Recollections and Reminiscences of 2010

Hello Gentle Reader

Even though that 2010 is far away from ending, and that I have already written a blog this week, I have decided to write next weeks blog, early. Partly because I have guests coming out next week, and I need to give my full attention to them -- even if that means I stare at them blankly, with giving the occasional nod time to time. Anyhow so more or less, this blog is about the recollections and reminiscences of 2010.

2010 was/is much like 2000 -- without the "Y2K," scare that was happening. Not that I can really comment on that, I was/still am so absorbed in my own world that this entire scare meant nothing to me. However for some people it did mean something. It meant something badly, and the world -- or parts of the world, or rather people -- that is some people; went absolutely hysterical about the entire situation. But that's just people acting on one of their prime emotions and basic instinct -- Fear. Now as we finish with the first year of a new decade, we find ourselves into a new phenomenon and chaotic scare. This new scare is the 2012 phenomenon, which is still very popular to this day because conspiracy shows, Pseudoscience and those fools that back that up as science, new age mysticism, and street preachers all claim that the end times is near. Not like that is a first, and here is the funny part. The human race is stupid enough -- for the umpteenth time; to believe in it.

Lets look back at some recent religious and other wise false predictions, that have come and past, without anything happening:

In 1995 Benny Hinn predictided that "God would destroy America's Homosexual community."

David Berg (or Moses David) Founder of the cult movement "Children of God," now known as "Family International," predicted that in 1993 that Jesus Christ would return.

In June (21st) of 1985 Benjamin Creme (another whack job) had said that Jesus Christ or as he called him the "Maitreya," will announce his presence on World Wide Television

(Thank-you wikipedia for that information a link for the cited page can be followed at the end of this blog)

There have been many predictions and theories about when or how the world will end. It is a sick fascination with the world if you ask me, and with the human race. It appears to me that the human race is doomed to always feed into their instinct of Fear, and pessimistic thoughts about things that can never change. Such as death, or their mortality. Therefore the people of the world -- or the human race, are then forced to predict, or try to see the world as ending, because if the world ends, then they have a certain sense of relief. There is no guessing when it is going to end, they just know or believe or have faith that the world will end, because they would rather hope it ends, then truly live their live. It appears to me that the human race is more interested in focusing on the negative and the possibilities of their bending and ultimate ending, rather then enjoying the prospect of living.

But enough about such depressing and nonsensical topics. the year 2010 has been an interesting decade for me. From working in the municipal elections, to do simple general labour job during a night shift. I had had many attempts at writing novels, which has helped further me in my writing process, as well as reading some very interesting intellectual and great novels. From Jose Saramago's "Blindness," to Tom McCarthy's "C," to "Cloud Atlas," and "The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet," by David Mitchell to the stylish yet readable novel "The Blind Assassin," by Margaret Atwood. The year 2010 has been a fascinating year of reads for me. I have read books by Nobel prize winners in Literature (Herta Mueller, Jose Saramago.) To up and coming and well establish postmodernist authors (David Mitchell, Margaret Atwood) to my first short story collection (Thomas Ligotti) to other great authors, and their books. Each one has showed me a different side of the world of Literature. Each one continues to make me think time to time, and each one always makes me wonder, when well I go back and re-read that book again?

A new decade is to start. The 2000's Nobel Laureates of Literature, are now complete and the new Nobel Laureates will start next at a dawn and beginning of a new decade of Nobel Prize Winners in Literature.

This Decades Nobel Mind in Literature are as follows:

2000 - Gao Xingjian
2001 - V.S. Naipaul
2002 - Imre Kertesz
2003 - J.M Coetzee
2004 - Elfriede Jelinek
2005 - Harold Pinter
2006 - Orhan Pamuk
2007 - Doris Lessing
2008 - J.M.G le Clezio (Jean-Marie Gustave le Clezio)
2009 - Herta Mueller
2010 - Mario Vargas Llosa

But even these ten Nobel Laureates (3 of which are female, and 7 are male) all were met with some very interesting criticisms of winning the prize, and sometimes, some interesting events surrounding them.

Gao Xingjian winning the Nobel Prize was not favourable at all. The government and the media's attitude toward Gao Xingjian is that of giving him the cold shoulder, and refusal to recognize him or his work as "World Class."

