Hello
Gentle Reader
[
I: Introduction ]
Autumn
is in full blaze: the leaves have changed, the air is clear, the nights are
cool, and the stars are more present. For me, autumn and spring are
interchangeable seasons. Spring is budding and leafing into being and
existence, as the icy claws of winter retreat, the world looks dead and wasted,
until closer inspection at the details, revel the rejuvenation. Autumn on the
contrary, is not budding into existence; rather it’s mature and ripe, leaving
with a flick of the branch and the tumble of a leaf. The two seasons are
transitory in nature. Spring heralds the summer: a time of sun and fun;
blooming flowers, and shady trees; everything is enveloped in the thin
cellophane of joy, with all the added hustle and bustle that inevitably goes
along with it. Autumn, by comparison, only trumpets for winter: a time when the
world slinks into darkness and the ground freezes into hibernation. One of the
most endearing events of autumn, is the Nobel announcements; those glittering
gold medals, which signify the achievement of mankind’s greatest endeavors in
the fields of: Medicine, Physics, Chemistry, Literature, and Peace (as well as
Economics, though this award was created after Alfred Nobel’s death, and was
not originally signified in his will). The awards themselves are considered the
high point and at the forefront of the advancement of the human race in their
respective fields, be it the advocacy of peace, medical breakthroughs, new understandings and ways in which to look at
the world and life; as well as the enduring spirit of literature, creativity,
and ingenuity of mankind’s ability to codify, represent, understand, and
present the world through the use of language, while transcending linguistic
and cultural barriers, in describing the human experience, in its tumultuous
wonders.
This
year’s Speculation for the Nobel Prize for Literature, has been muted. This
being said, what has been discovered has been as lively, as those in years
past. The enjoyment renews the prizes interests. This being said, many have noted
there is a lot hesitation with where the award stands now; and by that, they
mean with regards to Pandora’s Box being thrust open, as the Swedish Academy,
has sought and desired to broaden the perspective of: what literature is; what
it encompasses; what it incorporates; and what it envelopes. As we have seen in
the past two years, the Swedish Academy, made unique decisions, by awarding a
writer, who has been described as a journalist (though slightly different), as
well as a musician. The box is open, Gentle Reader, and it’s a free for all
now.
A
Swedish magazine (or online publication) Bon
has released its satirical list of possible contenders for the Nobel Prize for
Literature, over the next couple of years; considering the Swedish Academy’s
desire to broaden the definition of literature. Their list (and speculated
citations) is as follows: [ please be aware the list is originally Swedish, and
the following is a rough translation. ]
Aaron
Sorkin – 2017 – ‘Because he renewed the TV dialogue.”
Alan
Moore – 2018 – “For His elevation of the graphic novel/comic book to important
culture.”
Jenny
Holzer – 2019 – “ Because she shows that art can be literature and not the
other way around.”
Dan
Savage – 2020 – “Because he made great literature out of sex counselling.”
Miuccia
Prada – 2021 – “Because she shows that fashion is literature that does not need
words.”
RuPaul
– 2022 – “For her reading of other queens.”
Kim
Kardashian West – 2023 – “For her body language.”
The
Awl – 2024 – “The newsletter is literary nowadays.”
TBWA
\ Chiat \ Day – 2025 – “For Apple's Advertising Logo, Think Different."
Shigetaka
Kurita – 2026 – [the creator of emoji’s] citation [emoji’s]
Imagine
that, Gentle Reader, RuPaul sashaying down the blue carpet at the Nobel
Ceremony to collect the Nobel medal and diploma.
Humour
and jokes aside; the above list, does present the uncertainty of where the
Nobel Prize for Literature stands right now, as a high literary award. In years
past, the award was hit and miss, the consolation was of course: at least the
winner was a writer. Now one can only have cautious expectations, with hesitant
excitement, as one wonders who the laureate will be.
