Writer brought 'close to edge' by backlash to prize longlisting

The gender critical Irish novelist John Boyne has said he has been brought "very close to the edge" by the backlash to his inclusion on the longlist for a literary prize for LGBTQ+ authors.

- Matthew Weaver

Ten authors and two judges withdrew from the Polari prize and more than 800 writers and publishing industry workers signed a petition calling on Polari to remove Boyne's novella Earth from its longlist.

In his first response to the row, Boyne urged new writers boycotting the prize to re-enter the award, saying they were either misguided or had been bullied or intimidated into withdrawing.

Boyne, who describes himself as a Terf - the acronym for trans-exclusionary radical feminist - said that if the writers did re-enter the list, he would ask the judges not to consider his novella for the shortlist.

In social media posts on X and Bluesky, Boyne wrote: "I came very close to the edge this week because of endless harassment at the hands of both strangers and fellow writers."