{"id":9315,"date":"2025-06-13T00:03:13","date_gmt":"2025-06-13T05:03:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lfs.org\/blog\/?p=9315"},"modified":"2025-06-14T21:20:41","modified_gmt":"2025-06-15T02:20:41","slug":"lionel-shrivers-mania-how-our-best-novel-finalists-are-receiving-broader-cultural-attention-part-one","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lfs.org\/blog\/lionel-shrivers-mania-how-our-best-novel-finalists-are-receiving-broader-cultural-attention-part-one\/","title":{"rendered":"Lionel Shriver\u2019s Mania: How our Best Novel finalists are receiving broader cultural attention (Part One)"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Michael Grossberg<\/a><\/p>\n

As voting enters its final weeks to determine the winners of the next Prometheus awards, it\u2019s worth highlighting how several of this year\u2019s Best Novel finalists have been gaining recognition and sparking discussions in the broader culture.<\/p>\n

That includes Lionel Shriver\u2019s Mania,<\/i><\/a> Danny King\u2019s Cancelled<\/a><\/i>, Wil McCarthy’s Beggar’s Sky,<\/em><\/a> C.J. Cherryh and Jane S. Fancher’s Alliance Unbound<\/em><\/a>, Michael Flynn\u2019s In the Belly of the Whale, <\/i><\/a>based on interviews, podcasts and publications we’ve come across.\u00a0<\/span>(If you become aware of columns, podcasts, interviews or other media coverage of any of our Best Novel finalists<\/a>, or for that matter, our Hall of Fame finalists, please let us know as soon as possible!)<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Author Lionel Shriver (Creative Commons License)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Mania,<\/i> in particular, has sparked both timely commentary and podcasts, including an interesting interview with Shriver and a Substack column drawing parallels between Mania<\/i> and today\u2019s cultural-political trends.<\/p>\n

Dutch-American writer and courageous dissident Ayaan Hirsi Ali invited Shriver, an international best-selling author, to join her on a podcast for a lengthy interview – with some relevant excerpts quoted below.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, on Holly\u2019s Substack column, Holly “Mathnerd\u201d has written a column titled “The Sound of One Window Shifting\u201d about \u201cthe moment a satirical novel I read and enjoyed last year stopped feeling like fiction.\u201d<\/p>\n

That novel, of course, is Shriver\u2019s Mania – <\/i>whose satirical and cautionary themes are highlighted in the Prometheus blog review<\/a>.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

HOLLY\u2019S COLUMN ON THE RELEVANCE OF MANIA<\/b><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>\u201cLionel Shriver\u2019s Mania<\/i><\/a> came out last year, to almost no mainstream fanfare. That\u2019s not surprising. The book is scathing, unsparing, and brilliant; which is to say, culturally radioactive,\u201d Holly writes on her Substack column.<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cIt tells the story of a United States overtaken by a movement for \u201cCognitive Equality,\u201d a world in which IQ is denounced as hate speech, intellectual disability is rebranded as \u201calternative processing,\u201d and the gravest sin imaginable is to suggest that some people might be smarter than others.<\/p>\n

“It\u2019s a razor-edged satire of the trans movement, thinly veiled and unapologetically direct. And when I first read it \u2014 and reviewed it here<\/a> \u2014 I thought that was all it was.”<\/p>\n

\u201cI was wrong. Shriver didn\u2019t just write a trans parody. She wrote a prophecy. Because what Mania<\/i> captures \u2014 in ways that are only now becoming clear \u2014 is not just the absurdity of insisting that identity overrides biology,\u201d Holly writes. \u201cIt\u2019s the slow, systemic dismantling of discernment itself<\/i>. About our society failing to recognize the reality that no, not every perspective is equally valid.\u201d<\/p>\n

“Not every person is equally smart. Not every religion is equally deserving of respect. And in that sense, the world she imagined is the world we now live in. Because we\u2019re there.<\/p>\n

“In Mania<\/i>, the institutions don\u2019t just affirm nonsense \u2014 they punish dissent. The protagonist nearly loses custody of her children for using the word \u201cstupid\u201d at home. Surgeons are hired without reference to qualifications. Elite universities switch to lottery admissions in the name of fairness. And when people express concern, they\u2019re told they\u2019re bigots. Or worse, deniers.\u201d<\/p>\n

WHY HOLLY DEVOTED HER COLUMN TO MANIA<\/strong><\/p>\n

Why did Holly write such a column?<\/p>\n

After all, she describes herself as a \u201ca math nerd.\u201d Her Substack column is billed as covering \u201cmath lessons, creativity, deafness, drawing, painting, PTSD, personal reflections.\u201d It mostly focuses on \u201cHow to Not Suck at Math\u201d and her creative writing series – but occasionally Holly will focus on how aspects of today\u2019s politics and culture undermine the teaching of math, respect for knowledge and the importance of independent thinking and individual liberty.<\/p>\n

