Name: William Golding
Year Won: 1983
Read: Lord of the Flies
Original Language: English
Reason: "for his novels, which with the perspicuity of realistic narrative art and the diversity and universality of myth, illuminate the human condition in the world of today"
About: Lord of the Flies follows the breakdown of order of a band of pre-teen boys left abandoned on an island. They quickly move from civilization to chaos as charismatic choir leader Jack vies for control with the more rational (and civilized) Ralph.
What I liked: It's short. It's sweet. The writing is beautiful (typical for Nobel laureate books), and the plot zings along at a nice clip. It's also fairly easy to read (Lord of the Flies is generally classified as a young adult book, and definitely is less pretentious than a LOT of the books I've read as part of this project).
What I Disliked: At times, the central message of this book (that the noble savage myth is a myth and that humans will dissolve into chaos without civilization to guide us) feels REALLY heavy handed. It's not helped that the characters often feel more like allegories than like actual humans. (Probably in part due to the omniscent POV, which often robs characters of a bit of their identity, I think.)
Should it have won a Nobel: Yes. There is a reason this is required reading in a TON of schools. It's a really solid book. (As well as one of the few that truly is a great teaching book for late middle schoolers/early high schoolers.)
Next Up: "The Poetry of Jaroslav Seifert" by Jaroslav Seifert
Wednesday, December 14, 2022
Friday, October 28, 2022
One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Name: Gabriel García Márquez
Year Won: 1982
Read: One Hundred Years of Solitude
Original Language: Spanish
Reason: "for his novels and short stories, in which the fantastic and the realistic are combined in a richly composed world of imagination, reflecting a continent's life and conflicts"
About: One Hundred Years of Solitude follows the lives of members of the Buendia family. One's a revolutionary. One is beautifully deadly. Most die. One is born with the tail of a pig.
It's an odd book, that flits between history (actual Columbian revolutions), fantasy, and fiction almost effortlessly. It also dives between the lives of each of the protagonists seemingly at random, dipping first into the life of one, then into the life of her grandmother, then into the life of her son, seemingly without any division between them, as though the past, present, and future are all one ill defined web.
What I liked: I know I'm in for a treat whenever the Nobel Committee selects a Latin American author and this time was no different. One Hundred Years of Solitude is excellent. I think you could take practically any line from it and be like, "wow, that's some good writing".
In addition, it's hard not to be strangely, almost pruiently fascinated, by the goings on of the strange Buendia family. Is one of them fathering 17 sons, all of whom will be executed by firing squad? Sure, why not? Is everyone in love with the beauty, and sure to die soon enough of their strange curse? Also, why not? It's wonderfully soap-y.
What I Disliked: Not really anything. To me, this is a masterpiece.
With that said, for someone who likes plots that, y'know, are linear. Or make sense. Or are conventional. This is going to be a tough read. It meanders all over the place (I think deliberately). While it's never confusing (and I'd say it's generally satisfying - the plots all do wrap up, even if you generally know their outcome before the story starts), it does go EVERYWHERE.
Should it have won a Nobel: This is one of those great classics for a reason. So yes.
Next Up: "Lord of the Flies" by William Golding
Year Won: 1982
Read: One Hundred Years of Solitude
Original Language: Spanish
Reason: "for his novels and short stories, in which the fantastic and the realistic are combined in a richly composed world of imagination, reflecting a continent's life and conflicts"
About: One Hundred Years of Solitude follows the lives of members of the Buendia family. One's a revolutionary. One is beautifully deadly. Most die. One is born with the tail of a pig.
It's an odd book, that flits between history (actual Columbian revolutions), fantasy, and fiction almost effortlessly. It also dives between the lives of each of the protagonists seemingly at random, dipping first into the life of one, then into the life of her grandmother, then into the life of her son, seemingly without any division between them, as though the past, present, and future are all one ill defined web.
What I liked: I know I'm in for a treat whenever the Nobel Committee selects a Latin American author and this time was no different. One Hundred Years of Solitude is excellent. I think you could take practically any line from it and be like, "wow, that's some good writing".
In addition, it's hard not to be strangely, almost pruiently fascinated, by the goings on of the strange Buendia family. Is one of them fathering 17 sons, all of whom will be executed by firing squad? Sure, why not? Is everyone in love with the beauty, and sure to die soon enough of their strange curse? Also, why not? It's wonderfully soap-y.
