Hello
Gentle Reader
My Dear Gentle
Reader, I do apologize for the delay in this post. There have been a few
technical difficulties on my part, and certainly apologize for my lack of
prompt deliverance of this promised post. Here it is now though, please forgive
the delay, and Enjoy.
The Beginning –
Here
we are again Gentle Reader, a little over a month now, and the Nobel Prizes
will be begin to be unveiled; but before then, it is time to speculate about
this year’s Possible Nobel Laureate in Literature.
Last
year the award opened the doors of precedence for many writers, as the new
Permanente Secretary of the Swedish Academy: Sara Danius, had announced the
year’s Nobel Laureate was the Belarussian journalist and nonfiction chronicler:
Svetlana Alexievich. The announcement was met with applause and cheers by all
those in attendance. It came as a surprise to some and not others, as
Alexievich was often cited as a contender on the large lists of Nobel
speculation (specifically speaking Ladbrokes and other betting websites).
Now
as mentioned last year this is the first time the position of the Permanent Secretary of the Swedish Academy has been held by a woman, and speculation was
under way in what kind of writer Danisu will champion in the debates in the
Academy. Last year it was heavily theorized that Danius was working with a list
which had been formed prior to her official acceptance of the role of The Permanent Secretary; as she did not become the secretary until June 1st;
by which the Nobel selection process had already been cut down to a secret
short list. Now this time around, it will be interesting to see what kind of
writers will follow last year’s decision. Will Danius champion prose over
poetry; or poetry over theatre? Will she favorably lean towards filling the
gender gap between the male and female laureates? One cannot say or give an
absolute conclusion, as to what this year will bring; but it will be
interesting to see with all the speculation which has already begun, and will
soon follow.
Now
Gentle Reader, what follows is a personalized list of writers in whom I have
chosen to include in this year’s speculative list. As in years past the list is categorized by geographical area, then the writer, their country of origin (as
well as literary language), followed by a brief synopsis of the writer. As many
will note some of the authors included have appeared on previous speculative
lists. However in continuing with personal desire, I do my best to research
numerous authors that may have been overlooked or under looked by others, and
hope to bring them greater attention; this personal goal though does lead to
regret as I know for every discovery there are countless others I have missed,
and failed to include. Yet Gentle Reader I welcome you, so please enjoy the
list, and please do leave comments and suggestions, as I look forward to hearing
from you!
Africa –
[ Africa and
subsequent writers remain very controversial issue on the literary map. Many
have observed that great writers from this region have been overlooked. This
came to the forefront a few years ago when Chinua Achebe died, and ‘unjustly,’
(as some would say) did not receive the Nobel. Since then and continuously so,
I have been on the lookout for writers which would be suitable candidates for
this list; and though it’s a small list, and has contained the same authors
over the years, I am still in search of other writers who have gone unnoticed
overlooked. ]
Ngũgĩ
wa Thiong'o – Kenya – Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o is a highly speculated writer on most
Nobel speculation lists. For a few reasons: (i) he is a writer from Africa,
(ii) his work is written in a tribal language (Gikuyu). Thiong'o is also a
social conscious writer, which can be seen in his theatrical works, where his
theatrical process involved actors to leave the stage and seek participation of
the audience; this according to Thiong'o demystified the theatrical process and
ceased to alienate the observing audience, while awaking them from the
passivity observation. Subsequently, Thiong'o found himself imprisoned by the
authoritarian government and after his release would live in exile for many
years. His literary work follows the magical realism tradition of post-colonial
Latin American Boom writers: Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Mario Vargas Llosa, in
which surreal and allegorical events deal with political affairs
Nuruddin
Farah – Somalia – The way, in which Farah keeps his failing and
self-destructive country alive, is by writing about it. The late Nobel laureate
and writer, Nadine Gordimer called him the continents greatest interpreter; and
many have cited that Farah is long overdue the Nobel recognition. Nuruddin
Farah’s work is also noted for being progressive wherein he writes strong
female characters that create and choose their own destiny; he discusses the
political wars of the clans, the greater political authorities, and the
continual struggle of the common and everyday man to take make sense of a world
and a country which has fallen to pieces in the international communities eyes.
Despite the grandiose themes of his work; Farah is an intimate writer. His
works often cite the beginning of a dictatorship can be seen in the family unit
– the oppression of women by men; which leads to the acceptance of the
oppression of the majority by one autocratic ruler.
Ben
Orki – Nigeria – Before Eleanor Catton won the Booker Prize in two-thousand and
thirteen, and became the youngest writer to win the award at the age of
twenty-eight; Ben Orki had held the title of youngest Booker Prize winning
author with his novel “The Famished Road.” Orki has been considered one of the
great writers of post-colonial Africa, in which he is favorably compared to
such writers as Salman Rushdie and the late Gabriel Garcia Marquez. His work is
often considered postmodern; but this has heavily been refuted by other
critics, claiming that his work moves against the typical skepticism of
postmodern thought, he has been classified as a magical realist in a African
tradition, where his characters commune with a spirit world; this is quickly
noted in his novel “The Famished Road,” and the character of Azaro a
spirit-child. However, Orki himself refutes being referred to as a magical
realist author; claiming instead he follows a, ‘dream logic,’ with regards to
the fantastical elements of his work. Regardless of categorization, Ben Orki
remains one of the most prominent post-colonial writers of Africa.
Pepetela
– Angola – In the beginning Pepetela’s writings where noted for documenting the
turbulent history of Angola; specifically the Angolan War of Independence and
the Colonial Wars. The documentation of the Angolan War of Independence may
have arisen from his own experience as a MPLA (People’s Movement for the
Liberation of Angola) guerilla fighter in the war of independence. Other such
novels though deal with the disillusionment of the people, after the war.
Recently Pepetela has broadened his themes of his novels and literary work,
moving away from Angola, and instead discussing Angola in a greater globalized
community. The settings and themes of his new millennial output range from
Angola to the United State, use satire and allegory freely, and dealing with current
political threats like terrorism.
Wilma
Stockenström – South Africa – Stockenström
is a Afrikaans language playwright and poet, as well as a casual novelist. Her
most recent English translation was her novel “The Expedition to the Baobab
Tree,” translated by Nobel Laureate J.M. Coetzee. Her novel “The Expedition to
the Baobab Tree,” shone in language and metaphor, as it grapples with themes of
subjugation and freedom. In the novel an escaped slave, finds her freedom away
from captivity and servitude, but the new world of freedom is equally
frightening in the South African wilderness. Her major love however has been
the theatre, as Wilma Stockenström has written many radio plays and performed
as an actress in many theatrical productions. Poetry for the writer was a new
venture, and she grasped the form with fully developed ideas, as well as a
construct and understanding of language. Stockenström’s poetry is noted for its
sober language as well as ironic stance in her themes; she is noted for
eschewing poetic sensibilities like musicality and affectionate discussions;
and in one poem aptly titled “I Mistrust Words,” describes her suspicion of
language and its illusion in which it can classify and discuss the world with
unbiased honesty.
