Nobel Prize in Literature 2013 Speculation

[Chambord]

Cartarescu (he was 100.0) shortening is due to some big bets from Sweden as Ladbrokes reported on twitter. As I was writing there, that's expected because he's a cult writer in Sweden, but the Nobel train has left the romanian station few years ago, Herta Muller at the wheel, and won't come back any time soon. He'll have a shot in 20 years or so. His profile is Nobel material alrite. Practically everything I read from him aims to touch as many universal bases as possible. That's not always a good thing but, anyway, the guy has written Nobel all over him. If it wasn't for Muller ...

 

[Davus]

Small P.S.: Mircea Cartarescu is 25/1 - he was lower I think.

And now Oates is 3rd, before Munro. A lot of changes in the next two hours?

 

[Davus]

Cartarescu (he was 100.0) shortening is due to some big bets from Sweden as Ladbrokes reported on twitter. As I was writing there, that's expected because he's a cult writer in Sweden, but the Nobel train has left the romanian station few years ago, Herta Muller at the wheel, and won't come back any time soon. He'll have a shot in 20 years or so. His profile is Nobel material alrite. Practically everything I read from him aims to touch as many universal bases as possible. That's not always a good thing but, anyway, the guy has written Nobel all over him. If it wasn't for Muller ...

Muller was born in Romania but she's a German writer (and writing IN German) so I don't think she's an obstacle.

 

[Chambord]

Muller was born in Romania but she's a German writer (and writing IN German) so I don't think she's an obstacle.

Lol, man, I know she writes in German (mostly, she wrote in romanian too, mind !) but she wrote about ROMANIAN realities (during communism), so yeah she's pretty much an obstacle

"who, with the concentration of poetry and the frankness of prose, depicts the landscape of the dispossessed".

They don't award only language-wise but cultural-space-wise too

 

[Davus]

Lol, man, I know she writes in German (mostly, she wrote in romanian too, mind !) but she wrote about ROMANIAN realities (during communism), so yeah she's pretty much an obstacle

"who, with the concentration of poetry and the frankness of prose, depicts the landscape of the dispossessed".

They don't award only language-wise but cultural-space-wise too

Yeah, I know that she wrote about Romania but who cares? Miłosz won just two years after Singer and both might be considered as "Polish writers". Lessing won just two years after Pinter and Pinter just 4 years after Naipaul (who was born in Trinidad but was considered as "British" writer when he won in 2001) so everything can happen FOUR YEARS after Muller. And I don't think that anybody thinks that Romania is already "over-represented".

But I still think that Alexievich will take this.

 

[Chambord]

Romanian culture is not that highly regarded / productive compared to Britain / Poland that's why I find it very hard to believe they are going to award it again any time soon. But, if it would (miraculously) happen, I would be very happy.

Alexievich FTW

 

[Davus]

Romanian culture is not that highly regarded / productive compared to Britain / Poland that's why I find it very hard to believe they are going to award it again any time soon. But, if it would (miraculously) happen, I would be very happy.

Alexievich FTW

Well, I don't think I can agree. At least the 'new wave' cinema from your country is very highly regarded right now so don't be so modest.

 

[Chambord]

They could pull a trick a give it to Mungiu / Puiu / Porumboiu ) Screenwriting is a form of literature, no ?
Damn, you gave me a brilliant idea ! Next year I'll contact all bookies that have odds on Lit Nobel and ask if I can bet on names not currently on their list. And I'll propose this 3. They will introduce them at odds 150 or so and then the fun will begin ! We'll laugh our asses off seeing their odds drop

 

[Taleb]

If she(Alexievich) wins, it will feel very Solzhenitsynic.

 

[Uemarasan]

And is it obligatory to "root for" "any women"? To be honest I don't know any female writers deserving the prize more than - let's say - Kundera, Ngugi or Rushdie. Do such women exist? But we all know that the Swedish Academy rewards women from time to time just to show its support for gender equality. And the same will happen today (probably).

Not obligatory, just curious because I always find it suspicious whenever someone has such narrow tastes. Speaks more about their character than anything else (i.e. the quality of literature by women). Such approaches to literature (really, not a single female writer in any literary genre?) remind me why the Fictional Woods is the superior forum. And, yeah, Munro deserves it as much as Ngugi. Or Djebar. Or Mahasweta Devi. Or Anne Carson. Or Lyudmila Petrushevskaya.