What I Disliked: Not really anything. To me, this is a masterpiece.
With that said, for someone who likes plots that, y'know, are linear. Or make sense. Or are conventional. This is going to be a tough read. It meanders all over the place (I think deliberately). While it's never confusing (and I'd say it's generally satisfying - the plots all do wrap up, even if you generally know their outcome before the story starts), it does go EVERYWHERE.
Should it have won a Nobel: This is one of those great classics for a reason. So yes.
Next Up: "Lord of the Flies" by William Golding
Wednesday, October 19, 2022
"Auto Da Fe" by Elias Canetti
Name: Elias Canetti
Year Won: 1981
Read: Auto Da Fe
Original Language: German
Reason: "for writings marked by a broad outlook, a wealth of ideas and artistic power"
About: Auto Da Fe supposedly follows a number of people obsessed to the death with something. Depending on the character, they are crazy, wildly, madly obsessed. Which sounds *amazing*.
As it turns out, the writing felt so random and haphazard that I had a hard time figuring out what the plot was, if anything. A boy goes into a bookstore. He talks to a man. There are long descriptive passages, yet nothing seems to happen. It all seems incredibly random.
What I liked: The premise seems really cool. I was never able to grasp it, small minded that I am. But reading the notes made me think, "wow, this seems super cool!"
What I Disliked: I literally had no idea what was going on. Ever. I gave this about 50 pages before being like, "WTF is this?" and returning it to my library. The premise might seem cool, but the story itself was almost impossible to parse, IMO. (And the writing itself struck me as very meh. The first chapter was just a bunch of dialogue with nothing else going on. Like, "hey". "I'm here" "That's good to hear" "I'm glad to hear that" etc. going on seemingly endlessly. I may just not be literary enough for this kind of BS)
Should it have won a Nobel: No. At least not for this. I am done with "let's just do something weird, but talk about it to make it seem special" being seen as special. Like, give the prize to something that's good. There are a LOT of good novels out there. This is...just not one of them.
Next Up: "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel García Márquez (yes!!!!!)
Year Won: 1981
Read: Auto Da Fe
Original Language: German
Reason: "for writings marked by a broad outlook, a wealth of ideas and artistic power"
About: Auto Da Fe supposedly follows a number of people obsessed to the death with something. Depending on the character, they are crazy, wildly, madly obsessed. Which sounds *amazing*.
As it turns out, the writing felt so random and haphazard that I had a hard time figuring out what the plot was, if anything. A boy goes into a bookstore. He talks to a man. There are long descriptive passages, yet nothing seems to happen. It all seems incredibly random.
What I liked: The premise seems really cool. I was never able to grasp it, small minded that I am. But reading the notes made me think, "wow, this seems super cool!"
What I Disliked: I literally had no idea what was going on. Ever. I gave this about 50 pages before being like, "WTF is this?" and returning it to my library. The premise might seem cool, but the story itself was almost impossible to parse, IMO. (And the writing itself struck me as very meh. The first chapter was just a bunch of dialogue with nothing else going on. Like, "hey". "I'm here" "That's good to hear" "I'm glad to hear that" etc. going on seemingly endlessly. I may just not be literary enough for this kind of BS)
Should it have won a Nobel: No. At least not for this. I am done with "let's just do something weird, but talk about it to make it seem special" being seen as special. Like, give the prize to something that's good. There are a LOT of good novels out there. This is...just not one of them.
Next Up: "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel García Márquez (yes!!!!!)
Friday, September 9, 2022
"Selected Poems" by Czesław Miłosz
Name: Czesław Miłosz
Year Won: 1980
Read: Selected Poems
Original Language: Polish
Reason: "who with uncompromising clear-sightedness voices man's exposed condition in a world of severe conflicts"
About: Hey, more poems! Which is to say, do you like poems? I don't know if you do or not, but the Nobel committee sure does!!!
What I liked: It's hard to know how good poetry is since, translation, yo. With that said, I really liked the way in which Milosz evoked an interesting and unique landscape. There was some interesting writing here, with nice, vivid descriptions.
With that said, it's still poetry, so all I've got to go off of are cool descriptions. (I guess there are poets who do more - Rita Dove comes to mind - but not a great many.)
