Phil D
Well-known member
Why is that?
International Booker Prize
- Thread starter Stewart
- Start date
Benny Profane
Well-known member
@Stevie B said it above.
I could add: badly written, full of stereothypes and pamphleteer.
The plus: Itamar Vieira Jr is extremely arrogant, pedant and doesn't like to receive any form of criticism: he thinks who criticizes his works is racist, xenophobic, etc, but it would be a good idea if he won the Booker Prize.
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Bartleby
Moderator
I still don't get why, after all your criticism, you think it would be a good idea for him to get the prize, tho ?
You mean it would be good for the increase in attention to Brazilian literature him winning could generate?
Benny Profane
Well-known member
Yep. ?
It would be nice because Brazilian Literature ought to be recognized someday with an important International Prize.
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Bartleby
Moderator
Hopefully with the best book it can offer ?
Phil D
Well-known member
This was my question too.
I understand that it's nice to get attention, but if the prize is awarded to a book that is badly written, doesn't that just diminish the value of the prize?
Benny Profane
Well-known member
It's a sensitive question.
We all know that not always the best work win a Oscar nor a author might be recognized as Nobel laureate, for example.
About Brazilian Literature, we had best authors in the past than Vieira Júnior but few of them won a significant Prize for their works and received some attention by the people around the world.
Ludus
Reader
Glad to see Selva Almada and Gabriela Wiener on the list!
I met Wiener when she was a lecturer on a writing course I'm taking, I read Nueve lunas in preparation for it, and I thought it was good although not too impressive. I've heard Huaco retrato is her best work, so I'm glad she got nominated.
Phil D
Well-known member
Gabriela Wiener, Leila Guerriero... You've got some impressive teachers, Ludus! Looking forward to reading what you produce in the course!
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tiganeasca
Moderator
I agree completely. In addition, I think it harms the reputation of writers and literature from that country in general. If a badly written book wins a major prize and thereby calls attention to the literature of a country, aren't people who know little about the literature or writers from that country most likely to say: "Gee, this is a badly written book. If this is the best they can do in that country--and it must be since it won this major prize--there's no good reason to read their literature."
Phil D
Well-known member
Leseratte
Well-known member
I think there are some objective criteria that define a well written book, the author has to be familiar to the rules of the language he uses (even when he wants to overturn then like the great Mario and Oswald de Andrade). Torto Arado surprised me by being as well written as the oeuvres of former times, when Brazilians in general had a much better schooling as they have today. I also think, that a badly written book would not have got the many prizes it has got, including the maximal Portuguese Award, (remembering that the Portuguese are specially exigent about language). And it wouldn´t be longlisted on a foreign book list.
All I can say is that for me Torto Arado is the most original and the best written Brazilian book I´ve come across in recent Brazilian Literature.
However it tackles deep social wounds, it figures a backward, archaic Brazil that came to light specially in the Bolsonaro Era. It hurts as it should.
As for the personality of the writer Benny Profane is probably right. Itamar now has to deal with the challenge of maintaining the almost instant fame that came with Torto Arado. But If one would choose good writers for their amenable personalities many a Noble writer would go into the bin. There are many writers that I admire, but I wouldn´t invite them for tea.
And this post shouldn´t be necessary. Maybe this whole discussion shows, why Brazil still hasn´t got a laureate.
Benny Profane
Well-known member
I agree, my dear! It was my point of view. I never judge an author by her/his attitudes, but by her/his works.
Torto Arado is a book of extremes: Or you think is a bad work or you passionately love. I'm on the first spectre and you on the second.And this post shouldn´t be necessary. Maybe this whole discussion shows, why Brazil still hasn´t got a laureate.
About the way how he approaches about this serious subject in our country, in my humble opinion, he does that on uncorrect way.
I before said my points of view about the book and why I didn't like the work. I don't repeat them again so as not to distort this thread.
I finnish saying that as I know the Brazilian spirit is to sabotage its heroes, I might say that it would be nice that Itamar was laureate because many people like and appreciate his works and he won uncountable Prizes around the world. I'm rooting for that.
I know, for example, Stênio Gardel won the distinct National Book Award and I was very happy to see that! I would be even happier if I see Itamar winning International Booker Prize or IMPAC award.
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Verkhovensky
Well-known member
I now wonder which race or nationality is he supposed to be. Indigenous? He is from your city, isn't he? Salvador.
Re: Domenico Starnone I'm interested in him as an author since he is one of the names proposed as the person behind Elena Ferrante pseudonym. Both him and his wife are amongst top three candidates. Interestingly this book from Booker's list is from like 2000. It took them a lot to translate it into English. Jhumpa Lahiri usually translated him, but not this book.
Benny Profane
Well-known member
Yep. He self-declares as "cafuzo" or "caboclo", a mixture of black and Indigenous person with shades of Hispanic heritage.
I am, for example, "mulato" or "pardo" that is a mixture of white (in my case, I have Jewish-Portuguese heritage) and black person.
There is, in the past and in nowadays, in my own country, xenophoby against "Nordestinos" (people from Northeast of Brazil) by Southeast (São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, etc) and South of Brazil (Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina e Paraná), i.e there is internal xenophoby.
Vieira Júnior carries this stigma and always says that anyboby from South and Southeast who criticizes his work is xenophobic.
I understand him because there are criticism and veiled xenophoby and the line is very tenous, but he violently reacts to them crossing the line as a self-defense way, principaly when he had a violent strife against José Agualusa last year.
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Leseratte
Well-known member
I hope you don´t and I was very glad about Stênio Gardel.I agree, my dear! It was my point of view. I never judge an author by her/his attitudes, but by her/his works.
Torto Arado is a book of extremes: Or you think is a bad work or you passionately love. I'm on the first spectre and you on the second.
About the way how he approaches about this serious subject in our country, in my humble opinion, he does that on uncorrect way.
I before said my points of view about the book and why I didn't like the work. I don't repeat them again so as not to distort this thread.
I finnish saying that as I know the Brazilian spirit is to sabotage its heroes, I might say that it would be nice that Itamar was laureate because many people like and appreciate his works and he won uncountable Prizes around the world. I'm rooting for that.
I know, for example, Stênio Gardel won the distinct National Book Award and I was very happy to see that! I would be even happier if I see Itamar winning International Booker Prize or IMPAC award.
Leseratte
Well-known member
Else Paulo Coelho would do.
Verkhovensky
Well-known member
Oh, so similar to many countries. It's more often North that is xenophobic towards South, Italy is probably the most famous example.