Life in the stacks: the librarian's column

Bessie and The Orange

The Orange Prize for fiction is awarded annually to a novel written in English by a woman by an all-female panel of judges. The winner, to be announced in June, will receive £30,000 and a statue known as “Bessie.”
“Bessie.” It was the name of the statue that snapped my attention while reading the New York Times article announcing the Orange shortlist. I immediately searched the internet for more information and soon learned that “Bessie” is a small bronze bust of a woman, created and donated by the artist Grizel Niven. She is lovely. But I was a trifle disappointed. In my experience, Bessie is not only inextricably linked to writing, she is, most definitely, a cow. Let me explain.

My professor-husband is a writer; in my humble opinion, he is an extraordinary writer, but that’s another story. He advises his students to use “Bessies” in their writing, meaning use specific examples and descriptions. One can refer to the cow or even the cow in the back pasture. But it would be better to describe Bessie, a docile, brown eyed Holstein, white with black patches, who grazes in Uncle Joe’s pasture. The details – Bessies – breathe life into one’s writing.
Bessie has become a fixture in my husband’s classes. When exams include essays, she accompanies him to class. Bessie originally appeared as a small, brown plastic figurine that dispenses jelly beans. She now appears as a graceful, tan nativity-scene figure with ribbons around her neck, a gift from students.

Now, gentle readers, perhaps you can understand my twinge of disappointment on discovering that “Bessie” was a woman. I suppose that a cow-shaped award might be considered an insult, especially when given to a woman by a group of women. But I mean no disrespect. Bessies are a good thing. So cow or no, best wishes to the authors shortlisted for the Orange Prize. They are Rosie Alison for The very thought of you; Barbara Kingsolver for The lacuna; Attica Locke for Black water rising; Hilary Mantel for Wolf hall; Lorrie Moore for A gate at the stairs; and Monique Roffey for The white woman on the green bicycle. And to women writers everywhere, “Moo!!”