What I Disliked: Not really anything. But poetry is hard to critique. I can't comment on characters or plot or suspense. That's not what this medium does. It's all about is the language unique? Which...IDK? I mean, I don't speak Polish. So...
Should it have won a Nobel: I retain my belief that I can't really evaluate poetry in a langauge that's not my own. I suck at it even in my own language. So...
Next Up: "Auto Da Fe" by Elias Canetti (Which...sure. Let's make no real sense of the spelling.)
Year Won: 1980
Read: Selected Poems
Original Language: Polish
Reason: "who with uncompromising clear-sightedness voices man's exposed condition in a world of severe conflicts"
About: Hey, more poems! Which is to say, do you like poems? I don't know if you do or not, but the Nobel committee sure does!!!
What I liked: It's hard to know how good poetry is since, translation, yo. With that said, I really liked the way in which Milosz evoked an interesting and unique landscape. There was some interesting writing here, with nice, vivid descriptions.
With that said, it's still poetry, so all I've got to go off of are cool descriptions. (I guess there are poets who do more - Rita Dove comes to mind - but not a great many.)
What I Disliked: Not really anything. But poetry is hard to critique. I can't comment on characters or plot or suspense. That's not what this medium does. It's all about is the language unique? Which...IDK? I mean, I don't speak Polish. So...
Should it have won a Nobel: I retain my belief that I can't really evaluate poetry in a langauge that's not my own. I suck at it even in my own language. So...
Next Up: "Auto Da Fe" by Elias Canetti (Which...sure. Let's make no real sense of the spelling.)
Tuesday, August 16, 2022
"Eros, Eros, Eros" by Odysseas Elytis
Name: Odysseas Elytis
Year Won: 1979
Read: Eros, Eros, Eros
Original Language: Greek
Reason: "for his poetry, which, against the background of Greek tradition, depicts with sensuous strength and intellectual clear-sightedness modern man's struggle for freedom and creativeness"
About: "Eros, Eros, Eros" is a collection of poems which, as the name might imply, tend to focus on love. Most are set in with a sweeping Greek backdrop, in which myth and the modern day are mingled.
What I liked: I really enjoyed the sense of the mythic that was imbued within this world. There's something kind of cool about the feeling that the past is real and present everywhere, imbued in everything we do or see.
What I Disliked: There were some lengthy prose sections that felt very meh. Like, I'm here for the poetry. The poetry is what this guy is I guess known for. But, sure, let's discuss some random philosophical stuff poorly, I guess?
Should it have won a Nobel: I have no idea. It's hard enough to evaluate poetry in any language, far less one that's not your native one.
With that said, sure, why not. This isn't any worse than any of the other poets they've awarded the prize to. I don't know that it's any better, either, but...
Next Up: "Selected Poems" by Czesław Miłosz
Year Won: 1979
Read: Eros, Eros, Eros
Original Language: Greek
Reason: "for his poetry, which, against the background of Greek tradition, depicts with sensuous strength and intellectual clear-sightedness modern man's struggle for freedom and creativeness"
About: "Eros, Eros, Eros" is a collection of poems which, as the name might imply, tend to focus on love. Most are set in with a sweeping Greek backdrop, in which myth and the modern day are mingled.
What I liked: I really enjoyed the sense of the mythic that was imbued within this world. There's something kind of cool about the feeling that the past is real and present everywhere, imbued in everything we do or see.
What I Disliked: There were some lengthy prose sections that felt very meh. Like, I'm here for the poetry. The poetry is what this guy is I guess known for. But, sure, let's discuss some random philosophical stuff poorly, I guess?
Should it have won a Nobel: I have no idea. It's hard enough to evaluate poetry in any language, far less one that's not your native one.
With that said, sure, why not. This isn't any worse than any of the other poets they've awarded the prize to. I don't know that it's any better, either, but...
Next Up: "Selected Poems" by Czesław Miłosz
Saturday, July 30, 2022
Zlateh the Goat and Other Stories by Isaac Bashevis Singer
Name: Isaac Bashevis Singer
Year Won: 1978
Read: Zlateh the Goat and Other Stories
Original Language: English (although most of his work apparently was in Yiddish)
Reason: "for his impassioned narrative art which, with roots in a Polish-Jewish cultural tradition, brings universal human conditions to life"
About: "Zlateh the Goat" is one of many short stories in a collection for short children by that name. All take place in rural Jewish communities (I'm guessing in Poland?) and cover silly, colorful characters basically going about their daily lives. A man dreams he is wealthy, eats all the treats for Haunakkah, tries (unsucessfully) to poison himself and is scolded by his wife. An elderly goat is sent to the slaughter, but then saves a child and is treated as a hero. Demons threaten, but never too harshly. These are all cute, if fairly prosaic stories.
