Men writing from a female pov, and vice versa 📚

Sidney Sheldon was an expert in writing novels with strong, intelligent, determined women as the main character. Many of his books have been televised as mini-series.

George Eliot?

I couldn't believe that one of my favourite songs - 'Don't Get Married Girls' sung by The Dubliners, was written by Mr. Leon Rosselson.

What about all those female writers who 'hid' behind male pen names? I don't believe that male or female perspectives or emotions differ much at all:

www.penguin.co.uk/articles/2020/08/reclaim-her-name-womens-prize-george-eliot-middlemarch

Interesting article.

George Eliot had no choice. I studied her at Uni.

Her publisher insisted.

This persisted for some long time for women.

Made me wonder about Jane Austin, who of course was writing much earlier

"Jane Austen's first published novel, Sense and Sensibility (1811), appeared with the tag 'By a Lady'. Her next, Pride and Prejudice (1813), appeared with the line 'By the author of “Sense and Sensibility”'"
In fact....
" novels were all published anonymously until after her death in 1817, when John Murray published 'Persuasion' and 'Northanger Abbey' with a biographical note by Jane's brother Henry revealing the identity of its author."

So she did reveal she was a woman....... it's interesting that it was later in Victorian Times that George Eliots publisher insisted she have a man's name.

However Elizabeth Gaskell writing at the same time as George Eliot was published under her own name, tho I believe that it was "Mrs Gaskell" to add "respectability".

George Eliot lived openly with a married man and I'm guessing that had something to do with it.

The Brontes were published originally as Acton, Currer and Ellis Bell , because they believed that women authors were possibly looked down upon. Curious names.

I recently read Mothering Sunday by Graham Swift, written from the perspective of a female servant. Interesting, but not sure how successful it is.

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Thomas Hardy wrote women well I think, not Dickens though.
PD James could write so well from any point of view and Kate Atkinson.

I think Hilary Mantel wrote about men quite well, especially about Cromwell and the machinations at court
Frank Mcourt also with the depiction of his mother in Angela’s Ashes.
I am not a fan of male writers, but Thomas Hardy is my favourite when he writes about women.

Roald Dahl's Matilda or Khaled Hosseini's A Thousand Splendid Suns if we are talking of well written female perspective by a male author, these two definitely make the cut.
Jhumpa Lahiri's The Lowland is a good example of the vice versa case atleast in my opinion.