Colonel Green
Reader
She was nominated for the Booker Prize in 1980. She's had a notable international reputation for considerably longer than ten years.
Nobel Prize in Literature 2013
- Thread starter Stewart
- Start date
But still: Alice Munro - "master of the contemporary short story"? Couldn't they invent sth less banal than that? Mario Vargas Llosa had far more interesting line: "for his cartography of structures of power and his trenchant images of the individual's resistance, revolt, and defeat". Actually - all writers rewarded after Karlfeldt (1931) had far more interesting lines.
I never said that. And it's the sound of a dead horse being beaten again and again. Dead bodies make sound when you hit them, right? I guess you don't know how to read English properly. Also, whoever said I was a girl?
I guess people who ultimately don't have anything of substance to say will resort to attacking someone's intelligence (and gender). Congratulations! You have just made sexist pigs proud
You were shocked that there are people who prefer men winning so yeah - you said (more or less) that you want to reward women. And because you haven't said ANYTHING about quality of their work but you were only refering to their gender it's obvious that in your opinion women should win because they are women. But hey, you don't have to admit it, it's quite obvious.
And do you have "anything of substance to say"? Apart from screaming about pigs and horses what hardly has any "substance".
And yeah, I don't know if you're a girl - but what do I care?
Yeah, OK, let;s say that this counts as 'international'. But this is the only important exception - and only for one of her books not for her entire output.
You were shocked that there are people who prefer men winning so yeah - you said (more or less) that you want to reward women. And because you haven't said ANYTHING about quality of their work but you were only refering to their gender it's obvious that in your opinion women should win because they are women. But hey, you don't have to admit it, it's quite obvious.
And do you have "anything of substance to say"? Apart from screaming about pigs and horses what hardly has any "substance".
And yeah, I don't know if you're a girl - but what do I care?
Never said I was shocked. Never said I wanted to reward women. Never said women should win because they are women. Stop putting words in my mouth. I guess you just don't know how to read properly. I don't need to say anything of substance to prove anything, especially to you
Good luck in life!
Liam
Administrator
Can't say that I'm unhappy with this year's choice. Congratulations, Alice; and congratulations, Canada, on your first Nobel Prize in Literature (I AM correct in assuming they've had no winners before, right?)
I really need to acquaint myself with more of Munro's work. I've only read Runaway before and liked it; I think her new collection of stories would be a good place to start. Sometimes it is also fun to start backwards and see how the writer "develops" in reverse,.
I really need to acquaint myself with more of Munro's work. I've only read Runaway before and liked it; I think her new collection of stories would be a good place to start. Sometimes it is also fun to start backwards and see how the writer "develops" in reverse,
.Never said I was shocked. Never said I wanted to reward women. Never said women should win because they are women. Stop putting words in my mouth. I guess you just don't know how to read properly. I don't need to say anything of substance to prove anything, especially to you
Well, I can put what I want and where I want, and the fact that I understand what you mean better than you yourself shouldn't make you 'proud' because it's hardly great to be so utterly stupid.
And why do I talk with such a bitch? I don't know. Probably because I'm too gentle. Gentleman - that's how you may call me.
Liam
Administrator
Unfortunate choice of words, in the present context,
. Not scoring any big points with the feminists, are we?Colonel Green
Reader
Why would being nominated for the biggest literary prize in the Commonwealth of Nations not count as "international"? It's the most famous international literary prize there is, apart from the Nobel itself.
People generally start winning output awards toward the end of their career, which is, unsurprisingly, when Munro started winning them. And she now has a bundle.
Well, I can put what I want and where I want, and the fact that I understand what you mean better than you yourself shouldn't make you 'proud' because it's hardly great to be so utterly stupid.
And why do I talk with such a bitch? I don't know. Probably because I'm too gentle. Gentleman - that's how you may call me.
And you are the expert on stupidity, are you not?