Mia
Couto – Mozambique – Much like Pepetela, Couto is not a native of Mozambique,
but rather a child of colonial settlers. Couto has however remained a writer
passionate about Mozambique, and its unique traditions pre-colonial, colonial
and post-colonial. The world of Couto is a violent one; where spirits of a
bloody history haunt the present world, which is marveled at the stark beauty
of the landscape, which also fits with its violent past with its untamed
brutality. As of late Mia Couto has gathered greater international recognition,
which came with the Neustadt International Prize for Literature. He is known as
a writer who connects contradictory worlds, which can be exemplified when
called himself white and an African. Couto has also been noted as ‘smuggler
writer,’ where he uses different words and meanings to communicate via
contradictory languages and worlds, often stating this unique literary
technique often makes his sentences and paragraph read like poetry. As Couto
gathers greater international appeal he will most certainly continue to be a
highly speculated writer.
North
Africa/Middle East –
[ The state of the
Middle East and North Africa, continues to be a very violate region both
politically and religiously. The Syrian civil war has given rise to ISIS, and
the greatest refugee crisis the world has seen to date; even to the point where
in this year’s Olympics, there is a designated refugee for these athletes. This
aspect of the list has not changed much over the years, with the exception of
one new author included. ]
Adunis
– Syria – With the rise of ISIS the civil war in Syria, Adunis’s homeland has
been destroyed. This shattering and devastating destruction can be clearly seen
all over the world. Everyday refugees seek asylum and sanctuary in other
countries. Their arrival however is less then welcomed in some circumstances. A
day does not pass when there is no report of terrorism, or a ship carrying
refugees has not sunk and killed the passengers on board. As much as Adunis is
removed from the political situation, he is no standard observer; recently his
poetry and his books have been under attack by religious fundamentalist, as in
two-thousand and thirteen where a cleric ordered his books to be destroyed
throughout the Middle East and North Africa; and in two-thousand and eleven
wrote a open letter to the president of Syria (Bashar al-Assad) pleading with
him to end his violent oppression and crackdown on the country. Despite the
political destruction, upheaval and controversy in the world, Adunis remains a
poet of true veracity of the unflinching tenacity of the human spirit. He is a
world renowned poet who has brought Arabic poetry to the modern age, and has
helped reshape the message, form, and involvement it has in the human destiny;
as he tries continually for a dialogue of ideas and ideals of peace, over the
demagogue arbitrary nature of blind fundamental persecution and
oppression.
Bahaa
Taher – Egypt – Taher, has been referred to as “Cairo’s greatest literary
secret,” and this may have been true; until recently. Taher is getting
translated into the English language more and more, and is gaining recognition.
Taher’s literary voice is somber and wise. Yet being a writer, has not been a
smooth and easy career for Taher. He was fired in the nineteen-seventies as a
radio journalist; he then worked as a UN translator for fourteen years, lived
in exile – and yet through it all has weather political purges, and regime
changes. Baher though is a literary writer before he is political. His novels
however are plagued by the ‘Middle East syndrome,’ in which his work is noted
more strictly for its political connotations then it is for its literary craft.
Still Taher does work towards skipping and skirting around political issues and
digressions, and focuses more closely on the human condition.
Abdellatif
Laâbi – Morocco – Laâbi is considered one of the most important Moroccan poets
in the twentieth and early twenty-first century. This accolade and recognition has
not always been so quick to follow his name though. The late nineteen-sixties,
he founded a creative journal titled: “Souffles.” The magazine ran from nineteen-sixty
six to nineteen-seventy two; before being abruptly shut down. The magazine was
defined as a manifesto for emerging and budding intellectuals to herald forth
new ways of artistic expression in Maghreb; and it achieved this mission
despite its short run, the magazine accomplished its goal. However, Abdullatif
Laâbi suffered politically for this magazine, as he was detained for: “crimes
of opinion,” and would go on to suffer torture, and a ten year prison sentence,
before being forced into exile in France. Throughout it all Abdellatif Laâbi has remained a prolific poet, and advocate of
freedom of expression and speech.
Ibrahim
al-Koni – Libya – Ibrahim al-Koni is a prolific writer. He has written over
sixty novels, short stories, poems, essays and aphorisms. Which is quite an
accomplishment for a writer who did not learn to read or write until he was
twelve years old? Al-Koni studied at the Gorky University, and had worked as a
journalist in Moscow and Warsaw. His life and identity often play out in his
work. The writer is a product of traditional nomadic life, and yet
post-colonial circumstances. He was born in the Tuareg Desert, and is known as
a rootless being, who looks to the culture and the world in which he was born,
to which he has since left, and often writes about the strange world in which
he left behind, tinged with imagination and reminisced memories.
Elias
Khoury – Lebanon – The greatest challenge that faces all writers from the
Middle East is politics. Politics does not always translate well, into fitting
into western held ideologies and thoughts on the continued problems, which
plague the Middle East. Elias Khoury is of no exception to politics and how it
forcibly shapes the literary themes of writers. His novel “Yalo,” depicts
torture in Lebanon’s judicial system. “Little Mountain,” is describes Lebanon’s
civil war. Yet for Khoury the facets of truth and discovering the truth always
appear to be at the forefront of his work. On that notion though, Khoury is
forced to depict the brutalities of the events and their realities without
flinching and without blinking.
Amos
Oz – Israel – If a Israeli writer were to receive the award, Amos Oz would most
certainly fit the bill – at least on his political stances, in the volatile
region; as he advocates for the two-state solution with the conflict between
Israel and Palestine. He is regarded as one of Israel’s most famous writers,
being translated into 42 languages (Arabic included) and published in 43
countries. He is noted for his realistic characters in his books, and his
ironic pathos and humor. His books are set in the Kibbutz region. His memoir
and coming of age tale: “A Tale of Love and Darkness,” details his own
experiences in Israel’s first growing pains, as it fights to become a nation after
the atrocities of the Second World War. “A Tale of Love and Darkness,” has
become the first Hebrew language book to be included in a Chinese textbook,
currently. Amos Oz’s political leanings, his intellectual searches, and his
literary output often put him at odds with his fellow countrymen, but has
gathered him greater appreciation abroad.
H.
A. Sayeh – Iran/Germany – Sayeh is considered one of the most eminent Iranian
poets of the twentieth century. His first collection of poetry was published
when he was nineteen, during the open period of Iran’s history following World
War II; and was introduced by the famous poet Mehdi Hamidi Shirazi. During this
time period Sayeh was involved with numerous literary circles and published in
numerous magazines. However like many of his contemporaries Sayeh reframed from
entering into any political discussions of the time, and maintained his own
political integrity and social consciousness’s. After the Iranian Revolution,
Sayeh’s apolitical stance did not save him; and spent many years in prison,
before leaving to Germany in nineteen-eighty seven. Sayeh’s productivity is
considered very small, because of his attention to phraseology and exact
craftsmanship. H. A. Sayeh is also known as a master of traditional lyrical
formats.
