James Patterson Apologizes After Backlash For Saying Older, White Male Writers Are Experiencing Racism
etcanada.comAuthor James Patterson is walking back some controversial remarks about alleged racism against older, white male writers after stirring up backlash.
The best-selling scribe worth a reported $800 million U.S., spoke with The Sunday Times for an interview published on Sunday, saying he believes it’s hard for white men to get writing jobs in film, theatre, TV or publishing. READ MORE: James Patterson Awards $500 Grants To Thousands Of Teachers “[It’s] just another form of racism,” Patterson, 75, said of the difficulties he sees white male writers facing. “What’s that all about?
Can you get a job? Yes. Is it harder? Yes. It’s even harder for older writers. You don’t meet many 52-year-old white males.” Patterson’s remarks came in the context of discussing how his early success was spurred by his novels about a black detective, Alex Cross.
Cross was portrayed by Morgan Freeman in two movie adaptations of Patterson’s works, “Kiss the Girls” (1997) and “Along Came a Spider” (2001). READ MORE: Dolly Parton To Release Fictional Novel ‘Run, Rose, Run’ Next Year “I just wanted to create a character who happened to be black,” he explained. “I would not have tried to write a serious saga about a black family.
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