Congratulations then on your superiority in that area and your superiority complex, great gentleman. From: bitch.That being said, next year would be a very good time to award Ngugi, since this committee seems to be awarding writers from places long neglected. Africa is about due, and someone less widely known.
Yes, you are correct, we hadn't won yet. It's a good day for CanLit.Can't say that I'm unhappy with this year's choice. Congratulations, Alice; and congratulations, Canada, on your first Nobel Prize in Literature (I AM correct in assuming they've had no winners before, right?) I really need to acquaint myself with more of Munro's work. I've only read Runaway before and liked it; I think her new collection of stories would be a good place to start. Sometimes it is also fun to start backwards and see how the writer "develops" in reverse,
And you are the expert on stupidity, are you not?
I don't have "superiority complex". Or maybe I have? Yeah, I admit that I don't like most of the feminist statements because they extremely rarely have anything to do with reality.
But yeah, let's say that I'm stupid and that the Swedish Academy chooses Nobel winners only because of the value of their work. It still doesn't answer the question why Munro is the 7th woman rewarded in the last 23 years and there were only 6 female laureates in the previous 90 years (sic!). And no, I don't believe that simply now women write better. They don't. And yeah, despite the fact that I like Szymborska, Jelinek or Muller I can find many male writers who deserved to win with them and have died or will die without Nobel. But I don't see any female writers working today who write better than Saramago, Grass or Coetzee. So yeah, Academy doesn't choose their winners only because of their merits. There are other factors and we all know this, even if we don't want to admit it. For example we all were certain that there won't be any laureates from Scandinavia or the Far East this year (because people from there won recently). We also knew that female laureate is very probable because there was 4 years since Muller won. To fight with the obvious is pointless.
But if you want to fight, Uemarasan, you can. It will only akcnowledge some of my former statements (about lack of reason of women with feminist tendencies
).
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I have never been a huge fan of Alice Munro, actually. At least, I recognize that she is a "good" writer, but I have never read anything by her that stood out as "great." It might just be a case of she was overhyped by others before I ever read her, and I just found her stories didn't quite live up to those expectations. I've always personally thought of her as a writer for people who kind of like literature but not really; that is, there is quality and depth to her writing, but not to any level that can be considered as challenging or brilliant as, say, Bolano or other more esoteric writers.
Still, congratulations to her. While I can think of writers I personally find more deserving, she is still heads and shoulders above everyone else.
Still, congratulations to her. While I can think of writers I personally find more deserving, she is still heads and shoulders above everyone else.
I am smiling. Never had so much fun on the WLF
She's also picked up a National Book Critics Circle award, which, although not as "international" as the Booker, does bring some attention wherever they sell English language books, since it's one of the major US literary prizes. And there's the now defunct WH Smith Literary Award which was considerably more international (awarded to writers in the UK, the Commonwealth, the Republic of Ireland, and the US) but was also far less renowned.
She's also picked up a National Book Critics Circle award, which, although not as "international" as the Booker, does bring some attention wherever they sell English language books, since it's one of the major US literary prizes. And there's the now defunct WH Smith Literary Award which was considerably more international (awarded to writers in the UK, the Commonwealth, the Republic of Ireland, and the US) but was also far less renowned.
Dog_Eared_Pages
New member
As a Canadian I feel compelled to write something about Alice Munro. She is the first Canadian Nobel Prize laureate in literature. Yes, Saul Bellow was born in Montreal but as far as I know his entire body of work was written, published, and about the United States. If his early years in Canada hold a special place in his heart, it is not publicly evident. So for the purposes of the Nobel Prize he is American.
On the other hand Munro's entire body of work is Canadian. In a county as diverse as Canada, I don't think Munro (or anyone for that matter) can completely represent the Canadian experience. However, Munro's work resonates with many Canadians - her books are widely read, and she seems to have achieved a hybrid of popular appeal and academic interest.
In terms of merit, there is much controversy these days as to what constitutes merit in the literary world. Because of this, I'm very disappointed in the Nobel Committe's citation "master of the contemporary short story". It offers no analytic depth into Munro's writings; it simply offers an opinion that Munro is a master of a genre; one which has been neglected by the Nobel Committee.
