Who will be the next American to win the Nobel Prize for Literature?

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I don't think so...have read one of his books earlier this year and certainly would like to see more in translation.

xyzzzz__, Wednesday, 7 October 2015 14:06 (eight years ago) link

Excellent piece on what those odds are, there is no long list or anything to go with apart from what ppl bet on: http://www.newrepublic.com/article/123058/who-will-win-nobel-prize-literature

So Dag Solstad could win. I am always selfish here -- want to see someone who hasn't been that translated into Eng -- so its Dag or Sergio Pitol (who is actually being translated now).

Lydia Davis is an all-round great personality, writer and translator. Perfect fit for the prize. Then again all notions of what they go for are up in the air. The article recognizes but can't help to play the game, casting writers as this or that, uncomfortably so: Vargas Llosa and Munro are quite popular (these things are so relative when it comes to literature) (and post-Marquez few thought Llosa would get the nod, so not too late for Kundera). Pynchon as weird, its more that he is v comfortable with talking and engaging with pop (conversely enough that's a reason that could discount Murakami too)

Dag would be a perfect reason not to give it to Knausgaard. That's one thing I have noticed, they will often recognise some kind of literature years after, and they'll never give it to the writer who was there 'first' or anything (Beckett for Irish modernism, Kawabata for a certain kind of Japanses lit and not Mishima, Gide instead of Proust, Jelinek instead of Bernhard). Possibly Marquez was the only time where it seemed to be at right person, right moment.

Other US writer would be Harry Mathews. Don't think an Oulipo member has won this so it would reward that tradition. Seems like a gap on Nobel's CV.

xyzzzz__, Wednesday, 7 October 2015 22:46 (eight years ago) link

Now that last would be an interesting choice.

Every time I see this thread title I think of that one Kinks song.

That Thin, Wild Mercury Poisoning (James Redd and the Blecchs), Thursday, 8 October 2015 01:27 (eight years ago) link

Svetlana Alexievich (bookies fave) wins!

xyzzzz__, Thursday, 8 October 2015 11:22 (eight years ago) link

Philip Roth grumbles!

The burrito of ennui (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 8 October 2015 11:33 (eight years ago) link

eh roth is sitting around watching alf reruns w/ mia farrow

balls, Thursday, 8 October 2015 12:01 (eight years ago) link

Svetlana Alexievich, you're a winner

I know some Civil War re-enactors you might want to talk to (Eazy), Thursday, 8 October 2015 18:11 (eight years ago) link

her books sound interesting. especially the oral history ones. dalkey archive put one of them out. i do like that they pick a lot of people i've never heard of or people i know little about. they are always keeping their eye out for the next halldor laxness.

scott seward, Thursday, 8 October 2015 19:29 (eight years ago) link

that petered out. can anyone here tell us more about svetlana? what to read in english? i know there's a couple of soviet lit devotees around.

♛ LIL UNIT ♛ (thomp), Sunday, 11 October 2015 09:43 (eight years ago) link

'has to be' as in 'only book currently in print in english'?

♛ LIL UNIT ♛ (thomp), Sunday, 11 October 2015 11:34 (eight years ago) link

More or less. Complete Review has the state of play:
http://www.complete-review.com/saloon/archive/201510a.htm#sz3

woof, Sunday, 11 October 2015 12:16 (eight years ago) link

This Work?

xyzzzz__, Sunday, 11 October 2015 12:20 (eight years ago) link

Ok the above is from Voice of Chernobyl. There is something else called Zinky Boys as well.

Should get a wider re-issue now

xyzzzz__, Sunday, 11 October 2015 12:22 (eight years ago) link

yeah reading about her work really made want to read it so very happy she won the nobel as it will hopefully mean some english translations coming into print

balls, Sunday, 11 October 2015 14:04 (eight years ago) link

it could be the worst disappointment since that unreadable frenchman from a few years back though

♛ LIL UNIT ♛ (thomp), Monday, 12 October 2015 03:16 (eight years ago) link

le clezio? he was definitely a dud.

as verbose and purple as a Peter Ustinov made of plums (James Morrison), Monday, 12 October 2015 07:44 (eight years ago) link

him, yes. yes.

♛ LIL UNIT ♛ (thomp), Monday, 12 October 2015 14:59 (eight years ago) link

Anyone for Vasil Bykaŭ? http://www.the-tls.co.uk/tls/public/article1618606.ece

xyzzzz__, Monday, 12 October 2015 15:41 (eight years ago) link

Excellent piece at the nyrb: http://www.nybooks.com/blogs/nyrblog/2015/oct/12/svetlana-alexievich-truth-many-voices/

xyzzzz__, Wednesday, 14 October 2015 14:36 (eight years ago) link

one month passes...

Her speech is p/good.

http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/laureates/2015/alexievich-lecture_en.html

xyzzzz__, Wednesday, 9 December 2015 16:11 (eight years ago) link

ten months pass...