Europe –
[ Once again Gentle Reader, I must apologize for
the longest section of my list is centered around Europe; which often gives the
list a sense of being Eurocentric. Europe however, is still considered a literary and cultural
hub of the world; if one were to quote Horace Engdahl loosely. For these
reasons Europe retains the most writers on the list, with a total of
twenty-five. ]
Jon
Fosse – Norway – When speculating about the Nobel Prize for Literature as of
late, one of the most heavy hitting writer on the list, is none other than: Jon
Fosse; a mystical and unnerving Norwegian prose writer, poet, and (world
renowned) playwright. Two-thousand and fifteen was a rather large year for Jon
Fosse; he ended up walking away with another big award. This time the: Nordic
Council’s Literature Prize, for “Three Trilogy,” of novels which include: “Andvake
(Sleepless),” “Olavs draumar,” (Olav’s Dreams), “Kveldsvævd (Weariness).” Jon
Fosse’s trilogy will be released in English later this year. This trilogy has
been critically acclaimed by critics and the reading public, and shows that
prose has been Jon Fosse’s love from the start. Jon Fosse is known for his
repetitive language in his work, and his structure of his novels being sparse
and minimal; while his narratives are equally bare bones narratives, often
employing a stream of-consciousness like style in his prose. Yet Fosse is best
regarded as a playwright, and considered the successor of such literary giants
as Samuel Beckett, Harold Pinter, as well as Henrik Isben. There is no denying
Jon Fosse’s claim for a Nobel; yet the Swedish Academy is known for shying away
from predictability; but they may still strike the anvil while its’ still hot.
Kiki
Dimoula – Greece – Dimoula is the Grand Ol’ Dame of Greek poetry. She came to
her creative process out of survival, in which she documents the existential
wonderings and wanderings of the poet in a time of political dissolution of the
post-war era, and the subsequent dictatorship. Kiki Dimoula’s poetry language is
known for its frank and honest demeanor, delivered in a sparse package, where
the language is reshaped for emotive power and surprises of linguistic
ingenuity. Her poems often deal with a sense of national disillusionment and
state homelessness, as the homeland is no longer a welcoming place but a
military ruled ideological dictatorship. Her poetry recounts faded memories,
the onslaught of oblivion, and the progressively corrosive touch of time, which
disintegrates everything; as well as the modern man’s attempts to escape his
existential anxieties and insecurities of the modern age. Yet despite the
depressing sense of her work, there is a grain of hope to all of it; as
memories fade, new ones are created; as a home is departed it is preoccupied
with new life; as photos fade new ones take their places. Such is the poetic
language of the successful and acclaimed Greek poet.
António
Lobo Antunes – Portugal – Antunes is a highly regarded Portuguese postmodernist
writer. His novels follow in a similar fashion of other such postmodernist
writers such as: Samuel Beckett, Thomas Bernhard and László Krasznahorkai; as
they are lengthy works, often written in a manic monologue. His work is noted
for having a simmering rage, an anger which stems from the authors own
experience as a doctor during Portugal’s part in the colonial wars. In this
fashion his novles often have manic narrators recounting their histories that
showcase Portugal’s beauty but also its dark and brutality oppressive past.
This is not just limited to Salazar’s fascist reign, but also the colonial
brutality. Despite the authors scathing and vitriolic stream-of consciousness
of his work, its been noted for its densely poetic form.
Doris
Kareva – Estonia – Poetry in spite of its illustrious history (though currently
waning in contemporary times), schools, generations and its numerous alumni and
practitioners; poetry appears to always be divided between two worlds: the
mind, and the heart. To be more practical or straightforward: the epic poetry
(poetry of historical/political events, which seek to shape and give order to
the world) and the lyrical school of poetry (love poems and poetry of resonate
emotions). Doris Kareva, fits into the later. She is a pearl of a poet, who is
submerged in the emotional ocean of the human condition. Her poetry burns and
freezes with contrary intensities, in her miniature poetic forms; where the few
words are atlas’s burdened with emotional weight to define the complicated and
elusive nature of the human soul in its emotional language. Kareva is one of
Estonia’s most renowned and esteemed poets; where her poetry has been staged
and set to music.
Adam
Zagajewski – Poland – A Neustadt International Prize for Literature Laureate;
Zagajewski is one of Poland’s most renowned contemporary poets He is a
compatriot of Czesław Miłosz and Wisława Szymborska. However since the end of
communism, and the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the themes of Zagajewski
have since mellowed. However, that does not mean that the poets work has
diminished. Rather than tackling themes of sociopolitical stances, the themes
that Zagajewski now in turns tackles are far more existential and philosophical
in nature. That past is rendered in the present, often in the most mundane and
everyday events.
Eduardo
Mendoza Garriga – Spain – Garriga is noted famously for becoming a lawyer, and
then dropping the career to become a translator for the UN in New York, where he
would write and publish his first novel: “The Truth about the Savolta Case,”
which was considered a precursor to the democratic movement in Spain, as it was
published a few months before Franco died. His most famous work though is his
trilogy, about an unnamed detective who is actually a patient at a psychiatric institution;
it is famous for its pastiche of different genres such as the detective novel,
gothic narrative, and black comedy. In two-thousand and fifteen Garriga was
awarded the Franz Kafka Prize (other such writers who became Nobel laureates
include Harold Pinter and Elfriede Jelinek), the jury praised Garriga for his
narrative skills, his sharp wit, as well as his humanistic approach to
historical novels and the events they depict.
Ersi
Sotiropoulos – Greece – Sotiropoulos is a personal favorite; in her native
Greece she is considered part of the avant-garde literary scene; yet on
superficial level in English, Sotiropoulos would be considered extremely
accessible, this accessibility only a façade and a great hook and sinker. Her
language is sparse and sparse, but quickly one notes her narratives lack a
concrete sense of a beginning, middle or ending. Rather the reader is tossed
into a scene halfway, and is tossed out before any real conclusion can be
mustered. Her work often is compared to a confusing and surreal cul-de-sac
which traces moments of déjà vu after ethereal glimpse of a former memory. Ersi
Sotiropoulos is noted for her novels, short stories, as well as her poetry; she
is considered one of the greatest writers in Greece. Her work traces individuals
in search of relationships and connections in this ever changing modern
world.
László
Krasznahorkai – Hungary – It were to appear that any time László Krasznahorkai
is nominated for a literary prize, he ends up taking it. This includes winning
the Best Trnaslated Book Award twice, as well as the (former) Man Booker
International Prize. Krasznahorkai has been commented as a literary ‘Master of
Apocalypse,’ as is well renowned in both his native Hungary as well as Germany
and English speaking countries. His prose style is a successor of both Beckett
and Thomas Bernhard in regards to its slight humour, and the avoidance of a
paragraph break; as well as the long winding sentences that will continue for
pages, and often gives a sense of claustrophobia. Though Krasznahorkai is a
difficult writer, he is also rewarding.
Sirkka
Turkka – Finland – Sirkka Turkka is a noted Finnish poet; and like many Finnish
writers has a great affinity with nature; where natural landscapes and animals
are as much characters to the writers, as are their neighbours or the stranger
on the train or the person walking down the street. For Turkka animals hold a
great spot of importance to her then people; not stating she does not like people;
but rather animals represent greater qualities of soul and spirit, which are
typically reserved for human traits. Ravens, reindeer, elk, fox – these are
creatures that are Turkka depicts as, wiser than human beings, and embody a
primeval and primordial wisdom in their often archaic humane teachings, within
her poetry. Dogs are loyal and empathetic, tender to the suffering of what it
means to be human; and comfort far better than human beings. Turkka’s poetry is
noted for its approachability in its references to pop culture, but also its
intellectual street in its allusions to literary work. Her poetry however is
best mentioned for its precise and lucid language.