Yet,
despite the hesitant and cautious air surrounding this year’s Nobel Prize for
Literature, the discussion has been riddled with vigor, with high spirited
discussions, heated debates, and of course the heartwarming resilience in the
face of uncertainty. Personally, formulating and drafting, my personal
speculative list this year, was an enjoyable task; with the entire discovery,
research, and writing involved. It only proved that there is great writers out
there, still producing the highest pedigree of literature; showcasing, that
literature is neither dead nor dying. Perhaps underappreciated and overlooked,
but it’s still there, thriving and relevant as ever, to those who choose to
hunt it down, scavenge for it, and devour it.
[
II: The Betting Lists ]
NicerOdds, Ladbrokes, and fellow company; are
considered—in general terms—the barometers for the Nobel Prize for Literature
speculation. Despite this, they were late (by previous standards) in putting up
the odds for this years speculated writers. Though once they were up, the usual
candidates were at the forefront of speculation for this year’s Nobel Prize for
Literature. As follow are the favoured writers for this year’s Nobel Prize for
Literature:
NicerOdds –
Ngugi
Wa Thiong'o – (highest odds) 5.50 (lowest odds) 5.00
Haruki
Murakami – (highest odds) 6.00 (lowest odds) 3.50
Margaret
Atwood – (highest odds) 7.50 (lowest odds) 7.00
Amos
Oz – (highest odds) 11.00 (lowest odds) 7.00
Adunis
– (highest odds) 13.00 (lowest odds) 11.00
Claudio
Magris – (highest odds) 15.00 (lowest odds) 11.00
Yan
Lianke – (highest odds) 15.00 (lowest odds) 11.00
Javiar
Marias – (highest odds) 20.00 (lowest odds) 11.00
Jon
Fosse – (highest odds) 25.00 (lowest odds) 18.00
Ko
Un – (highest odds) 30.00 (lowest odds) 17.00
Ismail
Kadare – (highest odds) 25.00 (lowest odds) 21.00
László
Krasznahorkai – (highest odds) 31.00 (lowest odds) 21.00
Ladbrokes –
Ngugi
Wa Thiong'o – 5.00
Haruki
Murakami – 6.00
Margaret
Atwood – 7.00
Amos
Oz – 11.00
Adunis
– 13.00
Claudio
Magris – 11.00
Yan
Linake – 15.00
Javiar
Marias – 11.00
Jon
Fosse – 19.00
Ko
Un – 17.00
Ismail
Kadare – 21.00
László
Krasznahorkai – 21.00
Betson –
Ngugi
Wa Thiong'o – 5.50
Haruki
Murakami – 4.50
Margaret
Atwood – 7.00
Amos
Oz – 7.00
Adunis
– 11.00
Claudio
Magris – 15.00
Yan
Linake – 11.00
Javiar
Marias – 20.00
Jon
Fosse – 25.00
Ko
Un – 30.00
Ismail
Kadare – 25.00
László
Krasznahorkai – 30.00
[
The following writers are further down on the betting sites lists ]
NicerOdds –
Doris
Kareva – (highest odds) 40.00 (lowest odds) 34.00
Dubravka
Ugrešic – (highest odds) 40.00 (lowest odds) 34.00
Tahar
Ben Jelloun – (highest odds) 40.00 (lowest odds) 34.00
Peter
Nadas – (highest odds) 41.00 (lowest odds) 29.00
Kjell
Askildsen – (highest odds) 41.00 (lowest odds) 34.00
Gerald
Murnane – (highest odds) 51.00 (lowest odds) 25.00
Adam
Zagajewski – (highest odds) 51.00 (lowest odds) 34.00
Mircea
Cartarescu – (highest odds) 51.00 (lowest odds) 34.00
Leonard
Nolens – (highest odds) 51.00 (lowest odds) 50.00
Sirkka
Turkka – (highest odds) 51.00 (lowest odds) 50.00
Jaan
Kaplinski – (highest odds) 67.00 (lowest odds) 51.00
Tua
Forsstrom – (highest odds) 67.00 (lowest odds) 60.00
Ladbrokes –
Doris
Kareva – 34.00
Peter
Nadas – 29.00
Kjell
Askildsen – 34.00
Gerald
Murnane – 51.00
Adam
Zagajewski – 34.00
Mircea
Cartarescu – 34.00
Leonard
Nolens – 51.00
Jaan
Kaplinski – 51.00
Betson –
Doris
Kareva – 40.00
Dubravka
Ugrešic – 40.00
Tahar
Ben Jelloun – 40.00
Peter
Nadas – 40.00
Kjell
Askildsen – 40.00
Gerald
Murnane – 25.00
Adam
Zagajewski – 50.00
Mircea
Cartarescu – 50.00
Leonard
Nolens – 50.00
Sirkka
Turkka – 50.00
Jaan
Kaplinski – 60.00
Tua
Forsstrom – 60.00
Despite
