Diageo's Baileys & Women's Prize for Fiction launched Reclaim her Name
August 18, 2020
Diageo brand Baileys, in collaboration with The Women's Prize for Fiction, launches a new campaign to shine a light on female writers called 'Reclaim her Name.'
The Women's Prize for Fiction is the UK’s most prestigious annual book award celebrating and honouring fiction written by women.
Founded in 1996, the Prize was established to celebrate originality, accessibility and excellence in writing by women and to connect world-class writers with readers everywhere.
“The Women’s Prize for Fiction champions the power of female voices, something we care deeply about at Diageo. Through ‘Reclaim Her Name’ we are excited for Baileys to extend this celebration of literary achievement to authors who concealed their gender on their work – shining a spotlight on these incredible female storytellers," explains Adrienne Gammie, Category Marketing Director for Gins, Pimm’s and Baileys at Diageo.
Re-releasing classic novels by female authors
'Reclaim Her Name' sees a collection of 25 classic novels, previously published under male pseudonyms, re-released with the author’s true names on the cover. Each of the novels has has been made available to download in e-book format for free.
All the works in the series have also received a modern cover design update, created by an inspiring selection of female illustrators from all over the world, including Brazil, Russia, Jordan and Germany.
“Baileys has been a sponsor of the Women’s Prize for Fiction for many years now and together we have been dedicated to honouring, celebrating and championing women's writing. Together, we’re incredibly excited by the Reclaim Her Name campaign – it’s a lovely way to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Prize, by doing what we always strive to do – empowering women, igniting conversations and ensuring that they get the recognition they deserve," says Kate Mosse, Women’s Prize for Fiction Founder and Director.
Highlighting challenges women face in publishing
Each of the 25 books were carefully selected following research into archives, online resources and universities, to identify female writers who disguised their gender with pseudonyms. The collection of books includes Middlemarch by Mary Ann Evans (aka George Eliot) and A Phantom Lover by Violet Paget (aka Vernon Lee) and aims to ignite conversations around the continuing challenges women face in publishing and authors' many reasons for using a pseudonym.
“When I was asked if my mother’s work could be included within such a worthy collection of books along with other impressive female writers, I was honoured. I’m incredibly proud of my mother’s work and it excites me that her writing has been introduced to a new audience through this collection," adds Liz Petry, daughter of Anne Petry, whose book ‘Marie of the Cabin Club’ has been featured in the collection.
"I know she would be thrilled to be a part of this as it’s an incredible conversation starter for such an important cause - my mother always believed in a world with shared humanity and I think this project encapsulates that."