Cees
Nooteboom – The Netherlands – Cees Nooteboom – The Netherlands – Nooteboom is
considered the best Dutch contender for the Nobel Prize for Literature. The
author’s oeuvre is varied. Nooteboom has written travel writing and essays,
novels, short stories, and poetry. The author’s novels have been compared to
that of Italo Calvino and Vladimir Nabokov – writing post-modern fables that
engulf the oddities of twentieth century and the now early twenty first century
in its ethereal, whimsical and cerebral disorganized self. His works
painstakingly remind the reader, that all novels are an inherent self-absorbed
act of human validation; but go on to tackle such themes as wanderlust, in a
jet-fueled world. The idea of ‘home,’ becomes an almost academic thought. His
travel writing is often considered his best pieces of work – coming out in five
volumes alone. He is by all means an international author, one that deals with
a sense of displacement in an ever greater connected and seemingly smaller
world.
Jaan
Kaplinski – Estonia – Jaan Kaplinski is one of the most well-known writers
currently at work in the Estonian language. Kaplinski started his started his
literary career in in the Golden Sixties of Estonian literature, as a poet; or
more precisely a poetic rebel. His poetry is noted for dealing with the world
in which he loves; and he moves steadily away from hermetic styles, political
dialogue, or fable like narratives to go incognito discuss social realities;
rather his poetry discusses the individuals place in nature. Though it should
be noted Jaan Kaplinski was offered a front row seat the twentieth centuries
history; he observed Estonia’s occupation by both Germans and Soviets, and
witnessed the Baltic gain their independence; and even served in the
government. Kaplinski and his family did more than just observe history; they
suffered it. His father died in a soviet labour camp. Yet despite the arbitrary nature of history,
the natural world and its landscapes held a greater hold over the poet rather
than depicting the historical and social realties of Soviet Estonia. Kaplinski
is also a noted prose writer and playwright.
Magdalena Tulli – Poland – Tulli’s
literary family tree carries numerous autumnal berries, apples, and pears.
Among them are: Bruno Schulz, Franz Kafka, Italo Calvino, and Jorge Luis Borges.
Magdalena Tulli’s early work is characterized by its metafictional creation of
worlds, and novels discussing concepts of storytelling, the authors place in
their fictional world, and how their worlds are often constructed in a haste,
which often leads to imperfections and absurd situations for the characters.
The language of her work rattles with verbs, and explodes with pyrotechnic
postmodern literary techniques, which is not pastiche or riddled with clichés.
In her latest works of prose though, Tulli has moved away from the postmodern
narratives of her early works, and began to create narratives within her works
which accompany and waltz with her language with maturity and grace. Her two
previous works “Italian Pumps,” and “Noise,” are more autobiographical in
nature, in which memory and historical tragedy invades the personal sphere. In
this instance, for Tulli it is the fact her mother survived the concentration
camp of Auschwitz, where her emotions and nature of herself where hung up on
the barbwire fence, or buried beneath the grass. Though her literary output is
small, her literary impact cannot be ignored.
Péter Nadas – Hungary – Nadas has been
compared to Proust, for his preoccupation with the past and memory. Yet perhaps he is often compared to Proust,
because of his absurdly long books. “Parallel Stories,” for example is
extraordinarily large and long novel, at a page count of one thousand five
hundred and twenty pages; and it is no wonder that book alone took eighteen
years to write. There is a certain personal bias to Nadas and his books. They
are large, and take a long time to write; which will always lead to preconceived judgement to be passed, which obliviously leaves a sense of
suspicion of his work and what he writes about. Yet Nadas door stopper books
are renowned for their stylistic tendencies. His work is detailed and
innovative; but also demanding and not for the wandering mind, or a casual
read.
Tua Forsström – Finland (language
Swedish) – Tua Forsström treats her poetry as a conversation; or as an act of
dialogue, which often gives her poetry an admissible and approachable
appearance. As a poet Forsström is known as taking on a gentle wisdom in her
discussion of existential conundrums of human existence. The language of her
poetry is noted for being sober, with insinuations of the melancholic. Forsström
is noted for being of the most important Swedish language Finnish writers at
work currently, as her poetry is praised by both critics and readers alike. Her
publications often vary with regards to time; but when she does publish it is
considered a literary event. Each of her collections produced shows a marvel of
a mineral which has been polished to a gem. Her two most famous collections of
poetry are: “Snow Leopard,” (1987) and “After Having Spent a Night Among
Horses,” (1997) which won the Nordic Council’s Literature Prize.
Drajo Jančar – Slovenia – Jančar is
Slovenia’s most prominent contemporary writer. The themes of Jančar’s works
come from the early modernist traditions. His novels are characterized by the
individuals struggle against oppressive institutions: prisons, psychiatric
hospitals, military barracks and galleys or ships – or an oppressive society in
the form of a dictatorship or a totalitarian regime. However despite the
heaviness of these themes, he is known for his laconic and highly ironic
writing style; often utilizing tragicomic events, to lighten the mood and twist
the novel into different directions. Most of his novel take place in historical
era settings (presumably twentieth century) Eastern Europe, as a metaphor for
the human condition. Even though Jančar is a novelist and short story writer,
he is also known for his essays and political engagements and civic
commentaries.
Viivi Luik – Estonia – Much like Jaan
Kaplinski, Viivi Luik arrived on the Estonian literary scene in the Golden Age
of the sixties, at the age of eighteen with her first collection of poetry.
Since then Luik has been a prolific poet, prose writer, and penned children’s
books. The Estonian literary scene deemed her a canary poet. Much in the same
way that a canary in the coal mine warns off impeding dangers, Luik sings about
the changing social structures and realities of society. Despite the canary
association she would not be considered a political poet. Her poetry is more
revered for its perception of the world, often through the lens of nature in
the countryside, juxtaposed against the rush and racing urban world with its
steel and concrete. Her novels are noted however their critical view of the
individual against the backdrop of history. Her debut novel: “The Seventh
Spring of Peace,” is noted for its disrupting the illusion of the great soviet
era childhood. In it a young child observes, perceives and recounts the strange
world of her country and her village: the abandoned farms; the collective
hysteria; forest brothers roaming the woods like monsters; all quite contrary
to the Soviet utopia. Her second novel “The Beauty of History,” is noted for
using the year of 1968 as a backdrop and metaphor of the fate of the individual
caught up in the throngs of history; it’s a highly lyrical novel, which shows
the realities of the time, and both the guarded ignorance of one individual
versus her lover, who calculates and considers each step taken in his goal to
leave the country. Viivi Luik is one of Estonia’s most beloved and critically
acclaimed writers at work today.
Leonard Nolens – Belgium – The
Belgian/Flemish language poet was tipped a few years back as being a contender
as a future Laureate. Since that tip had come, I never forgot the poet and
diarist; and always watches see his name pop up again. Leonard Nolens is one of
the greatest Flemish languages poets currently at work. His earlier work were
noted for being Braque inspired and experimental; however his more mature is
more even in language and form. Its noted for its sober to point style and
language, but has not lost its profundity. His work is considered the creme dela crème of international
poetry; and his overure is astounding and prolific.
