Name: Hermann Hesse
Year Won: 1946
Read: Siddharthan
Original Language: German
Reason: "for his inspired writings, which while growing in boldness and penetration, exemplify the classical humanitarian ideals and high qualities of style"
About: "Siddhartha" follows Siddhartha on his quest for enlightment. He meets the Buddha. He also meets another friend who follows the Buddha and seeks enlightment while he, instead, pursues the courtesan Kamala. Eventually he sits by the river and seeks enlightment and finds it after Kamala shows him his son and he sets him free. It's a strange book.
What I liked: The writing is beautiful and it's permeated with an intense sense of spiritual questioning. What makes life worth living? What is enlightment? Which way are there of achieving it? It's really a very thought provoking novel.
What I Disliked: It's a peculiar novel, to put it mildly. It doesn't make a huge amount of sense as a novel from a standard perspective and there's something a bit weird about Siddhartha's hemming and hawing over being with the courtesan. (He very much wants to be with her, but also wants enlightment and...???) I also felt that Kamala could have used a bit more agency. (Although I was pleased that she, too, reached enlightment in the end which makes this feel very progressive for a novel from 1946 and definitely more so than many of the others I've read as part of this project.)
Should it have won a Nobel: Yes. It's a solid novel and holds up well even today. It made me really think, "What is the purpose of life and what am I doing to achieve it?" which is a question most books don't make me question. It's obvious from reading it as to why it's remained well known.
Next Up: Wastelands by Andre Gide
Sunday, March 14, 2021
Tuesday, March 9, 2021
The Poems of Gabriela Mistral
Name: Gabriela Mistral
Year Won: 1945
Read: Selected Poems
Original Language: Spanish (note - read in Spanish and English)
Reason: "for her lyric poetry, which inspired by powerful emotions, has made her name a symbol of the idealistic aspirations of the entire Latin American world"
About: Gabriela's poetry is poetry, so doesn't follow a plot. But it's lyrical, dark, and moving. She speaks movingly of passion - the passion of lovers, the enduring love of children, the pain of heartbreak, of loss, and spirtuality. Throughout it, there's an interesting intersection between the mudane and the spiritual, the divine and ordinary. There's a darkness through all of them as well.
It is also of some interest that Mistral was the first Latin American to win a Nobel prize for literature. (Long overdue!)
What I liked: The poetry is deeply beautiful and there's a thread of darkness that keeps them from feeling trite. In addition, she has a way of choosing words that make you think. (e.g. I rarely hear of a seed being described as violent, but it works in her poetry.
What I Disliked: Not much. Some poems are better than others (as is always the case), but her poetry is breath taking, even in translation. This has been one of my favorites so far. (And, honestly, I prefer her to Yeats.)
Should it have won a Nobel: Yes. Aside from them being long overdue in awarding a Latin American (and that their ratio of men to women has been pretty lopsided so far), Mistral's poetry is truly breathtaking. She deserves all the praise.
Next Up: Sidhartha by Hermann Hesse
Year Won: 1945
Read: Selected Poems
Original Language: Spanish (note - read in Spanish and English)
Reason: "for her lyric poetry, which inspired by powerful emotions, has made her name a symbol of the idealistic aspirations of the entire Latin American world"
About: Gabriela's poetry is poetry, so doesn't follow a plot. But it's lyrical, dark, and moving. She speaks movingly of passion - the passion of lovers, the enduring love of children, the pain of heartbreak, of loss, and spirtuality. Throughout it, there's an interesting intersection between the mudane and the spiritual, the divine and ordinary. There's a darkness through all of them as well.
It is also of some interest that Mistral was the first Latin American to win a Nobel prize for literature. (Long overdue!)
What I liked: The poetry is deeply beautiful and there's a thread of darkness that keeps them from feeling trite. In addition, she has a way of choosing words that make you think. (e.g. I rarely hear of a seed being described as violent, but it works in her poetry.
What I Disliked: Not much. Some poems are better than others (as is always the case), but her poetry is breath taking, even in translation. This has been one of my favorites so far. (And, honestly, I prefer her to Yeats.)
Should it have won a Nobel: Yes. Aside from them being long overdue in awarding a Latin American (and that their ratio of men to women has been pretty lopsided so far), Mistral's poetry is truly breathtaking. She deserves all the praise.
