Nobel Prize in Literature 2009 Speculation

[Daniel del Real]

Originally Posted by Stiffelio

I'm new to this Forum and I find this thread quite interesting. It's always a big guess each year as to who will win the Nobel prize for literature. The Academy are most of the times unpredictable and sometimes motivated by a non-exclusvely literary agenda. Come to speculate about this year's winner, I think it's been quite a while since a Spanish speaking writer has won it. Mario Vargas Llosa is, IMHO, the greatest living Spanish language writer and his Nobel prize is long overdue. If they stick to sheer literature they should give him the nod once and for all. Having said this, however, the Academy may still hold a grudge against him for having 'deserted' the left long time ago and being valiantly vocal about it.

Totally agree. If the award goes to Spanish language it should go with Vargas Llosa.
Also love Kadaré and Tabucchi.

[Mirabell]

I don't know. From what I hear and read myself, Goytisolo is fuckin great.

[Daniel del Real]

Don't like Goytisolo, his use of language it's too complex without even having a purpose, although it could be a perfect fit for the weird academy since Delibes is too old and Marias too young.

[Mirabell]

how not a purpose...? tell you what. I'm rereading his books anyway, I'll review them and we'll have it out then.

[alik-vit]

Originally Posted by Daniel del Real

Delibes is too old and Marias too young.

but Huan Marse not so young. He can be good contonder! And Alvaro Pombo too. (but for me this latest is terrible dull.

[Daniel del Real]

Originally Posted by Mirabell

how not a purpose...? tell you what. I'm rereading his books anyway, I'll review them and we'll have it out then.

Good! I need to read more Goytisolo, I'm trying to find his second novel Duelo en el Paraíso (Duel in Paradise) which they've recommended me so much. Basically I couldn´t stand the Reivindicación del Conde Don Julian (Count Julian). Which ones have you read M?

but Huan Marse not so young. He can be good contonder! And Alvaro Pombo too. (but for me this latest is terrible dull.

Yeah, Marsé is in a good "Nobel age" and he just won the Cervantes prize last year so he is in the eye of the hurricane now. I've read two of his novels, one I liked and the other one did not.
Haven't read Pombo.

[Guillaume Barkero]

Delibes would be a great Literature Nobel, but my bet is for Thomas Pynchon. Is Tabucci alive? If so...

[Daniel del Real]

Originally Posted by Guillaume Barkero

Delibes would be a great Literature Nobel, but my bet is for Thomas Pynchon. Is Tabucci alive? If so...

Yes he is, and in a very suitable age to get the award: 66. Not too young, not too old. I'd love to see him recognized by his short stories that are magnificent.

By the way, no bets still on Ladbrokes, anyone why they're taking so long?

[Ladril]

Originally Posted by Eric

Peter D: the Indian Ocean has a few islands. But Brazil is more fruitful. My profound research came up with the following ten living Brazilian authors:

Paulo Coelho [x 9]
João Almino

Well, you may want to save a spot there for Rubem Fonseca (unlike Coelho, he actually is a good writer). For the moment he seems to be well known in the Iberosphere* only.


* Latin America, Portugal and Spain.

[Daniel del Real]

Originally Posted by Ladril

Well, you may want to save a spot there for Rubem Fonseca (unlike Coelho, he actually is a good writer). For the moment he seems to be well known in the Iberosphere* only.


* Latin America, Portugal and Spain.

He is a good writer, full of credentials and awards in the Iberosphere as you say. In Europe, besides Spain, I don't think he is well known.
I've only read a novel called August, but he's mainly a short story writer, so I need to dive into his short stories to have a better perspective of his works.

[Guillaume Barkero]

Well, none of you mentioned Lobo Antunes, that's a shame. And Coelho, well... (The prize is for writers, I guess.)

[Daniel del Real]

Originally Posted by Guillaume Barkero

Well, none of you mentioned Lobo Antunes, that's a shame. And Coelho, well... (The prize is for writers, I guess.)