Here we go again, mostly the same front-runners as ever.

http://www.nicerodds.co.uk/nobel-prize-in-literature

otm in the rain (Eazy), Sunday, 9 October 2016 19:33 (seven years ago) link

Bonnefoy passed away a couple of months ago.

xyzzzz__, Sunday, 9 October 2016 20:06 (seven years ago) link

Feel like I read something recently about some country or someone thinking their nominee was the favorite because they saw a list of candidates and didn't realize it was in alphabetical order.

Easy, Spooky Action! (James Redd and the Blecchs), Sunday, 9 October 2016 21:58 (seven years ago) link

E.L. James, lol

Einstein, Kazanga, Sitar (abanana), Sunday, 9 October 2016 23:52 (seven years ago) link

Would die if it were Le Guin, but no chance really.

rb (soda), Wednesday, 12 October 2016 21:56 (seven years ago) link

Lol Murakami every single year. Do they ever learn?

Matt DC, Wednesday, 12 October 2016 22:09 (seven years ago) link

They're like the Bob Dylan people. Every year I get really angry when people start going on about how Murakami should win.

I hear from this arsehole again, he's going in the river (James Morrison), Wednesday, 12 October 2016 23:01 (seven years ago) link

Which Bob Dylan people?

LL Cantante (James Redd and the Blecchs), Wednesday, 12 October 2016 23:47 (seven years ago) link

all of them.

scott seward, Wednesday, 12 October 2016 23:56 (seven years ago) link

:) No, every year people put money on Bob Dylan to win the Literature Nobel, because they are morons

I hear from this arsehole again, he's going in the river (James Morrison), Thursday, 13 October 2016 02:28 (seven years ago) link

Somehow I doubt they are wagering more money on Mr. Zimmerman's chances than they can afford to lose. Which would make their wagers a bit less moronic and more a matter of enthusiastic advocacy, however misguided.

a little too mature to be cute (Aimless), Thursday, 13 October 2016 02:31 (seven years ago) link

But it's advocacy which makes no difference since I doubt that the Nobel committee takes their instructions from unibet. And he won't ever win since he's a rubbish "writer". Hence: morons.

I hear from this arsehole again, he's going in the river (James Morrison), Thursday, 13 October 2016 05:09 (seven years ago) link

Sorry. Just that the cultural adulation of both Bob Dylan and Murakami makes me very cross.

I hear from this arsehole again, he's going in the river (James Morrison), Thursday, 13 October 2016 05:10 (seven years ago) link

Dylan deserves the Nobel Prize just for his painting

Foster Twelvetrees (Ward Fowler), Thursday, 13 October 2016 06:36 (seven years ago) link

Well, fuck me, i'm going to go live in a box

I hear from this arsehole again, he's going in the river (James Morrison), Thursday, 13 October 2016 11:02 (seven years ago) link

You have got to be fucking kidding me.

the tightening is plateauing (Le Bateau Ivre), Thursday, 13 October 2016 11:03 (seven years ago) link

Young Thug was robbed.

the tightening is plateauing (Le Bateau Ivre), Thursday, 13 October 2016 11:05 (seven years ago) link

Lol.

Matt DC, Thursday, 13 October 2016 11:09 (seven years ago) link

Go live and your tiny second bookshop, and we'll come visit when we can.

LL Cantante (James Redd and the Blecchs), Thursday, 13 October 2016 11:09 (seven years ago) link

But stay out of your tiny record shop.

LL Cantante (James Redd and the Blecchs), Thursday, 13 October 2016 11:11 (seven years ago) link

America's greatest living poet, Bill "Smokey" Robinson, was robbed.

LL Cantante (James Redd and the Blecchs), Thursday, 13 October 2016 11:12 (seven years ago) link

(Fingers in ears) I CANT HEAR YOU! I CANT HEAR YOU!

I hear from this arsehole again, he's going in the river (James Morrison), Thursday, 13 October 2016 11:12 (seven years ago) link

Time to start the Tarantula ILB book club.

LL Cantante (James Redd and the Blecchs), Thursday, 13 October 2016 11:13 (seven years ago) link

Excellent

Foster Twelvetrees (Ward Fowler), Thursday, 13 October 2016 11:16 (seven years ago) link

What will the next 3 signs of the apocalypse be?

I hear from this arsehole again, he's going in the river (James Morrison), Thursday, 13 October 2016 11:17 (seven years ago) link

Stephen King for 2017

Foster Twelvetrees (Ward Fowler), Thursday, 13 October 2016 11:18 (seven years ago) link

I hope somebody returns their award in protest

legitimate concerns about ducks (Noodle Vague), Thursday, 13 October 2016 11:18 (seven years ago) link

he wrote some pretty class songs imo

niels, Thursday, 13 October 2016 11:18 (seven years ago) link

lol grouchies

The Hon. J. Piedmont Mumblethunder (Dr Morbius), Thursday, 13 October 2016 11:19 (seven years ago) link


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