Olga Tokarczuk – Poland – Tokarczuk is
one of Poland’s greatest writers. She is applauded by both critics and readers.
Though last year found herself under fire from far right demagogue’s who viewed
her recent novel “The Book of Jacob,” as a misrepresentation of Poland’s past;
where the discussion of antisemitism within Poland is depicted as commonplace
and an honorable act. Before this controversy, Tokarczuk is well revered for
her magical realistic novels and stories; where the oddities of the universe
often make themselves apparent to unrespecting individuals, who take note, but
carry on with daily life. Her most famous novel for English readers to
recognize is: “Primeval and Other Time.” A novel that recounts a village where
the jos and sorrows of life converge. The charm of novel comes from its
eccentric characters, and the almost charming scenery of the place; but is
shattered by of course the opposing forces of both joy and sorrow.
Kjell Askildsen – Norway – [ as
recommended by Bror Axel Dehn ] There has always been reservations about Kjell
Askildsen in how he is marketed to English language readers, as he is often
referred to as the Norwegian equivalent to Hemingway. Though, it should be
testified: when something is marketed in the fashion of literary minimalism, it
brings to mind the American short story renaissance and Raymond Carver, noted
for his dirty realism; and Hemmingway and his machismo act of writing. Askildsen is noted for writing novels and
short stories; but is particularly well known for his short stories, as that is
he has published since 1982. His prose is noted for being muted and sober in
tone and language, and his style stripped bare, to the essentials. One reviewer
commented that his stories are much like ghost stories, with the sole exception
they lack ghosts; but is haunted by absence. His scenery is just as bleak and
displacement is everywhere; as his characters homes appear to exist solely in
some void, and completely detached from human contact and companionship; in
this sense his characters exist nowhere and have no place to call their own. At
eighty-six years old Askildsen will either receive award or not; but since this
recommendation came to me, I do plan on purchasing and reading his short
stories, as the short story genre (when done correctly) is one of my favorite
pieces of work to read.
Lyudmila Petrushevskaya – Russia – Petrushevskaya’s
stories are noted for being dark fairytales or unhinged fables, or love stories
and romantic tales, which have gone sour and rotten over time. Lyudmila
Petrushevskaya is noted as being a figure, who recounts the daily life and
struggles of the everyday mundane Russian individual; be it in the laundromat,
the train or the bus, the Russian people open up about the bitter realities of
their lives; and Petrushevskaya documents these little tales of rotten love;
little dark fairytales, and makes them her own. During the Soviet era, the
author was prohibited from publishing her work, not because they were political
nature; but because they ‘darkened reality,’ or to be more precise, they did
not fit into the acceptable social realities of the time; they did not praise
the socialist utopia of the Soviet regime, which was to be propagated during
those times; it rather described the common day realities of the people
attempting to make sense or make do, with what little hope and choice they had.
Now Petrushevskaya is considered a national treasure, and her work is published
frequently and praised often. She is noted for her stories, novels, and plays,
as well as paintings – and recently a cabaret singer.
Mircea Cartarescu – Romania – Cartarescu
is poet and prose writer. In Cartarescu’s youth he was a rebellious poet of the
“Blue Jeans Generation,” writing quick playful poetry; however after maturation
he has become a writer of more international standard. He is the most well-known
contemporary Romanian writer, of its current generation of writers – many of
whom he has mentored and taught; one of them being the Romanian [prose] poet
Doina Ioanid. Cartarescu’s work
describes the chaos of life, with absolute confidence and precision. In a way
the author is able to organize the chaotic mess that he writes about into a
coherent form; allowing for the sense of chaos to be seen but not confuse the
reader. Like many great writers before him, Cartarescu has a literary city –
and that city is Bucharest; a city in his work that is described with
mythological proportions, and a place where nightmares and dreams clash and
come true. Much like Fernando Pessoa’s Lisbon or James Joyce’s Dublin, or the
Cairo of Mahfouz; or Kafka’s Prague.
Javier Marias – Spain – Marias is a
beloved Spanish writer, and is well known in the English speaking world. Many
well-grounded and regarded English writes have praised his works. Is this
perhaps because, Marias has an affinity with the English language – after
studying English Philology – and translating some of the classics into Spanish;
and lecturing at Oxford on translation? Perhaps; but no; I do think that Marias
stands on his own ground, as a writer. His works deal with betrayal, the nature
of time, forgery and translation. Marias strikes me as the kind of writer, who
wishes to supersede and transcend the barriers and boundaries of culture and
language; and write about the human experience – which could explain why his
characters lose their own voice in favors of others, as they mimic or parrot
the views of others. This is why Marias often calls his characters cousins or
literary brothers, in their escape of their own identities and voices for that
of others.
Gyrðir Elíasson – Iceland – Elíasson is
considered one of the great stylists of Iceland’s contemporary literature. He
began writing poetry in the 1980s, and was noted for turning poetry back to its
modernist tradition, after a decade of socio-political oriented poems of the
1970s. His prose follows the same direction. His prose style often depicts the
realistic invaded by the dream world; often noted as lyrically fantastical,
imaginative realism, and magical realism – though the author contest with such
categorization. There is no denying though the writers poetic heritage or
beginnings have found a welcoming place in his prose. His short stories are
noted for being condescended and short, often offering just a small slice or
impression of the characters’ lives, where the rest is left in the foggy edges
of time, and for the reader to imagine and wonder over. Gyrðir Elíasson is a
talented writer, though not well known in the English language, with only one
small collection of short stories published. However he has gathered
international recognition, most notably with the Nordic Council’s Literature
Prize.
Petr Král – Czech Republic –Král is best
defined as: the last surrealist. In his earlier years, Král was known as a
surrealist. He had immigrated to France in nineteen-sixty eight, and became a
student of surrealism, but later abandoned it. The themes and preoccupations of
Král is an eternal longing. This yearning has become central to his meditations
and works. He searches for the essences of something gone or past. This search
becomes a longing for another time, wrapped in nostalgia, and eventually comes
the individual. Identity and the places we inhabit, become instrumental to the
human experience, and Král is a writer that scourges the past and its lost
shadows, in order to discuss the present and its dilemmas. Yet he is also an
observer of the small inconsequential moments of being; often through objects:
a fresh shirt, the relief of urination, crossing a street, or the time of day.
Mikhail Shishkin – Russia – Shishkin is
noted for his language above all else, and his considered a prominent Russian
language writer. However Mikhail Shishkin’s relationship with Russia currently
is best described as uneasy; as can be noted in 2013 win Shishkin pulled out of
the Book Expo America as a representative for Russia, on grounds that he would
not represent a criminal and corrupt government, who was reverting Russia back
to the Middle Ages. Shishkin’s family history would reveal one, of complicate
morals and tragedies. His grandfather was deemed an enemy of the state and
would die in a gulag; his father at the age of eighteen went to war against the
Germans in the Soviet navy; and years later Shishkin would find out the glories
of his ‘papa,’ during the war, had complicated morals behind them; as his submarine
was ordered to blow up ships carrying evacuating civilians and troops from the
Baltics; as Shiskin would note his father fought one evil, but was manipulated
by another one. Mikhail Shishkin’s prose is noted for being lyrical and
concise, and is considered absorbing in its beautiful language, in which he
contemplates his perennial themes of: life, love, death, and resurrection. He
is favourably compared to great writers like: Anton Chekhov, James Joyce, and
Vladimir Nabokov.