What I liked: The short stories are cute and show a fun, rural slice of ordinary life. It's a rather refreshing view of the lives of ordinary people doing relatively ordinary things.
What I Disliked: I'm really not the audience for this book, which I think is mostly the 5-8 set.
Should it have won a Nobel: It's hard to tell. Based on this, no. But clearly children's stories weren't why Singer won the Nobel.
I suspect that, had I read his more "serious" work, I might not have liked it as much. Singer seems like the kind of person that the Nobel committee often awards prizes to because they "feel" this particular sort of thing deserves a prize. With that said, I might very much enjoy his other pieces, too. If nothing else, these stories were definitely enjoyable and not in the least pretentious, which if he extends to his adult novels, would be a refreshing change from many of those I've read as part of this project.
Next Up: "Eros, Eros, Eros" by Odysseas Elytis
Year Won: 1978
Read: Zlateh the Goat and Other Stories
Original Language: English (although most of his work apparently was in Yiddish)
Reason: "for his impassioned narrative art which, with roots in a Polish-Jewish cultural tradition, brings universal human conditions to life"
About: "Zlateh the Goat" is one of many short stories in a collection for short children by that name. All take place in rural Jewish communities (I'm guessing in Poland?) and cover silly, colorful characters basically going about their daily lives. A man dreams he is wealthy, eats all the treats for Haunakkah, tries (unsucessfully) to poison himself and is scolded by his wife. An elderly goat is sent to the slaughter, but then saves a child and is treated as a hero. Demons threaten, but never too harshly. These are all cute, if fairly prosaic stories.
What I liked: The short stories are cute and show a fun, rural slice of ordinary life. It's a rather refreshing view of the lives of ordinary people doing relatively ordinary things.
What I Disliked: I'm really not the audience for this book, which I think is mostly the 5-8 set.
Should it have won a Nobel: It's hard to tell. Based on this, no. But clearly children's stories weren't why Singer won the Nobel.
I suspect that, had I read his more "serious" work, I might not have liked it as much. Singer seems like the kind of person that the Nobel committee often awards prizes to because they "feel" this particular sort of thing deserves a prize. With that said, I might very much enjoy his other pieces, too. If nothing else, these stories were definitely enjoyable and not in the least pretentious, which if he extends to his adult novels, would be a refreshing change from many of those I've read as part of this project.
Next Up: "Eros, Eros, Eros" by Odysseas Elytis
Sunday, July 10, 2022
"Poesia Completa" by Vicente Aleixandre
Name: Vicente Aleixandre
Year Won: 1977
Read: Poesia Completa
Original Language: Spanish
Reason: "for a creative poetic writing, which illuminates man's condition in the cosmos and in present-day society, at the same time representing the great renewal of the traditions of Spanish poetry between the wars"
About: "Poesia Completa" is a poetry anthology (quite long) covering the Aleixandre's poetry. So, as is true for most poetry collections, there is no plot...just poems. They are also all in Spanish, although a simpler, less literary Spanish than a number of the collections I've read.
What I liked: I found the poetry to be beautiful. The metaphors conjured up were often unique and startling. That they often did this simply and readably was a pleasant and enjoyable surprise. Although I haven't finished his anthology (poetry reading is slow...), I suspect I will given time. I really am enjoying his work.
What I Disliked: Nothing, really. I found this to a be a breath of fresh air. Literally.
Should it have won a Nobel: Probably, yes. I get that these are often awarded more because the committee was trying to make a point (I suppose in this case probably thinking that they hadn't properly recognized Spanish literature post civil war or somesuch), but I found these poems to be quite lovely. Of course, I did read them in a language not my own, which may mean that I'm misinterpreting their brilliance (what sounds startling and interesting to a non-native speaker might sound contrived or trite to someone with a better understanding of the language). But I still genuinely liked these, which seems to be an achievement of sorts.
