Bagharu
Reader
Oh boy, I came here to comment about it and you beat me there! I mean, if it is not for Trump, then I don't think USA could get two Nobel laureates so close to each other. He literally Made America Great Again ? ?
Nobel Prize in Literature 2020
- Thread starter Stewart
- Start date
Oh boy, I came here to comment about it and you beat me there! I mean, if it is not for Trump, then I don't think USA could get two Nobel laureates so close to each other. He literally Made America Great Again ? ?
Bartleby
Moderator
These Nobel citations really are very generic. “unmistakable poetic voice” well every poet they’d go to award would have an unmistakable voice. “with austere beauty makes individual existence universal” all great literature should strive for universality from individual experience. But nice try...
Yes! I miss the days when they would at least come up with something with a bit of imagination like “cartography of structures of power.”
I could easily see Mantel or Kincaid winning in the near future and there are so many women writers they could award: Danticat, Kareva, Erdrich, Hustvedt, Tawada, Egan, Ndiaye, Erpenbeck, Zadie Smith, Zeh, Adichie, Tolstaya, Ugresic, Belli, Krog etc.(I don't like every on of the names I mentioned, but I could see a case for each of them) The time might be up for Walker, Didion, Proulx, el Saadawi, Vitale and probably Atwood, if it hasn't happened yet. But they could make it a decade.
But I doubt they will and I hope they won't. That would diminish the prize and make the these prizes feel less deserved.
peter_d
Reader
Although I haven't read anything by Glück yet, I am happy with this choice. I have become more interested in poetry over the last few years and now there is another Nobel Laureate I can read in their own language. From the point of view of considering the Nobel as a global literature prize, it's a pity.
Liam
Administrator
In my opinion, she writes glorified lightweight domestic fiction, for the most part. But if you're going to include Hustvedt, why not Lionel Shriver?
Verkhovensky
Well-known member
Hopefully the Nobel means you'll get her translated soon!
Sure, but it will probably be expensive
Good thing about Handke's win (one of the few) was the fact he was widely translated here during last 40 years and his books were easily available. I remember when he was announced, I immediately searched all of the used books shops in Zagreb and ordered all his available books. When I came to pick one up, the seller told me that dozens of people called after me looking for his books.They should stop calling by the telephone and start using your Internet shop, I said
You can't call Handke just a novelist. He also excelled in playwriting and poetry, maybe was even more influential in those two genres. He is a "total" writer. And a total asshole too.
hayden
Well-known member
Anyone else surprised they went with another American winner so soon after Dylan? Considering how large the gap was since Morrison, this one feels rapid fire. Not to mention the other two are household names and Glück is (by all means) probably people are Googling 'who?' this morning. Especially with some other big American names who could have won.
Luckily, I think Carson is different enough that Glück's win doesn't hinder her chances, but I can't see it happening until 2023, 2024, etc... or something like that.
But yeah, I was super wrong this year. Only thing I got right was that I expected the laureate to be 75+. Suppose this year's lesson is to trust the library and not your gut.
Liam
Administrator
What can I say, I like big butts and I cannot lie... ?
Sisyphus
Reader
I doubt the shortlists in 2019 and 2020 were the same. We can speculate, as the only other option is waiting until 2070. But I wouldn't be surprised if in 2070 the SA reveals that Simic and those four you listed were on this year's shortlist. Xue was probably also in last year's which means the SA are eyeing her, or Chinese Literature in general. But we'll discuss that next year, when the time is ripe.
As of now I'm really interested to read all those who might have been in this year's shortlist. I wonder if Mayrocker was passed because of her age? Either way, if she was considered two years in a row, that means I have to check her out.
Bartleby
Moderator
I wasn’t, really... never bought the shared prize theory
not me, tbh, since the SA has proven to do whatever it so chooses; and having in mind Engdahl saying they could very well award a person from the same country and writing in the same language as the year before, it was not a surprise to me. Not in that sense.
It was more a surprise in that I thought her presence on the library was just due to her Tranströmer prize
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Verkhovensky
Well-known member
I was so annoyed that I started searching for Internet Forums about literary awards in order to start fighting against it
And look where it got me, I found a great community here on WLF, met many great people (at least virtually) who introduced me to many interesting writers I never heard of before (Anne Tyler was the latest for example). Sometimes negative emotions create many positive experiences I guess
redhead
Blahblahblah
Interview with Glück:
"'My first thought was 'I won't have any friends,' because most of my friends are writers,' says Louise Glück" ?
"'My first thought was 'I won't have any friends,' because most of my friends are writers,' says Louise Glück" ?
Sisyphus
Reader
Who would have thought this community would keep growing? A couple of years ago it seemed to be dying, although, ironically a ton of new members would join daily.I was so annoyed that I started searching for Internet Forums about literary awards in order to start fighting against it
And look where it got me, I found a great community here on WLF, met many great people (at least virtually) who introduced me to many interesting writers I never heard of before (Anne Tyler was the latest for example). Sometimes negative emotions create many positive experiences I guess
redhead
Blahblahblah
Oh my bad, I completely missed that he had already posted it...
HaveOneOnMe
Reader
Completely agree. The beautiful Sara Danius is irreplaceable. Playful, charming, sincere, warm, a beautiful woman. I was devastated when I heard she'd passed away.
Bartleby
Moderator
Wow, @kadare just liked a post of mine from July on the 2019 speculation thread where I said there were 5 books of Glück’s checked out from the library. Had completely forgotten that. Only remembered finding way more titles borrowed in the beginning of this year...
Nobel Prizes in Literature 2019 Speculation
does anyone have any recommendations for Peter Handke?I really enjoyed his A Sorrow Beyond Dreams, a short biographical/autobiographical essay about his mother's life and suicide. The book achieves the impossible: you can palpably feel the pain underneath the words, but it never becomes mired in...
www.worldliteratureforum.com
Me too, I really liked her. Among all the things you said, those dresses she wore ?
HaveOneOnMe
Reader
It certainly makes a win in the next few years unlikely but Dylan's win in 2016 would have had you thinking another American for a DECADE would be unthinkable. So...plus, Carson is Canadian and her poetry is very much merely one way of describing her work. She does everything. Librettos, essays, verse novels, plays, translations, "short talks", etc. I'm happy for Glück but I'm quietly hopeful Carson will get it one day.