.
Australia & Oceania
–
[ No introduction
is truly needed here, with the same writer included once again. As previously
noted, this one writer is included on the list for geographical purposes, to
maintain a sense of diversity. ]
Gerald
Murnane – Australia – Gerald Murnane is one of those dark horses; a writer only
whispered about, in which a reader comes across more by word of mouth then by
discovering because of the awards he has won, or the movies produced based on
his books. Murnane is the reclusive and legendary writer from Australia. He is
as much a legend, as he is a reclusive and scholarly. He is as much a
startlingly character in which he borders on both hermit and urban legend. It
is often stated his lack of desire to travel has left him homebound to his native
province of Victoria in which he only leaves ‘a handful of times,’ and has
never left Australia. His legendary air only continues in which he taught
himself to read Hungarian. Though he is most well known in Australia, Murnane
has also gathered numerous followings in other countries, especially Sweden.
His prose is noted for being visual, as the act of seeing a noted preoccupation
of the authors work. It is safe to state without reservation, that Gerald
Murnane is not what one would considered a typical Australian writer. He is not
a bush poet; outback survivalist; or surfing crooner; he is spiritual,
legendary, and an almost cult like figure in how he has achieved his literary
success.
Asia & the
Indo-Sub continent –
[ As noted in the
past there is always disappointment with this section of the list, because of
the lack of Indian writers in which I include on it. I continue do research on
writes from this region of the world, and continually find myself a lack of
information on them. This year I had discovered two writers, who I do not
include on the list because of a lack of information. They are: Gurdial Singh,
a Punjab language writer; and Ruskin Bond. What I did find out about Gurdial
Singh, is he as a prose master, with numerous novels and short story
collections to his credit. His literary work focuses on the economically and
socially disenfranchised; as is one of the most celebrated writers of the
Punjab language. Ruskin Bond is a prolific writer, known for his nostalgia
inducing prose, which started with his first novel “The Room on the Roof,”
which was conceived at the age of 17. Bond is also known for his children’s
books, presenting his unique perspective as Anglo-Indian writer into his work
which details, colonial, post-colonial, and post-independence India. This
aspect of the list contains seven (7) new writers out of the twelve (12)
included. ]
[ I would like to
take a moment, and quickly discuss Japan and its literature. On prior lists,
I’ve always attempted to include Japanese writers on the list. In the twentieth
century, Japan produced some of the greatest writers including but not limited
to: Yasunari Kawabata, Yukio Mishima, Ryūnosuke Akutagawa, Jun'ichirō Tanizaki and
Natsume Sōseki. In today’s world the only Japanese writer who is often herald
as a contender for the Nobel Prize for Literature is Haruki Murakami. A notion
in which I contest with, as I do not think Murakami compares with his
predecessors and is rightfully called a lightweight pop novelist. I am under
the impression that Murakami and subsequent similar stylists of his work such
as Banana Yoshimoto; have found success with their novels and short stories
dealing with youthful disillusionment and urban existentialism, as products of
Japan being placed in the state of suburbia in the globalized era, where its
known for: Samsung, Nintendo, anime and now also: Pokémon Go. Nobel Laureate
Kenzaburo Oe stated this fear clearly in a former lecture, where he theorized
Japanese literature is in decline. Not being a Japanese literary scholar, I
cannot comment on whether it is in decline or not; but it does strike me as
interesting that authors who do receive greater appreciation or more
translations often follow in Murakami’s sense of style, in writing for an:
‘international audience.’ In this one will note references to western culture
such as music or films; there is no mention of traditional Japanese items such
as tatami mats, or futons; and characters are most likely to eat instant ramen
noodles or spaghetti. These cultural elements may have been excluded to avoid
alienating foreign readership; yet it does also lose a particular cultural
flavor, and may not represent the traditional or the unique society in which
the culture is based. It’s a frightening concept, in regards to cultural
imperialism in how mass market production is suburbanizing the entire world. As
one recent co-worker who traveled said: it doesn’t matter where you go in this
world, there is a McDonald’s on display, and it’s frightening how the location
and language change, but there is a sense that a saturated idea of consumerism
has become an infectious cariogenic which appears to be destroying either the
novelty of traveling and seeing different countries, or just goes to show
globalization has destroyed cultures in favor of interrelated sense of
connectedness. This often has made it very difficult for me to include Japanese
writers, as I often did my best to stay away from including writers who follow
the international style of Murakami. Often I came across Yōko Ogawa, but failed
to include her in the list, as there are often comparisons between her and
Haruki Murakami. In complying writers from Japan, I strictly wish to exclude
writers who appear to be students or followers of Murakami’s style. However,
Ogawa has been praised by Kenzaburo Oe (a once notable critic of Murakami), and
many other searches of her have also stated she has greater depth then
Murakami. At the moment I cannot comment on either of these assertions, but
will read her recent interlinked short-story/novel, titled “Revenge,” one of
these day and hope to gather a fair opinion of the writer. For now though
Gentle Reader, this year I was able to provide two Japanese writers, who appear
to be writers based off their own merit, and do not follow contemporary trends.
I hope to find future writers to include alongside other writers from the Far
East. ]
Kim
Hyesoon – (South) Korea – Kim Hyesoon is
often defined as a feminist poet. Her poetry is often described as visceral,
grotesque and macabre. Illness and disease, become great metaphors; as well as
scathing images, to describe and criticize both a patriarchal and capitalistic
society of South Korea. Hyesoon’s poetry is the poetry of the outsider, where other
writes, write about love and longing; Hyesoon’s poetry is filled with startling
imagery which criticizes the former South Korean dictatorship and the
neo-colonial capitalistic structure, which now invades and infects society. Kim
Hyesoon’s poetry is not simple, nor does it describe an easy political stance.
Rather her poetry carves societal standards on its own poetic body. The poetry
of Hyesoon is noted for being violent and rallying against oppression in its
protest, all within the words and the tongue of the outsider. Despite the
visceral and grotesque categorization of her poetry, Hyseoon has found success
and admiration from younger poets.
Ambai
(C.S. Lakshmi) – India (Language Tamil) – If it is one thing the Indian, Tamil
language writer knows, its adversity; especially the adversity of being a women
writer in a developing world. She is a renowned fiction writer, known for her
lyrical and profound language, gentle humour of her work, and for portraying
women as the main subject matter of her work. However the writer is also a
noted women studies researcher, creating the SPARROW Archive (Sound &
Picture Archives for Research on Women). Ambia, much like the late Mahasweta
Devi, is known for her writings of social justice, and the unique (if often
oppressed) role of the women in society. She is truly a writer and researcher
who takes an interest in social justice issues, and works towards writing the
human destiny in a more ideal direction, then where it currently finds itself.
Teru
Miyamoto – Japan – Teru Miyamoto is one of Japan’s most widely read
contemporary writers. His earlier works earned many prestigious awards in
Japan; including the Dazi Osamu prize, as well as the prestigious Akutagawa
prize. Miyamoto’s fiction deals with concepts of life, loss, death, and karma;
in the setting of his native Kansai region. The Kansai region in Teru
Miyamoto’s work is noted for its blue collar and working class neighborhoods.