Next Up: "Zlateh the Goat and Other Stories" by Isaac Bashevis Singer
Year Won: 1977
Read: Poesia Completa
Original Language: Spanish
Reason: "for a creative poetic writing, which illuminates man's condition in the cosmos and in present-day society, at the same time representing the great renewal of the traditions of Spanish poetry between the wars"
About: "Poesia Completa" is a poetry anthology (quite long) covering the Aleixandre's poetry. So, as is true for most poetry collections, there is no plot...just poems. They are also all in Spanish, although a simpler, less literary Spanish than a number of the collections I've read.
What I liked: I found the poetry to be beautiful. The metaphors conjured up were often unique and startling. That they often did this simply and readably was a pleasant and enjoyable surprise. Although I haven't finished his anthology (poetry reading is slow...), I suspect I will given time. I really am enjoying his work.
What I Disliked: Nothing, really. I found this to a be a breath of fresh air. Literally.
Should it have won a Nobel: Probably, yes. I get that these are often awarded more because the committee was trying to make a point (I suppose in this case probably thinking that they hadn't properly recognized Spanish literature post civil war or somesuch), but I found these poems to be quite lovely. Of course, I did read them in a language not my own, which may mean that I'm misinterpreting their brilliance (what sounds startling and interesting to a non-native speaker might sound contrived or trite to someone with a better understanding of the language). But I still genuinely liked these, which seems to be an achievement of sorts.
Next Up: "Zlateh the Goat and Other Stories" by Isaac Bashevis Singer
Friday, June 17, 2022
The Adventures of Augie March by Saul Bellow
Name: Saul Bellow
Year Won: 1976
Read: The Adventures of Augie March
Original Language: English
Reason: "for the human understanding and subtle analysis of contemporary culture that are combined in his work"
About: "The Adventures of Augie March" follows Augie March from childhood through adulthood and describes his life. There is no plot. There are no stakes. There is no escalation of stakes. That's basically it. A 600 page description of someone's life.
What I liked: As might be expected, the writing is quite lovely. As might not be expected, but is true, the writing is often quite funny. There's as hint of "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" to this piece. The characters are lively and interesting.
What I Disliked: There is no plot. I get that for whatever reason, literary types seem to hate plot with the blinding passion of a thousand suns. But without it, stories aren't stories so much as seemingly random descriptions of events. That's kind of this. Just a bunch of events, told in sequential order. This means that it never really grips and lets go the way books that have good plots do. (Even fairly bad books with good plots, like, say, "The DaVinci Code". Or hell, even "50 Shades of Grey".)
Should it have won a Nobel: I mean, this is the kind of thing the Nobel committee loves so probably, yes. Do I wish that literary types would concede that the best books have some magical combination of great characters, solid writing, AND a plot? Yes, yes I do. Am I holding my breath on this ever happening? (Laughs uproariously.)
Next Up: "Poesia Completa" by Vicente Aleixandre (entirely in Spanish - ooh!)
Year Won: 1976
Read: The Adventures of Augie March
Original Language: English
Reason: "for the human understanding and subtle analysis of contemporary culture that are combined in his work"
About: "The Adventures of Augie March" follows Augie March from childhood through adulthood and describes his life. There is no plot. There are no stakes. There is no escalation of stakes. That's basically it. A 600 page description of someone's life.
What I liked: As might be expected, the writing is quite lovely. As might not be expected, but is true, the writing is often quite funny. There's as hint of "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" to this piece. The characters are lively and interesting.
What I Disliked: There is no plot. I get that for whatever reason, literary types seem to hate plot with the blinding passion of a thousand suns. But without it, stories aren't stories so much as seemingly random descriptions of events. That's kind of this. Just a bunch of events, told in sequential order. This means that it never really grips and lets go the way books that have good plots do. (Even fairly bad books with good plots, like, say, "The DaVinci Code". Or hell, even "50 Shades of Grey".)
Should it have won a Nobel: I mean, this is the kind of thing the Nobel committee loves so probably, yes. Do I wish that literary types would concede that the best books have some magical combination of great characters, solid writing, AND a plot? Yes, yes I do. Am I holding my breath on this ever happening? (Laughs uproariously.)
Next Up: "Poesia Completa" by Vicente Aleixandre (entirely in Spanish - ooh!)