Next Up: Sidhartha by Hermann Hesse
Wednesday, March 3, 2021
The Long Journey - Johannes Jensen
Name: Johannes V. Jensen
Year Won: 1944 (Note that the Nobel wasn't awarded during WWII. Hence the reason for the huge break!)
Read: The Long Journey
Original Language: Danish
Reason: "for the rare strength and fertility of his poetic imagination with which is combined an intellectual curiosity of wide scope and a bold, freshly creative style"
About: "The Long Journey" follows a number of *important men* as they create civilization. This goes from the first book ("Fire and Ice"), in which a GREAT MAN (named Carl, LOL) discovers fire, to the novels in which Columbus discovers civilization (Yeah...I mean, Columbus did not discover a great untouched paradise, but that's more or less the way this story goes.)
What I liked: The writing for this really is quite lyrical and lovely, even in translation. I could see how it could be fun to read. Kind of like a super dude-bro Clan of the Caveman where GREAT THINGS are DISCOVERED by GREAT PEOPLE. It's well written and pleasantly melodramatic.
What I Disliked: It's such, such SUCH a period of its time. Carl (seriously, who names a cave dude CARL? Esp. when his wife is only described as "Ma"?) is adored and worshipped since, duh, he's a cave dude bringing fire to his people. What's not to like? (Maybe, like, the time he lames a girl for no explicable reason other than that she's there and he wants to make a point to her clan, so he graphically destroys her ankle. But, c'mon, this is CARL! CARL! He's giving us fire without a volcano, y'all. We ought to be grateful to him no matter what he does to our people...)
I honestly couldn't get through this one. It feels like this weird mix of Randian superheroism imposed upon history. In retrospect, it feels pretty damned gross. But I am willing to say that the hero worshipping of a random dude bro (CARL!) would have been far less jarring when it was published. So am trying to withold some of my scorn.
Should it have won a Nobel: It is very much a product of its time. As such, it's hard to say. It's a unique novel, and the writing is REALLY good. But it also feels ickier even than a number of writings that are now heavily disputed (looking at you, Kipling). So it probably earned its award, but also is a sign that the past can't predict the future.
Next Up: Selected poems from Gabriela Mistral
Year Won: 1944 (Note that the Nobel wasn't awarded during WWII. Hence the reason for the huge break!)
Read: The Long Journey
Original Language: Danish
Reason: "for the rare strength and fertility of his poetic imagination with which is combined an intellectual curiosity of wide scope and a bold, freshly creative style"
About: "The Long Journey" follows a number of *important men* as they create civilization. This goes from the first book ("Fire and Ice"), in which a GREAT MAN (named Carl, LOL) discovers fire, to the novels in which Columbus discovers civilization (Yeah...I mean, Columbus did not discover a great untouched paradise, but that's more or less the way this story goes.)
What I liked: The writing for this really is quite lyrical and lovely, even in translation. I could see how it could be fun to read. Kind of like a super dude-bro Clan of the Caveman where GREAT THINGS are DISCOVERED by GREAT PEOPLE. It's well written and pleasantly melodramatic.
What I Disliked: It's such, such SUCH a period of its time. Carl (seriously, who names a cave dude CARL? Esp. when his wife is only described as "Ma"?) is adored and worshipped since, duh, he's a cave dude bringing fire to his people. What's not to like? (Maybe, like, the time he lames a girl for no explicable reason other than that she's there and he wants to make a point to her clan, so he graphically destroys her ankle. But, c'mon, this is CARL! CARL! He's giving us fire without a volcano, y'all. We ought to be grateful to him no matter what he does to our people...)
I honestly couldn't get through this one. It feels like this weird mix of Randian superheroism imposed upon history. In retrospect, it feels pretty damned gross. But I am willing to say that the hero worshipping of a random dude bro (CARL!) would have been far less jarring when it was published. So am trying to withold some of my scorn.
Should it have won a Nobel: It is very much a product of its time. As such, it's hard to say. It's a unique novel, and the writing is REALLY good. But it also feels ickier even than a number of writings that are now heavily disputed (looking at you, Kipling). So it probably earned its award, but also is a sign that the past can't predict the future.
Next Up: Selected poems from Gabriela Mistral
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