Name: Roger Martin du Gard
Year Won: 1937
Read: The Postman
Original Language: French
Reason: "for the artistic power and truth with which he has depicted human conflict as well as some fundamental aspects of contemporary life in his novel cycle Les Thibault"
About: I did not read Kes Thibault. It's supposedly yet another epic novel about the rise and fall of a family and at this point...no. No. If there is one thing I've learned from this project it's that the Nobel prize committee picks startlingly similar novels every year for a long run and it gets dull.
The Postman follows the titular postman as he observes life in a small village. There's no plot. He describes the various townspeople he meets there and...that's about it.
What I liked: The character sketches are brilliant and well done. There are some wonderfully interesting metaphors. The writing is excellent, even in translation.
What I Disliked: There is no plot. It's just character sketches and more character sketches.
Should it have won a Nobel: It's hard to know, as I didn't read the body of work that was cited in for the Nobel prize. I'm tempted to say "no", as this seems to be a thing during the 30s with the Nobel prize committee. Then again, this might be the GREAT rise and fall of a family epic. (Note: It's not. That would be The Dream of Red Chambers. But it might still be pretty good.)
Next up: "The Good Earth" by Pearl Buck
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