Yet Miyamoto’s work is noted for its pathos and humour, which often gives his
work a greater humanistic feel to it. Miyamoto’s work is known for possessing
autobiographical elements to it, and is immensely popular in Japan, while now
getting greater attention in other Asian countries and languages, as well as
Europe; but remains heavily unknown in the English language.
Hoang
Thi Ý Nhi – Vietnam – Ý Nhi is the recent recipient of the Cikada Award, and is
the first Vietnamese poet to receive the award. The judges praised Hoang Thi Ý
Nhi’s poetry for defending the sanctity of human life. This defense for the
purity and sacred perception of life stems from her experience during the
Vietnam War in which she worked as a journalist. She is considered one of the
greatest postwar (Vietnam War) poets. Ý Nhi’s poetry has gathered great
attention for its emotional appeal and modern form, in which she discusses the
fate of women during the war. Her poetry is identified with its delicate word
choice, the silence of the subject matter, in which a women’s loneliness is
defined by loss; often in the form of love. This has had lead many critics to
note her poetry carries a sorrowful air to it. Hoang Thi Ý Nhi has found
herself translated into many languages, including German, Spanish, French,
Russian as well as English. It is safe bet to say she will soon receive
translations into Swedish as well.
Can
Xue – China – Can Xue is the pen name of Deng Xiaohua. Her pseudonym
contradicts itself, as it means both dirty snow which refuses to melt; and the
purest snow found on the highest peaks. This often contrary side of language
can be seen in her literary work as well, where the surreal and the unconscious
often warps and distorts reality for the characters. Her abstract prose style
and narrative technique have received numerous interpretations over the years.
Many have interpreted Can Xue’s earlier stories as political allegories
depicting the Anti-Rightist movement of China as well as the Cultural
Revolution; though the writer herself has denied all political commentary her
work. Yet Can Xue did directly experience both events. Her father was labeled
as rightist, and the family was tossed in hardship and ended her formal
education. On these grounds Xue is a self-taught writer and literary success
was not easy for the writer either, as many critics once stated she was
certifiably insane, for her unconventional work. Now, Can Xue is one of the
greatest literary exports of China, and is well revered a world away.
Ko
Un – (South) Korea – As previously mentioned in my introduction, Ko Un is often
seen as holding the South Korean dream for a Nobel Prize for Literature. Ko Un
though is a unique poet in world literature. He is noted for writing a variety
of poems from Zen poems, to character sketches, political commentary, as well
as nature poems. Ko Un himself however has had a complicated history. He was
jailed repeatedly by the South Korean dictatorship for his protest and
sentiments for a democratic South Korea. He experienced the Korean War first
hand and worked as grave digger before becoming a Buddhist monk. Ko Un’s poetry varies in forms and subject
matter; but he is well known for his thirty-volume series “Ten Thousand Lives,”
where the poet vowed to remember every individual he met in a poem; this cycle
was completed six years ago in 2010. As in many years prior, Ko Un is
considered a perennial contender.
Anita Desai – India – Anita Desai is
often compared to Virginia Woolf, for introducing the psychological novel
format to India. Though her works are often considered to be written in the
vein of realism, they often delve into the drifting haplessness of worlds on
the brink of extinction. In these regards Desai is not a writer who views the
future as the top of the ladder, but rather views it as a back door found in
ones memories. Memories in her fiction become attempts at discovering something
tangible or prosaic to grasp in order to cease a world vanishing from reality,
with regards to the onslaught of modernity in today’s world. Anita Desia has
been nominated for the Booker Prize three times, but has yet to win. Her work
is also noted for being cosmopolitan in its writing, as her novel “The Zigzag
way,” was set in Mexico.
Shuntaro
Tanikawa – Japan – Tanikawa is considered one of Japan’s most revered and
influential contemporary poets. Contrary to most post-World War II writers in
Japan, whose poetry was characterized by fear, angst, sadness and the looming
cloud of death, Tanikawa wrote began to write in a more progressive and
democratic movement during the nineteen-fifties in Japanese history, as the
allied occupation ended and greater socio-political progression and changes were
commenced that Tanikawa set himself aside from other post-war poets, and added
his poetic voice to a new Japan. Shuntaro Tanikawa’s poetic language is known
for its simplicity and purity of language, along with the honesty of the poets
voice. Along with being a poet Tanikawa is also a noted translator, translating
“The Peanuts,” into Japanese, as well as English rhymes for children into his
native tongue.
Moon
Chung-hee – (South) Korea – Much like Kim Hyesoon, Moon Chung-hee is considered
a feminist poet. However, unlike Hyesoon whose work is visceral and virally
infected; Moon Chung-hee’s poetry is more: politely feminine. Do not consider
‘polite,’ to mean or be lightweight; Chung-hee is still rebellious in her
poetry. Though her themes, are romantic in their conscious meditations on
loves, loss and loneliness, her poetry also began to describe life from a
female perspective, with existential themes, and social awareness; because of
this Moon Chung-hee is considered one of the greatest postwar (post Korean war)
poets of Korea. Moon Chung-hee and her poems changed the direction in which
other female poets, would write and discuss concepts facing their society, and
the feminine place they are subjugated to. To this day Moon Chung-hee is one of
the most reader writers in Korea, win the crystalline language of her poems.
Duong
Thu Huong – Vietnam – Duong Thu Huong is a writer and political dissident in
Communist Vietnam. Huong belonged to the Communist party up until 1989, when
she was expelled from it, for her criticism of corruption within the
government; and was later imprisoned by the government for her highly critical
writings, and was once forbidden to leave the country; but now currently
resides in Paris France. Before the publication ban, Duong Thu Huong was
marveled by the populace as being of their most renowned writers. However,
since her fallout from the Communist party and her exile from Vietnam, her
works have not been published or allowed back into the country; but Huong has
found greater appreciation and acclaim outside of Vietnam. Like most dissident
writers, Duong Thu Huong holds hope for the future of her country, to see
beyond its current state and achieve democracy.
Hwang
Sok-yong – (South) Korea – Much like Ko Un, Hwan Sok-yong observed the
tragedies and realities war, though this time during the Vietnam War, where he
was charged with ‘clean-up,’ operations, where in the individuals involved in
erasing the civilian massacres and burying the dead. This period of Sok-yong’s
life proved to host many philosophical questions for young aspiring writer, as
he was left question the difference between his father’s generation of being
drafted into the Imperial Japanese army in order to strengthen Japans national
interest in the Asian sphere; and his own draft into the American army to
strengthen Americas place in the Asia continent in regards to the Cold War. His
experience in the Vietnam War also allowed him to produce his first famous
short story “The Pagoda.” Sok-yong has been critical about the state of Korea calling
it a “state of homelessness.” Sok-yong is also noted for his political activism
in Korea, in which he championed democratic reforms, organized protests, wrote
pamphlets and plays, as well as hosted a clandestine radio show. Now Hwang
Sok-yong is considered one of the greatest prose writers of South Korea in
which he documents the turbulent 20th century of the nation, being
split, and used as chess piece by larger foreign powers in a game of
international politics.
