Leseratte
Well-known member
Thanks for naming João Cabral.
Nobel Prize in Literature 2021 Speculation
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Martino
Active member
Thank you, Morbid Swither, for mentioning Antonio Moresco who is highly regarded in Italy and France.
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Games of Eternity (Giochi dell’eternità) by Antonio Moresco
The trilogy consists of the following novels: The Beginnings (Gli esordi), Songs of Chaos (Canti del caos), and The Uncreated Ones (Gli increati). To the best of…
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Morbid Swither
Well-known member
Wow, I have not seen this, but what a lovely review. Thank you for sharing!Thank you, Morbid Swither, for mentioning Antonio Moresco who is highly regarded in Italy and France.
Games of Eternity (Giochi dell’eternità) by Antonio Moresco
The trilogy consists of the following novels: The Beginnings (Gli esordi), Songs of Chaos (Canti del caos), and The Uncreated Ones (Gli increati). To the best of…
Nirvrithi
Reader
In the "should have won category" for me, I have Jaan Kaplisnki, the Estonian poet and Nawal El Saadawi, the Egyptian feminsit-activist. Both of them were eminently deserving but very contrasting personalities. It would have done good to literature had they won. Now since they both died this year, we may not discuss them any longer in this context. Don't know if Saadawi's exit would improve chances for Cixous???
Also, Abdellatif Laabi name figuring here is interesting. Certainly should be in the shortlist by merit alone, but remember the SA has tried to remain apolitical with almost all choices in the near past (leave alone an aberration in Handke which in any case would have surprised SA itsef!). Just as Adunis would have been considered several times and not seen as a safe choice, Laabi could be overlooked. Would anyone in this forum who have read Adunis' or Laabi's poetry doubt their Nobel-worthiness?
I would like to toss another name: Alberto Manguel. I remember he was discussed in last year's thread. If the SA is looking at "gross contribution to literature" and would like South America to be represented after so many years, it is likely to happen.
Also, Abdellatif Laabi name figuring here is interesting. Certainly should be in the shortlist by merit alone, but remember the SA has tried to remain apolitical with almost all choices in the near past (leave alone an aberration in Handke which in any case would have surprised SA itsef!). Just as Adunis would have been considered several times and not seen as a safe choice, Laabi could be overlooked. Would anyone in this forum who have read Adunis' or Laabi's poetry doubt their Nobel-worthiness?
I would like to toss another name: Alberto Manguel. I remember he was discussed in last year's thread. If the SA is looking at "gross contribution to literature" and would like South America to be represented after so many years, it is likely to happen.
Abhi
Well-known member
Who do you want to see awarded the prize?
- Amitav Ghosh (He's a brilliant storyteller for me, especially his writings on the Partition of India, the Sundarbans delta and the weaving together of Bengali myths and the environmental issues, and also sci/fi. And he's still regularly publishing. Would LOVE to see him win someday.)
Who do you think will win this year?
- Ernaux / Fosse / Couto
Who will never win?
- Thiong'o, unfortunately.
Who is now dead but should have won?
- Mahasveta Devi (Badass feminist who lived among tribal communities for years. Not sure how many of her books have been translated into English, but her writings are hauntingly parasitic: they never leave your memory and imagination. It's a shame she never won, was probably never considered)
- Amitav Ghosh (He's a brilliant storyteller for me, especially his writings on the Partition of India, the Sundarbans delta and the weaving together of Bengali myths and the environmental issues, and also sci/fi. And he's still regularly publishing. Would LOVE to see him win someday.)
Who do you think will win this year?
- Ernaux / Fosse / Couto
Who will never win?
- Thiong'o, unfortunately.
Who is now dead but should have won?
- Mahasveta Devi (Badass feminist who lived among tribal communities for years. Not sure how many of her books have been translated into English, but her writings are hauntingly parasitic: they never leave your memory and imagination. It's a shame she never won, was probably never considered)
Dante
Wild Reader
More in France than Italy though...
namelesshere
Reader
I was very impressed with the Ibis trilogy - sweeping scope, gripping story. I'm not decided on whether he's Nobel-worthy but I have a couple more of his lined up to read to test the theory!
hayden
Well-known member
Sticking to the last ten years—
1) Chinua Achebe
2) Kamau Brathwaite
3) Claribel Alegría
4) Jack Gilbert
5) Nicanor Parra
And I know five out of ten years is a tall ask, especially for a decade I liked the winners from, but I mean it. Especially the top two. They were part of the generation that should have been first at bat (before, say, Mo Yan, Ishiguro and Tokarczuk, who could have been contenders this decade). Would have also liked to have seen William Trevor tie with Alice Munro. I feel like they're the Irish/Canadian equivalents of each other.