 

[Davus]

Last movement: Djebar is now the 4th one (over Munro) with 7/1.

 

[Davus]

Not obligatory, just curious because I always find it suspicious whenever someone has such narrow tastes. Speaks more about their character than anything else (i.e. the quality of literature by women). Such approaches to literature (really, not a single female writer in any literary genre?) remind me why the Fictional Woods is the superior forum. And, yeah, Munro deserves it as much as Ngugi. Or Djebar. Or Mahasweta Devi. Or Anne Carson.

There's one genre in which woman wins (but she passed away many years ago): detective stories (Agatha Christie!). And that's all. And no, Munro doesn't deserve Nobel as much as Ngugi but who knows? Maybe she has bigger chances.

 

[Elie]

Agreed. There are loads of worthy female writers out there. It makes me so angry when people insist that female writers win the award for the sake of gender equality alone.

Edit: This was in response to Uemarasan, but the quote didn't make it for some reason.

 

[pesahson]

But we all know that the Swedish Academy rewards women from time to time just to show its support for gender equality. And the same will happen today (probably).

That is a really weird statement. We don't all know that. It says more about you and your literary tastes then about the Nobel prize committee. Don't project your views on other people.

 

[nonsequitur]

(I don't understand people who think Peter Carey is in for a chance, either).

It would not be so absurd if Carey scooped the Nobel, personally. He has twice been nominated for the Man Booker International Prize in his time ('07, '09), and he is amply qualified - I regard him as a latter-day Charles Dickens. But who am I to foretell the voting intentions of the enigmatic Swedish Academy? They are a mysterious bunch, no question about it.

 

[Uemarasan]

There's one genre in which woman wins (but she passed away many years ago): detective stories (Agatha Christie!). And that's all. And no, Munro doesn't deserve Nobel as much as Ngugi but who knows? Maybe she has bigger chances.

No problem. It's the same thing as my thinking that Rushdie is a good writer at all. Or has ceased to be one. Or that many male readers to this day (including on this board) are sexist pigs and they don't know it

 

[Daniel del Real]

And is it obligatory to "root for" "any women"? To be honest I don't know any female writers deserving the prize more than - let's say - Kundera, Ngugi or Rushdie. Do such women exist? But we all know that the Swedish Academy rewards women from time to time just to show its support for gender equality. And the same will happen today (probably).

Completely agree. Let's cut the crap in here and be completely honest. This is about good literature and not being politically correct. I'm sure there are great female voices out there to be discovered by literary majorities, but Oates, Atwood, Djebar, Munro, etc are not worthy.

 

[Davus]

It makes me so angry when people insist that female writers win the award for the sake of gender equality alone.

I'd be angry too if I was a woman but it doesn't mean that I'm not right. And yeah, I like Szymborska, Jelinek, Muller (or Virginia Woolf, or some Polish female classics, like Maria Konopnicka or Eliza Orzeszkowa) but it doesn't mean that the Swedish Academy doesn't choose female writers from political reasons.

 

[pesahson]

And is it obligatory to "root for" "any women"? To be honest I don't know any female writers deserving the prize more than - let's say - Kundera, Ngugi or Rushdie. Do such women exist? But we all know that the Swedish Academy rewards women from time to time just to show its support for gender equality. And the same will happen today (probably).

Completely agree. Let's cut the crap in here and be completely honest. This is about good literature and not being politically correct. I'm sure there are great female voices out there to be discovered by literary majorities, but Oates, Atwood, Djebar, Munro, etc are not worthy.

I have no problem with someone having a list of worthy Nobel Prize winners that consists of men only. You just happen to like those writers and that's it. But claiming that women are awarded not for literary merit but because they were women is bullshit. No amount of emoticons like will make this statement any less stupid.

 

[Elie]

I'd be angry too if I was a woman but it doesn't mean that I'm not right. And yeah, I like Szymborska, Jelinek, Muller (or Virginia Woolf, or some Polish female classics, like Maria Konopnicka or Eliza Orzeszkowa) but it doesn't mean that the Swedish Academy doesn't choose female writers from political reasons.

Thankfully not everyone is as closed minded as you.