South America
& Latin America; with the Caribbean –
[ South and Latin
America are moving farther an father away from the Latin American boom writers:
Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Mario Vargas Llosa and Carlos Fuentes. The post-boom writers
have moved further and further away from the perceived elitism of their forebears,
and their magical realism tendency, instead writing in a more simplistic
language, and using more realistic depictions of the world, in which they seek
to represent the everyday layman of South and Latin America. ]
Ricardo
Piglia – Argentina – Ricardo Piglia is one of the most critically acclaimed South
American writers the post-boom generation. Piglia’s work is noted for its
postmodernist tendencies, as his work often take the form of ‘paranoid fiction;
where everyone and every character, is a suspect of the novel, which often
employees the detective novel style and form. Much like Orhan Pamuk with his
two novels: “The Black Book,” and “My Name is Red,” – the detective novel style
and format, is merely a superficial element in which Piglia explores the
hysteria of life and the bombardment of chaos of the modern world.
Rodrigo
Rey Rosa – Guatemala – The late Roberto Bolano praised Rodrigo Rey Rosa as
being one of the best writers of his generation. Rosa is known as a wander lust
writer, as his rootless journeys have taken him across the globe, as well as
under the tutelage of the American expat writer Paul Bowles who would translate
Rosa’s work into English, and Rosa was a literary executor for Bowles after his
death. Rosa’s work is international in style, yet his work is grounded in the
myths of his homeland and that of North Africa. He is not a typecast Latin
American Boom author; but someone who rejects the term or idea of Magical
Realism of Gabriel Garcia Marquez, and instead goes into more mystical realms,
of legend and myth.
Frankétienne
– Hati – In years past Frankétienne was tipped as a possible winner for the
Nobel Prize for Literature. One of Hati’s leading intellectuals and writers,
often referred to as Hati’s “Father of Letters”. His literary work is noted for
its unique use of language in the form of neologisms; but is also ill-mannered
for its depictions of vulgar sexual encounters and violence. His work is noted
for its mystical atmosphere, and its almost voodoo folkloric roots; as I once
put it: Wole Soyinka was writer who was influenced by the Yoruba people’s myths
and folklores; Frankétienne’s mystical heritage (found in his paintings, poetry
and prose) stems from the Hattian voodoo of his country.
Circe Maia – Uruguay – Circe
Maia is a national treasure of Uruguay; though she has lived through political
upheavals that the country has suffered. Her husband was arrested for his
political involvements, and Maia was only spared because she had just given
birth to her youngest daught at the time. The dictatorship and personal tragedy
had once silenced Maia is a poet. However once the civil-military dictatorship fell,
Circe Maia began writing verse once again. Her poetry is noted for being direct
and sombre, and delivered in a conversational manner. She has explained that
poetry is not an act of obscurity or hidden meaning, but rather, poetry is a
showcase of the possibilities of language in its exploration of a multitude of
subjects, emotions, observations and thoughts.
Cesar Aira – Argentina –
There can be no denying Aira’s prolific body of work, in which his industrious
ability as a writer is exemplified by the fact that he is known for churning
out two to four novellas in a year. Aira however is a professor a unique
writing technique, which he refers to as: ‘flight forward,’ where he bypasses
edits and revisions, and begins to change direction of the novella, when he
views the work is headed towards literary or stylistic traps and dangers. Om
this sense Cesar Aira utilizes a sense of literary improvisation when he
writes, where his styles changes, and even the literary genres like pulp
science fiction or a soap opera motif are used to help move the narrative
forward. Cesar Aira is often considered one of the most successful post-boom
and postmodernist writers currently at work in the Spanish language.
In The End:
Closing Thoughts –
There
it is Gentle Reader my Nobel Speculation list of 2016. As previously noted in
my annoucnment and introduction, there is 56 writers listed (three up from last
year); and this was compiled after whittling the list down from over sixty
writers earlier.
Here
are the stats for this year’s list:
A
total of 56 writers
38
of them are male (up four from last year)
18
of them are female (one down from last year)
In
speaking of nation with regards to the writer, on average each country had
either one or two writers listed; two countries in particular have three
authors hailing from it: Estonia and Poland; while only one country (and this
was not intended) has four writers hailing from it: South Korea. The following
list shows the writers from each country.
Estonia – Jaan Kaplinski, Viivi Luik,
and Doris Kareva
Poland – Magdalena Tulli, Adam
Zagajewski, and Olga Tokarczuk
South
Korea – Kim Hyesoon, Ko Un, Moon Chung-hee, and Hwang Sok-yong
It’s
interesting to note: Estonia and Poland have two female writers on their list;
while South Korea has two female and two make writers, and three of the four
writers included, are poets.
On
this year’s list there is a total of 14 new writers included, they are listed
as follows:
Ben
Orki – Nigeria
Abdellatif
Laâbi – Morocco
Jaan
Kaplinski – Estonia
Tua
Forsström – Finland (language Swedish)
Kjell
Askildsen – Norway
Mikhail
Shishkin – Russia
Eduardo
Mendoza Garriga – Spain
Ambia
– India (language Tamil)
Kim
Hyesoon – (South) Korea
Moon
Chung-hee – (South) Korea
Teru
Miyamoto – Japan
Shuntaro
Tanikawa – Japan
Duong
Thu Huong – Vietnam
Hoang
Thi Ý Nhi – Vietnam
One
can note from the above listed of the new writers included, Asia and the Indo-subcontinent
received the most newly acquired writers to be noted
There
is no point in vouching, proclaiming or even beginning to see if any of the
above listed writers have a chance to win the Nobel or not; and that is
certainly not the case. One of the beneficial aspects about the Nobel Prize for
Literature is the ability to discover new writers in waiting for the announcement
to come, as well as seeing and hearing the fierce debates about readers and
their chosen literary champions. One highly speculated thought is will the
Swedish Academy award two female writers in a row; the general consensus has
been this is an unlikely possibility, as the Swedish Academy is notorious for
shying away from predictability, and with the first female Permanente Secretary
of the Swedish Academy currently holding the position, such a move might be
considered predictable. Danius cannot be overlooked just yet, in regards to her
position, it will be interesting to see who this year’s laureate will be, what
literary form they choose to write in, and what is the ‘ideal direction,’ they perpetrate
in their work? Will the writer be well known such as recent laureates: Alice
Munro (2013), Mario Vargas Llosa (2010); or will they be more obscure or less recognized
such as the following laureates: Herta Müller (2009), Patrick Modiano (2014). No
one in particular can comment with absolute authority on this subject matter. Questions
remain also remain in regards to the “African Neglect,” as well as the “Indian
Drought.” Yet the past few years have
been rather exciting for the Swedish Academy, they have recognized well known
writers, they have recognized obscure writers; they’ve broken the gender
barrier with a high ranking position, and earlier this year finally condemned the
fatwa raised against Salman Rushdie; which saw Academy members resign over in
protest.
For
now though Gentle Reader we are left to wait to see who this year’s Nobel
Laureate is; be it perennial contender or dark horse.
Thank-you
For Reading Gentle Reader
Take
Care
And
As Always
Stay
Well Read
M.
Mary
** If you would like to see my introduction and honorable mentions please follow the below link **
