Begrudgers Inc unhappy about Cecilia’s success
A number of recent magazine and newspaper pieces seek to pour scorn on Cecilia Ahern's good fortune.
Some make the point that the overnight success achieved by the author of PS I Love You should arouse our suspicion, given the years of hard slog in relative obscurity that has been the fate of so many writers.
The fact that her father is An Taoiseach Bertie Ahern has been used as a stick to beat her writing debut.
Cecilia Ahern has struck gold, and Begrudgers Inc are unhappy about it. I marvel at the bitterness that fuels the "chip on the shoulder" variety of what often passes for critical comment and analysis.
I suspect some of Ms Ahern's detractors are afflicted by writer's block, which motivates them to lash out at an author for whom opportunity has well and truly knocked.
So what has Ms Ahern done wrong? Her book may not be everyone's cup of tea, but we all have different tastes and ways of looking at things. But a lot of people like what Ms Ahern has produced, and that must surely be the litmus test of commercial writing. And she has to be commended and admired for finding her niche so quickly and painlessly.
What is so terribly amiss about being successful? And what is so wrong about acknowledging success in others and giving them a pat on the back when they finally "get there" or strike it lucky?
I had a book published a few months ago that has been moderately successful. A lot of work went into it, and I am grateful not just to the people who helped me in my research for the book, but also to those who offered moral support and said "well done".
Having the advantage of this experience behind me, I feel I can appreciate and pay homage to the good fortune that smiles on authors of all sorts whether they write historical or romantic novels, screen plays, gossip columns, blockbuster 'chewing gum for the brain' type material, or literary masterpieces. Different talents are at work in the case of every writer, and no writer is like any other; no more than any two human beings are alike. That's the way I see it.
I wish Cecilia Ahern the best of luck in her writing career.
John Fitzgerald,
Lower Coyne Street,
Callan,
Co Kilkenny.
