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And the first unlucky recipient is.... Otto Penzler

Sexism at the Edgars? The Debate on Whether Women Mystery-Writers Are Worthy
April 28, 2005
By Gerald Bartell

Genteel? Or bloody? That distinction between two sub-genres of mystery books—“cozies” and “hard-boiled”—may determine who wins the Edgar Award for Best Novel tonight. And the outcome could go to the heart of a debate within the industry: Are female mystery-writers—most often the authors of the more non-threatening, proper cozies—even worthy of the award? Otto Penzler, dean of mystery-writing in America, says no.“The women who write [cozies] stop the action to go shopping, create a recipe, or take care of cats,” he says. “Cozies are not serious literature. They don’t deserve to win. Men take [writing] more seriously as art. Men labor over a book to make it literature...
Read the rest of the article here: THE BOOK STANDARD. If you have the stomach for it.