The latter helps explain why Holly has taken the themes of Mania<\/i> to heart.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe scariest part of her novel wasn\u2019t the language-policing or the institutional cowardice. It was the sense that society had quietly, collectively agreed to pretend. To affirm things everyone knew weren\u2019t true. To nod along with the delusion, because the punishment for reality was too high.<\/p>\n

“We\u2019re pretending again. Pretending that earned authority means nothing, that vibes trump expertise and experience,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

“…That\u2019s what haunts me about Mania.<\/em> The sheer volume of things it got right \u2014 not just the parody, but the progression. The way good intentions turned to rules, rules turned to punishment, and punishment turned to madness.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Ayaan Hirsi Ali (File photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

HIRSI ALI\u2019S INTERVIEW WITH SHRIVER
\n<\/b>
\nIn podcast Episode 12<\/a> of her Courage.Media website, Hirsi Ali hailed Shriver as an \u201coutspoken critic of what she calls the \u2018culture police\u2019 – people in literary circles who have determined which subjects are allowed in print, and who is allowed to cover them.\u201d<\/p>\n

The podcast, titled \u201cFighting Back Against the Literary Mob,\u201d also has a subtitle: \u201cThere Is Universal Cowardice at the Top of the Publishing World.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Author Lionel Shriver in 2006 Photo: Walnut Whippet, Creative Commons license<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In the interview, Shriver explains \u201chow professional cowardice at the top of the publishing world has allowed younger employees to gain undue influence over the industry and punish authors\u201d – including anyone who doesn\u2019t conform to their (predominantly progressive-left) worldview.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe people on the side of the censors constitute the majority of the so-called literary community. It\u2019s taken as a cultural given by that majority that to offend anyone is an outrage and they should be silenced,\u201d Shriver said in the interview.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s always somebody out there who will take offense, she added.
\n\u201cYou cannot have freedom of speech with that kind of restriction.\u201d<\/p>\n

Intriguingly, Shriver discussed her own coming of age and how it\u2019s shaped her views.<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t come of age as a writer in that kind of atmosphere. When I grew up in the 1960s, the attitude was \u2018let it all hang out.\u2019 The sixties were all about free expression, the throwing off of rules,\u201d she said. \u201cBack then, it was the conservatives who were oppressive. We didn\u2019t even have the term canceled back then.\u201d<\/p>\n

WHY IS SHRIVER STILL GETTING PUBLISHED?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Hirsi Ali asked Shriver a good question: If so many writers and others are excluded from publishing and public discourse because of \u00a0an insular, fearful, conformist and illiberal orthodoxy, then why is Shriver still getting published?<\/p>\n

\u201cI get away with what I get away with for a couple of reasons. One is I\u2019ve been around for a long time. I\u2019m established. But also because I happen to have a publisher who has some guts,\u201d Shriver said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt doesn\u2019t mean the staff of HarperCollins doesn\u2019t disagree with me, especially about the nonfiction, or don\u2019t have reservations about my novels. But they have a commitment to publishing a spectrum of opinion. You don\u2019t get checked at the door for your ideological credentials\u2026 This is one of the big-five publishers who will still publish a big range of writers.\u201d<\/p>\n

“One explanation for how and why we\u2019ve got where we are in publishing is complete capitulation and cowardice to younger staff. You\u2019d think they\u2019d have no power and get fired. But they\u2019ve actually started running the places.”<\/p>\n

Another question Hirsi Ali asks: Why has a suffocating blanket of conformity, anti-intellectuality and cancellation descended upon most publishers?<\/p>\n

\u201cIt has to do with social media, reputation and the desire to make people happy,\u201d Shriver said. \u201cMy protagonist, like me by sheer coincidence (she laughs),<\/em> doesn\u2019t have the conformity gene, so she thinks the Mental-Parity movement is a load of nonsense.<\/p>\n

While Shriver agreed to some extent with Hirsi Ali that her novel\u2019s scenario and theme metaphorically apply to the delusional extremes of the DEI movement and climate-change\u2019s most pseudo-scientific claims of alarmism, she points to another current trend and movement as more relevant.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy Mental Parity movement has the most kinship with the trans movement, because you can\u2019t change your sex. It\u2019s impossible, because it\u2019s written in every cell of your body. and is in defiance of reality,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

WHAT SPARKED HIRSI ALI\u2019S INTEREST IN SHRIVER AND MANIA?<\/b><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Ayaan Hirsi Ali (Creative Commons license)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

<\/b>Hirsi Ali\u2019s life and focus illuminates why she found Mania of such great interest and wanted to interview Shriver.<\/p>\n

Hirsi Ali, a former member of the House of Representatives of the Netherlands who grew up as a Muslim in Somalia, has became internationally known as a consistent critic of all authoritarian political or religious systems. Her bestselling books include Infidel: My Life<\/i> (2007), Nomad: From Islam to America<\/i> (2010) and Heretic: Why Islam Needs a Reformation Now <\/i>(2015).<\/p>\n

