Booker Prize winner Anne Enright ran into controversy after writing an extraordinary article describing how much she disliked Gerry and Kate McCann. The piece, which was published in the London Review of Books before the Irish novelist won the 2007 award for “The Gathering”, is a provocative 2,000-word analysis of her own reactions to the plight of the McCanns.
She writes how at one stage her family suspected that the McCanns were responsible for missing Madeleine's death, and tells how she disliked the McCanns "earlier than most people" - particularly Gerry.
Enright, who has two children, aged four and seven, also talks about the "narcissism" of Kate McCann and compares remarks they have made to exchanges between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth.
In the article Enright wrote: "In August, the sudden conviction that the McCanns 'did it' swept over our own family holiday in a peculiar hallelujah. Of course they had. It made a lot more sense to me than their leaving the children to sleep alone."
Describing disliking the McCanns as "an international sport" she wrote: "I disliked the McCanns earlier than most people (I'm not proud of it). I thought I was angry with them for leaving their children alone. "In fact, I was angry at their failure to accept that their daughter was probably dead. I wanted them to grieve, which is to go away. In this, I am as bad as people who complain that 'she does not cry'."
While most of the animosity against the McCanns was centred on "Madeleine's beautiful mother", she said she reacted worse to Gerry and the way he speaks. "I find Gerry McCann's need to ' influence the investigation' more provoking than her flat sadness, or the very occasional glimpse of a wounded narcissism that flecks her public appearances.
"I have never objected to good-looking women. My personal jury is out on the issue of narcissism in general; her daughter's strong relationship with the camera lens causes us a number of emotions, but the last of them is always sorrow and pain."
She added: "The sad fact is that this man cannot speak properly about what is happening to himself and his wife, and about what he wants. The language he uses is more appropriate to a corporate executive than to a desperate father. This may be just the way he is made. This may be all he has of himself to give the world, just now. "But we are all used to the idea of corporations lying to us, one way or another - it's part of our mass paranoia, as indeed are the couple we see on the screen. No wonder, I think, they will not speak about that night. Then I go to bed and wake up the next day, human again, liking the McCanns."
Family is the subject of Enright's novel which took the £50,000 prize at the Guildhall ceremony last night.
Now, my own cents...Is looks and public behaviour really important in this story? The British press seems to be asking this question to itself as well as all those that are following the “world campaign” organized by the McCann to find Madeleine.
“If I looked more like the typical middle-aged mum, people would look at me with more sympathy” recently declared Kate McCann. Who is right, who is wrong? The mother who does not shed a single tear or the author (that dares expressing out loud what most of us are thinking) that does not forgive the tough stance showed by Kate McCann?
She writes how at one stage her family suspected that the McCanns were responsible for missing Madeleine's death, and tells how she disliked the McCanns "earlier than most people" - particularly Gerry.
Enright, who has two children, aged four and seven, also talks about the "narcissism" of Kate McCann and compares remarks they have made to exchanges between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth.
In the article Enright wrote: "In August, the sudden conviction that the McCanns 'did it' swept over our own family holiday in a peculiar hallelujah. Of course they had. It made a lot more sense to me than their leaving the children to sleep alone."
Describing disliking the McCanns as "an international sport" she wrote: "I disliked the McCanns earlier than most people (I'm not proud of it). I thought I was angry with them for leaving their children alone. "In fact, I was angry at their failure to accept that their daughter was probably dead. I wanted them to grieve, which is to go away. In this, I am as bad as people who complain that 'she does not cry'."
While most of the animosity against the McCanns was centred on "Madeleine's beautiful mother", she said she reacted worse to Gerry and the way he speaks. "I find Gerry McCann's need to ' influence the investigation' more provoking than her flat sadness, or the very occasional glimpse of a wounded narcissism that flecks her public appearances.
"I have never objected to good-looking women. My personal jury is out on the issue of narcissism in general; her daughter's strong relationship with the camera lens causes us a number of emotions, but the last of them is always sorrow and pain."
She added: "The sad fact is that this man cannot speak properly about what is happening to himself and his wife, and about what he wants. The language he uses is more appropriate to a corporate executive than to a desperate father. This may be just the way he is made. This may be all he has of himself to give the world, just now. "But we are all used to the idea of corporations lying to us, one way or another - it's part of our mass paranoia, as indeed are the couple we see on the screen. No wonder, I think, they will not speak about that night. Then I go to bed and wake up the next day, human again, liking the McCanns."
Family is the subject of Enright's novel which took the £50,000 prize at the Guildhall ceremony last night.
Now, my own cents...Is looks and public behaviour really important in this story? The British press seems to be asking this question to itself as well as all those that are following the “world campaign” organized by the McCann to find Madeleine.
“If I looked more like the typical middle-aged mum, people would look at me with more sympathy” recently declared Kate McCann. Who is right, who is wrong? The mother who does not shed a single tear or the author (that dares expressing out loud what most of us are thinking) that does not forgive the tough stance showed by Kate McCann?
Pessoalmente desde ha muito que não faço qq comments a este caso.
ReplyDeleteUm autentico negocio identico ao da bilheteira de um qq bom filme.
Beijossss
Não queria fazer mais comentàrios sobre este caso porque isto parece mais um circo que outra coisa! Mas estou tão farta de ver e ouvir o que dizem do nosso país que me dà volta ao sangue e não pude resistir quando li a entrevista desta autora. So espero que um dia a verdadeira historia seja conhecida, que seja uma versão ou outra mas que parem com esta "macacada" como diria meu pai!
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