V.S. Naipauls winning (from the looks of it) was generally favourable, and did not come into much criticism.

Imre Kertesz after winning the Nobel Prize in Literature, work became more well known, and well received. Before winning the Nobel Prize in Literature the Laureate was not well known.

In 2003 J.M. Coetzee one of only two authors who have won the Booker Prize twice, comes to no surprise. Many people and critics (critics are their own kind of race) have long since cited J.M. Coetzee as a Nobel Prize winner as a contender. Does it come to much shock not really?

Then Comes 2004, where the Austrian Writer Elfride Jelinek, had caused quite a stir, within the Swedish Academy. Knut Ahnlund had these comments to say on Elfried Jelinek's Work:

"whining, unenjoyable public pornography."
"a mass of text shovelled together without artistic structure."
"has not only done irreparable damage to all progressive forces, it
has also confused the general view of literature as an art."

Elfride Jelinek was also highly criticized, for not accepting the prize personally -- which is quite surprising, considering that her works are infamous for being sexually graphic (sexual sado-masochistic power games) and very violent; and yet Elfride Jelinek herself, admits to suffering from social phobia and agoraphobia, and is the reason why she did not accept the prize personally. Many applauded Elfride Jelinek's courage for revealing her social conditions.

Yet the Nobel Prize in Literature of 2004 surely was quite a controversial and critical event in Elfride Jelinek's already controversial life in her country Austria.

Harold Pinter's Nobel Prize in Literature Lecture titled "Art, Truth and Politics," was met with much controversy and is widely debated to this day (I believe you can find it on youtube) Harold Pinter was often branded as being "Anti-American," in his Lecture, but I suppose when you are at his age, and have such a life behind you, you don't really give a damn what people call you.

In 2006 Turkey won its first Nobel Prize In Literature going to the author Orhan Pamuk. Many criticise the prize given to Orhan Pamuk as being very political and in some cases a Political statement.

Doris Lessing won the Nobel Prize in Literature of 2007. Many were quite impressed with Doris Lessing winning the prize, and even Ms. Lessing commented that winning the prize was a "royal flush." However Harold Bloom (a US Literay Critic) had something else to say:

"although Ms Lessing at the beginning of her writing career had a few admirable qualities, I find her work for the past 15 years quite unreadable ... fourth-rate science fiction."

Doris Lessing as far as I know is still alive at the current age of 91

The Nobel Prize in Literature of 2008 was characterized by the catch phrase "JMG Who?" (or something like that) J.M.G Le Clezio was not a well known author in North America before winning the prize -- and I still think its hard to find him in stores to this day. JMG Le Clezio was the first French Writer to win the Nobel Prize in Literature since Claude Simon in 1985, who is an author of a book I recently ordered.

"Herta who?" you say? Well I say Herta Muller! The Nobel Prize winner of Literature of 2009, whose work is finally brought to the world stage, and has showed the world the cruelties and inhumane life under communism and dictatorships as being what they are, and keeps the memory alive, so we may never forget the atrocities of certain people in this world . . . Stalin.

Finally the end of the decade of the Nobel Prize in Literature has come. Mario Vargas Llosa, the first Peruvian author to win the Prize, and is a step back away from continental European Literature, that had dominated the platform for most of the decade. Mario Vargas Llossa can often be compared to a previous winner of Latin American Literature/South American Literature of 1982 Gabriel Garcia Marquez -- the two actually used to be friends, but there is an icy cold silence between the two. Many have claimed that Mario's win of the Nobel Prize has breathed new life into the Prize. A good way to end another decade of Nobel Prizes in Literature I think.

Well Gentle Reader, 2010 has been fun. It has been wild, chaotic, stupid, boring, and all around general life like stuff. But as one Decade ends another begins. And So I look forward to seeing, more Nobel Prize winners in Literature, and to keep reading, and writing and hopefully someday become a writer myself, with published books -- I know I know, don't hold my breath I might die. But it has been a great year and this is our 70th blog, and the final blog of 2010. I look forward to the New Year, and I the books I will read and review and share with you.

Thank-You For Reading Gentle Reader
Take Care
And As Always
Stay Well Read

M.Mary