the betting sites and their lists being considered the barometers for assisting
speculation of the Nobel Prizes, they should always be taken with a grain of
salt, as its betters who influence and shift the odds with the lists. Who these
betters are, what information, knowledge and criteria they have in order to
make their bet is unknown; and therefore caution should be exercised when
displaying the list, as anything beyond speculation. To prove this point, the
betting sites list numerous deceased writers, such as: John Ashbery; (removed
now) Yevgeny Yevtushenko, Karel Schoeman, and Juan Goytisolo. As well, they do
list: Kanye West, Donald Trump, and George R. R. Martin with extremely unlikely
odds.
The
lists themselves have not adjusted or changed since last year. They retain the
same anemic conventional status quo of past years with: Ngugi Wa Thiong'o and
Haruki Murakami topping the lists as the most likely candidate to become this
year’s Nobel Laureate in Literature. Perhaps the only oddity out of the bunch
is: Margaret Atwood. Two-thousand and seventeen, has seen a renewed interest in
the work of Margaret Atwood, due to the television adaption of her most
well-known novel: “The Handmaid’s Tale.” The television adaption and the novel
were picked up by many young women and other protestors, as a symbol of
feminist resistance against the misogynistic rhetoric displayed by the current
President of the United States of America. The red cloaks and white blinders
have been donned by protestors as they have entered legislatures, where
legislation was debated, with regards to women rights, and reproductive rights.
Since the adaption, Margaret Atwood has found herself once again in a position,
where many solicit her opinion and prophetic pearls of wisdom, to either quell
the fear of a fascist America or to strike the flint to light the kindling of
revolution.
Always
the social conscious writer (from feminism to environmentalism) Margaret
Atwood, has always been delicate and neutral when discussing explosive issues
that are social and political in nature. Atwood has always danced cautiously,
expressing her work as fiction, but always foreshadowing that her warnings may
seem like fantasies in the present, but the future is less than forgiving of
present ignorance or apathy. Since the resurging interest in Margaret Atwood
and her novels, Atwood has been on a prize parade receiving: the Franz Kafka
Prize and the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade.
Awards
and television adaptions (“The Handmaid’s Tale,” and more recently “Alias
Grace,”) as well as numerous awards, does not mean a writer has the guarantee
of securing the Nobel Prize for Literature. Social engagement and a keen eye
for political discourse, however, does not always hurt, as long as you’re on
the ‘right side.’ Margaret Atwood is a unique writer, due to her prolific
bibliography, where she has written in a variety of literary formats, such as:
novels, short stories, poetry, libretti, non-fiction (with essays varying from
Canadian literature, to economics), to Children’s literature, and recently
comic books. Though her work and her writing is industrial in scale, socially
conscious and politically aware in themes, Margaret Atwood’s output is often
uneven in quality, reminiscent of Doris Lessing—the titanic writer who with
fiery vision and cold analysis vivisected the latter half of the twentieth
century, through its social upheavals and political disgraces. Personally, I
find Margaret Atwood warmer in tone and more agreeable in digestive terms; yet,
I enjoy the abrasive no nonsense attitude of Doris Lessing, with her schoolmarm
sharpness as she suffers no fool kindly, reader or otherwise.