She received political asylum in the Netherlands after growing up under the communist and fundamentalist-Islamic government of Somalia, which imprisoned her father and forced her as a child to undergo female genital mutilation despite opposition from her father.<\/p>\n

While serving in the Dutch parliament, Ali collaborated with Theo Van Gogh on Submission,<\/i> a short documentary film depicting the oppression of women under fundamentalist Islamic law. The 2004 film sparked death threats and the assassination of Van Gogh, driving Hirsi Ali into hiding.<\/p>\n

Recognizing Hirsi Ali\u2019s courage and wide influence in standing up for individual rights and liberties, Time <\/i>magazine named her in 2005 as one of the 100 most influential people in the world.<\/p>\n

She continues to have an impact as a writer, columnist and podcaster on her website Courage.Media, which is \u201cdedicated to creating a platform for open and fearless dialogue, challenging dominant narratives that hinder truth and intellectual debate. By fostering a space for courageous conversations, we aim to defend core Western values, such as free speech, individual liberty, and the importance of informed discourse\u2026.<\/p>\n

We are committed to addressing pressing cultural, political, and ideological issues, advocating for solutions that restore societal cohesion, and promoting a more resilient, truth-driven society. At Courage.Media, we emphasize the need to question and confront dangerous ideologies to protect and strengthen our shared values\u2026. and (promote) a more resilient, truth-driven society.\u201d<\/p>\n

Coming up in this Best Novel finalist series:<\/b> Posts on author Danny King\u2019s podcast interview about Cancelled, and how the late Michael Flynn has been recognized with positive reviews for his final, posthumous novel In the Belly of the Whale.<\/em><\/p>\n

Editor\u2019s note: <\/b>The Prometheus Blog strives to report widely on all Prometheus-recognized fiction and authors, especially if and when their work is referenced in the popular culture in newspapers, magazines, columns and debates.
\nIf you know about such references – whether in columns, podcasts, interviews, commentary or positive reviews – please bring them to our attention right away, so we can highlight them in a timely fashion.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

ABOUT THE PROMETHEUS AWARDS AND THE LFS<\/b><\/p>\n

*\u00a0Join us!<\/b> To help sustain the Prometheus Awards and support a cultural and literary strategy to appreciate and honor freedom-loving fiction, \u00a0join<\/a> the Libertarian Futurist Society, a non-profit all-volunteer association of freedom-loving sf\/fantasy fans.<\/p>\n

Libertarian futurists understand that culture matters. We believe that literature and the arts can be vital in envisioning a freer and better future. In some ways, culture can be even more influential and powerful than politics in the long run, by imagining better visions of the future incorporating peace, prosperity, progress, tolerance, justice, positive social change, and mutual respect for each other\u2019s rights, human dignity, individuality and peaceful choices.<\/p>\n

* Prometheus winners:\u00a0<\/b>For a full list of Prometheus winners, finalists and nominees \u2013 including in the annual Best Novel and Best Classic Fiction (Hall of Fame) categories and occasional Special Awards \u2013 visit the enhanced \u00a0Prometheus Awards page<\/a>\u00a0on the LFS website. This page includes convenient links to all published essay-reviews in our Appreciation series explaining why each of more than 100 past winners since 1979 fits the awards\u2019 distinctive dual focus on both quality and liberty.<\/p>\n

*\u00a0Watch videos of past Prometheus Awards ceremonies, Libertarian Futurist Society panel discussions with noted sf authors and leading libertarian writers, and other LFS programs on the Prometheus Blog\u2019s\u00a0Video page.<\/a><\/p>\n

* Read \u201cThe Libertarian History of Science Fiction,\u201d<\/a> an essay in the international magazine\u00a0Quillette<\/i>\u00a0that favorably highlights the Prometheus Awards, the Libertarian Futurist Society and the significant element of libertarian sf\/fantasy in the evolution of the modern genre.<\/p>\n

* Check out the Libertarian Futurist Society\u2019s Facebook page<\/a> for comments, updates and links to the latest Prometheus Blog posts.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Michael Grossberg As voting enters its final weeks to determine the winners of the next Prometheus awards, it\u2019s worth highlighting how several of this year\u2019s Best Novel finalists have been gaining recognition and sparking discussions in the broader culture. That includes Lionel Shriver\u2019s Mania, Danny King\u2019s Cancelled, Wil McCarthy’s Beggar’s Sky, C.J. Cherryh and … Continue reading Lionel Shriver\u2019s Mania: How our Best Novel finalists are receiving broader cultural attention (Part One)<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1585,36,39],"tags":[2658,414,1372,2310],"class_list":["post-9315","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-fiction-in-the-news","category-interviews","category-podcasts","tag-ayaan-hirsi-ali","tag-best-novel-finalists","tag-lionel-shriver","tag-mania"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pe8nGl-2qf","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lfs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9315","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lfs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lfs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lfs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lfs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9315"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/www.lfs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9315\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9360,"href":"https:\/\/www.lfs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9315\/revisions\/9360"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lfs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9315"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lfs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9315"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lfs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9315"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}