Leseratte
Well-known member
To complete my list:
Who is now dead but should have won? Sticking only to Brazilian authors, there is quite an extensive list:
narrative: Machado de Assis, Lima Barreto, Clarice Lispecto, Euclides da Cunha.
Poetry: Cecilia Meireles, Manuel Bandeira, Carlos Drummond de Andrade.
Poetry and Narrative: Guimarães Rosa, Mario de Andrade.
Who is now dead but should have won? Sticking only to Brazilian authors, there is quite an extensive list:
narrative: Machado de Assis, Lima Barreto, Clarice Lispecto, Euclides da Cunha.
Poetry: Cecilia Meireles, Manuel Bandeira, Carlos Drummond de Andrade.
Poetry and Narrative: Guimarães Rosa, Mario de Andrade.
Stevie B
Current Member
I just read some sample pages of Baretto's The Sad End of Policarpo Quaresma and was hooked. It looks like it will be a fun book to read, and I've added the title to my ever-growing "to be purchased" list. Not that I'm complaining, but I occasionally wonder how much more money I'd have in my bank account had I not become a member of the World Literature Forum.
Thanks for introducing me to a new author, Leseratte.
redhead
Blahblahblah
Say, didn’t he have some books out from the library earlier? It looks like some are still unavailable. Was there a reason he fell out of our discussions?
The only book I’ve read by him is A Horse Walks into a Bar and I thought it was mediocre, but I’ve heard good things about To the End of the Land.
Daniel del Real
Moderator
I am reading The Folly by Ivan Vladislavic and I have to say it has been quite a challenge. His wording repertoire is very extensive, I've had to turn to a dictionary almost at every page if not multiple times per page; that speaks high of his prose and very bad about my English reading skills.
It's also such a strange narrative, very Beckettian I might say.
Still 40pp away from finishing, so let's see where this whole crazyness settles down.
It's also such a strange narrative, very Beckettian I might say.
Still 40pp away from finishing, so let's see where this whole crazyness settles down.
Leseratte
Well-known member
I don´t think you will repent having spend this money, Stevie! The cover, by the way, is not in tune with the story.I just read some sample pages of Baretto's The Sad End of Policarpo Quaresma and was hooked. It looks like it will be a fun book to read, and I've added the title to my ever-growing "to be purchased" list. Not that I'm complaining, but I occasionally wonder how much more money I'd have in my bank account had I not become a member of the World Literature Forum.
View attachment 939
Review with spoilers, tells in fact the whole story.
The Sad End of Policarpo Quaresma - Lima Barreto
A review, and links to other information about and reviews of The Sad End of Policarpo Quaresma by Lima Barreto.
www.complete-review.com
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Bartleby
Moderator
Two weeks to go! I should join whoever said it a few pages back that this year seemed to have flown by... the discussions here have been great in the meantime — I'm really grateful for everyone sharing their points of views concerning this year's prize, as well as dropping some new, interesting names (I've just gotten Distant Light by Moresco on my kindle, should be a quite rewarding read)!
And we're one page away from breaking the record of longest speculation thread, we've been busy this time round
And we're one page away from breaking the record of longest speculation thread, we've been busy this time round
Septularisen
Reader
Good question. I don't know! A plot, a conspiracy, from the secret member of the SA, that has crept into this forum?
I just try to point out some names that can be the winner this year, or the next few years...
Anyway, after Amos OZ passed, he's the "MVP" for Israel..
Yes. For a lot of readers "To the End of the Land" is his masterpiece. I've read this book in french tongue ("Une femme fuyant l'annonce"), and I thought it was really good and really a great book. Maybe you cab try this one?
And my apologizes to the writer, I've misspelled his name : David GROSSMAN.
namelesshere
Reader
From my notes I think 3 is the most he's had out over the past 2/3 months
Septularisen
Reader
I've read the poetry of this two, (and not only his poetry for LAÂBI...), and I confirm! This two writers really deserve the Nobel Prize...
Unfortunately it's to late for ADONIS, so I'm really waiting the prize until the next five year's for Abdellatif LAÂBI, and why not this year?
Morbid Swither
Well-known member
I completely agree with you. Especially about Trevor. They were the contemporary masters of the short story. And yes I think Achebe should have as well.
redhead
Blahblahblah
Thanks for the info! Looks like he has more out now. Off the top of my head, I think in 2019 or 2020 he had some others checked out, so I wouldn’t count him out yet.
ministerpumpkin
Well-known member
Lispector would have been infinitely deserving of the prize.
I'll toss in Ingeborg Bachmann, maybe more in terms of would have won rather than should have won because she might not have published enough in her (short) lifetime.
The reason why I'm bringing up Bachmann in reply to your mentioning Lispector is because I read my first books by each of them back to back, so these two geniuses will always be linked in my mind.
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