Personally, I've read some of Munro's short stories but not many. While they didn't immediately cry out "Nobel Winner" there is some substance to the stories. As previously states in these threads, they come in the form of ordinary people experiencing moments of epiphany; brief illuminations into entire worlds of unremarkable small town folks.
These are the kinds of accolades the Nobel Committee should have mentioned in her citation. Munro's subject matter reminds me of Sherwood Anderson's Winesburg, Ohio, which I think is unfairly overlooked in its impact on North American literature.
So while there will be disagreements about the prize going to Munro - I personally find the Nobel Committee to be very inconsistent these days - I don't think Munro is out of line as a Nobel Prize winner, at least not more than other controversial choices of which there are too many to list.
On the other hand Munro's entire body of work is Canadian. In a county as diverse as Canada, I don't think Munro (or anyone for that matter) can completely represent the Canadian experience. However, Munro's work resonates with many Canadians - her books are widely read, and she seems to have achieved a hybrid of popular appeal and academic interest.
In terms of merit, there is much controversy these days as to what constitutes merit in the literary world. Because of this, I'm very disappointed in the Nobel Committe's citation "master of the contemporary short story". It offers no analytic depth into Munro's writings; it simply offers an opinion that Munro is a master of a genre; one which has been neglected by the Nobel Committee.
Personally, I've read some of Munro's short stories but not many. While they didn't immediately cry out "Nobel Winner" there is some substance to the stories. As previously states in these threads, they come in the form of ordinary people experiencing moments of epiphany; brief illuminations into entire worlds of unremarkable small town folks.
These are the kinds of accolades the Nobel Committee should have mentioned in her citation. Munro's subject matter reminds me of Sherwood Anderson's Winesburg, Ohio, which I think is unfairly overlooked in its impact on North American literature.
So while there will be disagreements about the prize going to Munro - I personally find the Nobel Committee to be very inconsistent these days - I don't think Munro is out of line as a Nobel Prize winner, at least not more than other controversial choices of which there are too many to list.
redhead
Blahblahblah
With the short story genre less renowned than it was in the past, it's nice to see two short story writers win big prizes this year (Lydia Davis and now Munro). From what I've read of both of them, neither are my cup of tea, but I understand why they were given the awards, and am interested enough in Munro to read some of her other work (got "The Love of a Good Woman" on reserve at my library!).
Also, the Paris Review did one of their special writerly interviews with her in 1994, so she must've been a pretty well-known figure at that time. It doesn't surprise me that she's more famous now than she was 10 or 20 years ago, but she was still a notable figure back then.
Also, the Paris Review did one of their special writerly interviews with her in 1994, so she must've been a pretty well-known figure at that time. It doesn't surprise me that she's more famous now than she was 10 or 20 years ago, but she was still a notable figure back then.
I am smiling. Never had so much fun on the WLF
Me too. I like to solidify myself in the righteousness of my views and you help me with this. So thanks.
If they specifically wanted to recognise the short story form (which seems the case) then I think Alice Munro is a very good choice, though while I get a lot of pleasure from her work, I personally prefer William Trevor's stories (not least because he's an Irishman!). In general, I think they are considered probably the two best English-language short story writers and there's not a lot to separate them in terms of reputation.
The fact that Trevor also writes novels (usually a plus) to a very high standard (he was shortlisted four times for the Booker Prize) might actually, in this case, have counted against him. Munro can be perceived as being particularly dedicated to the short story form, having never written anything else. And although none of us would like to think so, gender might also have been an issue in the decision.
The fact that Trevor also writes novels (usually a plus) to a very high standard (he was shortlisted four times for the Booker Prize) might actually, in this case, have counted against him. Munro can be perceived as being particularly dedicated to the short story form, having never written anything else. And although none of us would like to think so, gender might also have been an issue in the decision.