Aske's School for Girls
Haberdashers' Aske's School for Girls is an academically high-achieving British independent school in Elstree, near Borehamwood, in the county of Hertfordshire. It is often known as "Habs" or "Habs girls", to distinguish it from the neighbouring Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School...
and speaks English and Bengali
Bengali language
Bengali or Bangla is an eastern Indo-Aryan language. It is native to the region of eastern South Asia known as Bengal, which comprises present day Bangladesh, the Indian state of West Bengal, and parts of the Indian states of Tripura and Assam. It is written with the Bengali script...
. She studied Old and Middle English at St Edmund Hall
St Edmund Hall, Oxford
St Edmund Hall is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Better known within the University by its nickname, "Teddy Hall", the college has a claim to being "the oldest academical society for the education of undergraduates in any university"...
, University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
and gained an MSc in Moral and Political Philosophy and Economic History at the London School of Economics
London School of Economics
The London School of Economics and Political Science is a public research university specialised in the social sciences located in London, United Kingdom, and a constituent college of the federal University of London...
.
Writing
In 1995 at the age of 16 Bidisha signed a £15,000 book deal with HarperCollinsHarperCollins
HarperCollins is a publishing company owned by News Corporation. It is the combination of the publishers William Collins, Sons and Co Ltd, a British company, and Harper & Row, an American company, itself the result of an earlier merger of Harper & Brothers and Row, Peterson & Company. The worldwide...
. Her first novel, Seahorses, was published two years later, during her first year at university. During this time she also had regular opinion columns in The Big Issue
The Big Issue
The Big Issue is a street newspaper published in eight countries; it is written by professional journalists and sold by homeless individuals. It was founded by John Bird and Gordon Roddick in September 1991...
magazine, the Daily Telegraph and the Thursday edition of The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
newspaper. Bidisha's second novel, the thriller Too Fast to Live, was published when she was 21. Her third book, Venetian Masters - a travel memoir - was published in February 2008. She was a contributing editor of the feminist magazine Sibyl and the style magazine 2nd Generation. She has written for The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
, the Financial Times
Financial Times
The Financial Times is an international business newspaper. It is a morning daily newspaper published in London and printed in 24 cities around the world. Its primary rival is the Wall Street Journal, published in New York City....
, Mslexia, The Observer
The Observer
The Observer is a British newspaper, published on Sundays. In the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The Guardian, which acquired it in 1993, it takes a liberal or social democratic line on most issues. It is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.-Origins:The first issue,...
, New Statesman
New Statesman
New Statesman is a British centre-left political and cultural magazine published weekly in London. Founded in 1913, and connected with leading members of the Fabian Society, the magazine reached a circulation peak in the late 1960s....
and arts magazine The List. She was one of the judges for the 2009 Orange Prize for Fiction
Orange Prize for Fiction
The Orange Prize for Fiction is one of the United Kingdom's most prestigious literary prizes, annually awarded to a female author of any nationality for the best original full-length novel written in English, and published in the United Kingdom in the preceding year...
and was announced as one of the judges of the 2010 John Llewellyn Rhys Prize
John Llewellyn Rhys Prize
The John Llewellyn Rhys Prize is a literary prize awarded annually for the best work of literature by an author from the Commonwealth aged 35 or under, written in English and published in the United Kingdom...
.
Bidisha's writing focuses on gender
Gender
Gender is a range of characteristics used to distinguish between males and females, particularly in the cases of men and women and the masculine and feminine attributes assigned to them. Depending on the context, the discriminating characteristics vary from sex to social role to gender identity...
, and she describes that writing about this particular topic "comes naturally". She describes herself as a "lifelong feminist" and as the daughter of a feminist. Writing in the Guardian on sexual harassment
Sexual harassment
Sexual harassment, is intimidation, bullying or coercion of a sexual nature, or the unwelcome or inappropriate promise of rewards in exchange for sexual favors. In some contexts or circumstances, sexual harassment is illegal. It includes a range of behavior from seemingly mild transgressions and...
, she calls street harassment "verbal rape": "When a male intentionally breaks into a woman's peace of mind and violates her space, when he perpetrates the act to enjoy her chagrin and discomfort, his psychological processes are the same as any rapist." In the piece she also states, "It has become a rhetorical nicety to say that the majority of men respect women and that all abuse is perpetrated by a minority. I do not believe this. I believe that the majority of people of both sexes hate women." She often writes on matters and events she perceives to be misogynist. In an article on "casual sexism" she writes, "Apart from outright slander, jibes, names and insults there is: talking down a woman's work, interrupting her, teasing her, mocking her, talking over her, patronising her, sighing or rolling one's eyes when she talks, invading her personal space." She also writes, "Any man who thinks it's OK to live in a household where the woman does the overwhelming majority of all the housework, childcare and family admin is a woman-hater. If he weren't, it would agonise him to live in such an unequal and exploitative setup."
Broadcasting
In tandem with her writing, Bidisha has developed a career as a radio and TV arts critic and presenter. She was a regular guest on BBC TwoBBC Two
BBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...
's Newsnight Review. For BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
she has contributed regularly to Saturday Review
Saturday Review (radio)
Saturday Review is a weekly radio programme broadcast on BBC Radio 4 which "offers sharp, critical discussion of the week's cultural events", according to the show's website.It is currently presented by Tom Sutcliffe.-External links:*...
and Front Row
Front Row (radio)
Front Row is a radio programme broadcast on BBC Radio 4. The BBC describes the programme as a "live magazine programme on the world of arts, literature, film, media and music." It is broadcast each week day between 7.15 and 7.45 and has a of highlights available for download. Shows usually include...
as well as presenting Archive on Four, Heart and Soul and Woman's Hour
Woman's Hour
Woman's Hour is a radio magazine programme broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in the United Kingdom.-History:Created by Norman Collins and originally presented by Alan Ivimey the programme was first broadcast on 7 October 1946 on the BBC's Light Programme . It was transferred to its current home in 1973...
. She was one of the regular presenters of BBC Radio 3
BBC Radio 3
BBC Radio 3 is a national radio station operated by the BBC within the United Kingdom. Its output centres on classical music and opera, but jazz, world music, drama, culture and the arts also feature. The station is the world’s most significant commissioner of new music, and its New Generation...
's arts programme, Night Waves. On the World Service she was a guest presenter of the books programme The Word
The Word (radio)
The Word was a weekly half-hour radio programme on the BBC World Service about books and writers. Its final edition was in October 2008. Once a month its slot was taken over by World Book Club in which listeners sent in questions to a famous writer. Both programmes were presented by Harriett Gilbert...
and was a regular stand-in host for The Strand
The Strand (radio)
The Strand is the BBC World Service's daily arts show. It was launched on Monday 27 October 2008. It is regularly hosted by Harriett Gilbert, Mark Coles, Anna McNamee, and Bidisha.-Format:...
.
External links
- Bidisha Official blog
- Column archive at The GuardianThe GuardianThe Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
- Column archive at the New StatesmanNew StatesmanNew Statesman is a British centre-left political and cultural magazine published weekly in London. Founded in 1913, and connected with leading members of the Fabian Society, the magazine reached a circulation peak in the late 1960s....