The
general consensus and overview of this years speculated candidates for this
year’s Nobel Prize for Literature are the usual uninspiring suspects: Ngugi Wa Thiong'o, Haruki Murakami, and
Margaret Atwood. It would of course be preferable for none of these three to
win the award, and it go to some obscure writer, who has remained hidden in the
wood work. Perhaps that would clear the air of the Nobel Prize for Literature
and once again keep speculators, viewers, readers, and critics on their toes;
and of course: the usual “[blank] Who?” is always good for a laugh; nothing
screams insularity, like hooting like an owl.
[
III: The End ]
The
betting lists have released their thoughts, speculation is well on its way; and
now, Gentle Reader, we wait for the announcement date. As per tradition, the
Swedish Academy, will set the date later; though the other Nobel Prizes have
already set their dates, starting with Medicine being announced on Monday,
October 2nd, followed by Physics on Tuesday, October, 3rd,
then Chemistry on Wednesday, October 4th, the Peace Prize on Friday,
October 6th; and the Economics award will be announced on Monday,
October 9th. By tradition we do know the announcement for the Nobel
Prize for Literature will be announced on a Thursday, and the Swedish Academy
will make an announcement date on a Monday. In other words: either the Nobel
Prize for Literature will be announced on either October 5th (next
Thursday) or October 12th the following Thursday. If the announcement
is delayed like last year, there can be adequate speculation that their maybe
internal strife within the Swedish Academy, and an inability to come to a
majority consensus with regards to the Literature Laureate for the year. Last
year, the Academy started the award was delayed to due to a mathematical within
the Swedish Academy bylaws. On that note: here’s hoping this year’s Nobel Prize
for Literature will be announced next week, on October 5th.
On
one final note Gentle Reader, it is usually proposed to me, as to who sits on
my own personal shortlist for the Nobel Prize for Literature. With seventy-six
writers listed, one is usually under the impression there is plenty of wiggle
room; but alas there is so many writers, and it is often difficult to boil it
down to a select few writers. Yet the following two lists (one for prose and
one for poetry; showcase the writers, I am—at the moment—rooting for). The
listed authors are not listed in any particular order.
Prose
–
Ersi
Sotiropoulos – Greece
Jon
Fosse – Norway
Gyrðir
Elíasson – Iceland
Can
Xue – China
Bahaa
Taher – Egypt
Ibrahim
al-Koni – Libya
Poetry
–
Doris
Kareva – Estonia
Sirkka
Turkka – Finland
Tua
Forsström – Finland (language Swedish
Ý
Nhi (Hoang Thi Ý Nhi) – Vietnam
Kim
Hyesoon – (South) Korea
Kamau
Brathwaite – Barbados
Those
these are my lists today, they may change tomorrow. Fleur Jaeggy sits on my
tongue, alongside Yoko Ogawa, who I see as a better substitute for Haruki
Murakami (though the English language needs more translations); I ponder about Henrik
Nordbrandt, with Sergio Pitol; Magdalena Tulli always rises from the banks of
creation, and deep in my consciousness Olga Tokarczuk springs from Primeval. I
wonder about Li Ang and Yang Mu, while the verse of Moon Chung-hee is subtle and its fragrance lingers in ones mind; I am growing more curious about Duong Thu
Huong, and my thoughts circle around to Mia Couto and Pepetela who is difficult
to find. So many writers Gentle Reader, it is often quite difficult to decide
who takes priority and favour over another.
For
now though Gentle Reader, we wait in careful anticipation. Who will be the
lucky writer to receive the golden Stockholm call? Only the coming week(s) will
tell.
Thank-you
For Reading Gentle Reader
Take
Care
And
As Always
Stay
Well Read
M.
Mary
For
further reading please see the following links:
The
betting sites list:
Bon
magazine’s satirical list of future Nobel Laureates in Literature:
My
Annoucnement for this years Nobel Prize for Literature Speculation List:
My
Nobel Prize for Literature Speculation List for 2017:
Thanks for the posts during this Nobel season. As always, very insightful and educational. Glad you were able to enjoy Yang Mu's poetry this year!
ReplyDelete- CY
Hello CY,
DeleteIts good to you hear from you again! Thank-you for the comment, and thank-you for making me aware of Yang Mu!
M. Mary