Name: Boris Pasternak
Year Won: 1958
Read: "Doctor Zhivago"
Original Language: Russian
Reason: "for his important achievement both in contemporary lyrical poetry and in the field of the great Russian epic tradition"
About: To be honest, I'd have a hard time saying exactly what "Doctor Zhivago" is about. This is in part due to its enormous cast of charaters, in part due to the plot more or less changing every "act" (think chapter - they're not super long).
To the extent that "Doctor Zhivago" is about anything, it's about the upheaval of the Russian world after the Soviet Union, told very realistically. (There is a hint of a love story between two characters, but it's pretty subdued.
What I liked: It's fascinating (and kind of depressing) to read about what revolution is like to ordinary people who don't care much about the politics of it. It SUCKS. (And perhaps this should be required reading for everyone who wants to bring about the great revolution.)
What I Disliked: It is really, really, REALLY hard to follow this book due to the huge numbers of characters, the seemingly lack of plot, etc. It's annoying.
Should it have won a Nobel: I'm torn. On one hand, this was a greatly influential book. On the other, it's (in my opinion), not an especially good book.
Next Up: "Anabasis" by Saint-John Perse (my library has nothing by Salvatore Quasimodo)
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