Nobel Prize in Literature 2020

DouglasM

Reader
Regarding the choice: did not expect it at all. On the one hand, I was disappointed, because once again (as if it still needed confirmation), the Swedish Academy speaks to and from a very privileged place in the world. On the other hand, Louise Glück really looks like a powerful literary voice and I will read her books with an open heart.

Starting with A Village Life now.
 

Bartleby

Moderator
From The New York Times, this quote:

But an adviser to the prize-giving committee denied this in an email on Wednesday. “We haven’t focused on making a ‘safe’ pick or discussed the choice in such terms,” said Rebecka Karde, a journalist and one of three external experts who helped choose this year’s winner. “It’s all about the quality of the output of the writer who gets it.”

Again I love this external committee lady; she and Mikaela Blomqvist have really surprised me ?
 

Bagharu

Reader
I suppose many of you have already heard this conversation. I really liked her persona, and how she is concerned about her personal life and dear ones (and also how she frankly talked about the practical side of the award ? ). Hm, after all those politically and socially active writers, here we get someone who cherishes personal seclusion.

 

Bartleby

Moderator
I suppose many of you have already heard this conversation. I really liked her persona, and how she is concerned about her personal life and dear ones (and also how she frankly talked about the practical side of the award ? ). Hm, after all those politically and socially active writers, here we get someone who cherishes personal seclusion.

Glück: Your two minutes are over.

?
 

Stevie B

Current Member
I am, as always, happy that it's a poet!

I have been playing catch-up on poets since I steered away from poetry for the longest time (I think I lacked the patience as a younger man). An America poet who I have read and admired is Mary Oliver. I'm curious, Liam, if Oliver hadn't passed away a couple of years ago, would you have preferred her winning to Glück?
 

Bagharu

Reader
@Isahoinp I have a question for you. The Nobel library has a huge, I mean a huge collection of authors. How did you narrow down your search to such a small number? As far as I remember, no one was seriously considering Gluck (except one or two, but she never got momentum, and sorry for the misspelling), I mean, unlike Carson or Can Xue, Simic, even I suppose people here talked about Kincaid more than her, but you did look her up. Any insight you want to share?
 

hayden

Well-known member
Was I the only one, expecting a second name after Glück was mentioned? Those damn "s" at the tweets made me believe we could have a joint award.

Wish it was. Glück could have split with with a number of writers. Perhaps a Glück/Carson split was legitimately on the table?

I tried.

Ran out of authors I legitimately thought could win near the end as I still doubt Mantel or Robinson will/have actually been considered. The same with Kincaid and Conde. Several of the older perennials I really don’t think have any shot (Byatt, O’Brien, Oates, etc)


2021: Annie Ernaux

2022: Can Xue

2023: Anne Carson (they reassess her and decide “why not?”)

2024: Friederike Mayrocker (a 100th birthday present)

2025: Han Kang

2026: Lyudmila Ulitskaya

2027: Xi Xi

2028: ?

2029: ?

Push Han Kang down a couple years and add Duong Thu Huong :)

If the 80s can be all men, you never know.
 

Liam

Administrator
I'm curious, Liam, if Oliver hadn't passed away a couple of years ago, would you have preferred her winning to Glück?
Stevie, you know I love, and have always loved, Mary Oliver. I haven't read enough of Gluck to compare (or contrast) them against each other, so I simply don't know. Had Mary Oliver won, it would have been a most deserving choice, in my opinion.
 

Bartleby

Moderator
@Isahoinp I have a question for you. The Nobel library has a huge, I mean a huge collection of authors. How did you narrow down your search to such a small number? As far as I remember, no one was seriously considering Gluck (except one or two, but she never got momentum, and sorry for the misspelling), I mean, unlike Carson or Can Xue, Simic, even I suppose people here talked about Kincaid more than her, but you did look her up. Any insight you want to share?
As for Glück, I remember back in the beginning of the year on the (now defunct) Nobel library thread, I happened to have searched her name and noticed a vast number of titles checked out, after which Marba mentioned she had just won the Tranströmer Prize, of which Wästberg is a juror, so it could have been him checking those books for the purposes of the aforementioned award; so I guess that diminished the talk around her a bit...


and add Duong Thu Huong :)
He was talking about women with considerable books checked out from the library. I know he wouldn’t, but I’d put Robinson in there, maybe there’ll even be time enough for another novel, who knows. A highly deserving winner she would be.
 
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Dante

Wild Reader
I'm very happy about this year's choice, as always when a poet gets the Nobel prize. I was rooting for Anne Carson, but Glück is a safe choice too. For whatever it's worth, I can see a playwright winning the Prize soon enough (Fosse? Strauß?) and – probably – another woman next year, so that we'd two female winners in a row for the first time.
 

Bartleby

Moderator
These have never exactly been high energy announcements, but seriously, Malm sounded like he was in the middle of a depressive episode
Relax. If all goes well, and they don’t keep changing permanent secretaries as they have recently every couple of years, y’all will probably “only” have to endure his listless character for some 8 years more ?
 

Sisyphus

Reader
So, in the 2019 Speculation thread, in May to be more precise, Bartleby pointed out that Can Xue had 10 books checked out. Shortlist maybe?

Yang Lian had 5 books.

Louise Glück had 5 in July.

Friederike Mayröcker had 13

 
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Uemarasan

Reader
The best thing to come out of this is that Jorie Graham, Carolyn Forche, and Sharon Olds are probably not getting any Nobels anytime soon. At least Louise Gluck has actual poetic talent.

By the way, is it just coincidence that Dylan and Gluck were both chosen during election years in the US?
 
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