The literary ‘self-cancellation’ trend

r tactics against their opponents are remotely compatible with democratic values, or acceptable in a healthy, diverse, literary sector.

The only way to stop these tactics being successful is to stand up to them. Gatekeepers, programmers, curators: it is not 2018 anymore. Most writers, alongside the public, are more opposed to this illiberalism than ever. Excuse my bias, but ‘gender critical’ feminists have also been proven to have more than a smidgen of a point with our arguments. May the Oxford Literary Festival hold firm and 2025 be the year that other festivals find the same vertebrae.