You're right, he's also a perfect fit to get the Nobel Prize. He's way good althought sometimes he can exasperate you with his baroque narrative style. He writes beatifully with his mix of metaphores and images, but sometimes he abuses it. Anyway, he deserves it.

[Stiffelio]

Eric, Daniel: regarding Nobel worthy Brazilian writers, Nélida Piñón comes to my mind. She's really good. Perhaps she hasn't been very prolific but The Republic Of Dreams was an outstanding novel.

[liehtzu]

Originally Posted by Stiffelio

Eric, Daniel: regarding Nobel worthy Brazilian writers, Nélida Piñón comes to my mind. She's really good. Perhaps she hasn't been very prolific but The Republic Of Dreams was an outstanding novel.

Interesting comment. Pinon got a bit of discussion around here earlier when I got a secondhand copy of Republic of Dreams (being as completely unfamiliar with the author as I was with the book). I haven't read it yet, unfortunately (too much in the stack, sigh!) but looks like a good one. I also started a Pinon thread that no one responded to, so feel free to add anything to the tidbits I placed there.

She would also be a good choice for the Academy - allowing them their beloved who-the-fuck-is-that scramble from all the major English-language presses (I just know they get a kick out of that), while awarding an author from a huge and so far completely Nobel-free country - and a woman in the bargain! But I wonder if Pinon's problem is that she's been under the radar too long. Certainly all her English-language translations are well out-of-print. It would be a devilish interesting choice, though.

[LRiley]

Think the Canadian angle worthy of looking at with Michael Ondaatje, Margaret Atwood, Alice Monro, Anne Carson.

Elias Khoury is a great writer. So is Antonio Lobo Antunes. Haven't seen either mentioned here yet. Eduardo Galeano?

If it were all up to me though it would probably be Nicanor Parra.

[Daniel del Real]

Originally Posted by liehtzu

Interesting comment. Pinon got a bit of discussion around here earlier when I got a secondhand copy of Republic of Dreams (being as completely unfamiliar with the author as I was with the book). I haven't read it yet, unfortunately (too much in the stack, sigh!) but looks like a good one. I also started a Pinon thread that no one responded to, so feel free to add anything to the tidbits I placed there.

She would also be a good choice for the Academy - allowing them their beloved who-the-fuck-is-that scramble from all the major English-language presses (I just know they get a kick out of that), while awarding an author from a huge and so far completely Nobel-free country - and a woman in the bargain! But I wonder if Pinon's problem is that she's been under the radar too long. Certainly all her English-language translations are well out-of-print. It would be a devilish interesting choice, though.

She's not that under the radar as you think. She has been awarded with two of the most prestigious prizes in Spanish Language, The Juan Rulfo prize in 1995 and the Prince of Asturias in Literature in 2005. In Europe of course she must have been a lesser known author. I haven't read anything by her, but it sure is on my TBR mental list.

[Daniel del Real]

Originally Posted by LRiley

If it were all up to me though it would probably be Nicanor Parra.

Ahh the good old Chilean Poet, Nicanor Parra. I'd loved to see this happens but unfortunately I see it almost impossible.

[LRiley]

Originally Posted by Daniel del Real

Ahh the good old Chilean Poet, Nicanor Parra. I'd loved to see this happens but unfortunately I see it almost impossible.

Let's just say that if the world were perfect as it should be--Parra would win. He is in his 90's though and I don't think it's likely though I do believe he still gets around pretty good. He is my favorite (anti) poet of all time.

[Flower]

Just saw on the news today, that a danish literature proffessor has mentioned Bob Dylan.

[Bjorn]

Originally Posted by Flower

Just saw on the news today, that a danish literature proffessor has mentioned Bob Dylan.

Someone has mentioned Bob Dylan every year since 1993 or so. That doesn't change the fact that he'll never get it.

I'd never heard of Piñón or Fonseca before. Thanks for the tips.