Friday, June 10, 2022
The Poems of Eugenio Montale
Name: Eugenio Montale
Year Won: 1975
Read: The Selected Poems of Eugenio Montale
Original Language: Italian
Reason: "for his distinctive poetry, which, with great artistic sensitivity, has interpreted human values under the sign of an outlook on life with no illusions"
About: "The Selected Poems" is pretty much what it sounds like - a collection of Montale's poetry. It's poems. Like, 500 pages of them. They are many.
What I liked: The poetry is quite pretty.
What I Disliked: It's poems. Are these poems better than other poems? I don't know. They seemed kind of generic to me, but then again, I can't read Italian, so would likely miss the nuances that make these poems slightly better (or worse) than any other poems.
Should it have won a Nobel: I have no idea. I feel like even asking this with prose is hard. With poetry, it becomes close to impossible. None of these struck me as immortal genius, but then again, that might have been the translator's fault. Or maybe I just don't care much for Montale's poetry for my own reasons.
Next Up: "The Adventures of Augie March" by Saul Bellow
Year Won: 1975
Read: The Selected Poems of Eugenio Montale
Original Language: Italian
Reason: "for his distinctive poetry, which, with great artistic sensitivity, has interpreted human values under the sign of an outlook on life with no illusions"
About: "The Selected Poems" is pretty much what it sounds like - a collection of Montale's poetry. It's poems. Like, 500 pages of them. They are many.
What I liked: The poetry is quite pretty.
What I Disliked: It's poems. Are these poems better than other poems? I don't know. They seemed kind of generic to me, but then again, I can't read Italian, so would likely miss the nuances that make these poems slightly better (or worse) than any other poems.
Should it have won a Nobel: I have no idea. I feel like even asking this with prose is hard. With poetry, it becomes close to impossible. None of these struck me as immortal genius, but then again, that might have been the translator's fault. Or maybe I just don't care much for Montale's poetry for my own reasons.
Next Up: "The Adventures of Augie March" by Saul Bellow
Thursday, February 24, 2022
Dreams of Roses and Fire by Eyvind Johnson
Name: Eyvind Johnson
Year Won: 1974
Read: Dreams of Roses and Fire
Original Language: Swedish
Reason: "for a narrative art, farseeing in lands and ages, in the service of freedom"
About: "Dreams of Roses and Fire" is set in 17th century France and seems to mostly involve nuns being seduced by demons. Seriously. The demons appear to them at night and go absolutely wild. They caress their thighs, they arouse them, they make them cry out in pleasure. I'm fairly sure the demons are supposed to be exorcised as well, but mostly it's nun on demon sex for pages and pages and pages.
What I liked: I mean, who doesn't like some hot demons seducing nuns (who, of course, are always young and nubile).
What I Disliked: I'm not sure that there is a plot. In many ways, this reads almost like fan fiction, in which some hot demons get it on with some hot and sexually frustrated nuns.
Should it have won a Nobel: I always sigh a little when I see that the writer is Swedish. These stories are rarely as good as those where the writer is from literally everywhere else. This is no exception to that rule.
Next Up: "Aniara" Harry Martinson
Year Won: 1974
Read: Dreams of Roses and Fire
Original Language: Swedish
Reason: "for a narrative art, farseeing in lands and ages, in the service of freedom"
About: "Dreams of Roses and Fire" is set in 17th century France and seems to mostly involve nuns being seduced by demons. Seriously. The demons appear to them at night and go absolutely wild. They caress their thighs, they arouse them, they make them cry out in pleasure. I'm fairly sure the demons are supposed to be exorcised as well, but mostly it's nun on demon sex for pages and pages and pages.
What I liked: I mean, who doesn't like some hot demons seducing nuns (who, of course, are always young and nubile).
What I Disliked: I'm not sure that there is a plot. In many ways, this reads almost like fan fiction, in which some hot demons get it on with some hot and sexually frustrated nuns.
Should it have won a Nobel: I always sigh a little when I see that the writer is Swedish. These stories are rarely as good as those where the writer is from literally everywhere else. This is no exception to that rule.
Next Up: "Aniara" Harry Martinson
Monday, February 14, 2022
The Hanging Garden by Patrick White
Name: Patrick White
Year Won: 1973
Read: The Hanging Garden
Original Language: English
Reason: "for an epic and psychological narrative art, which has introduced a new continent into literature"
About: "The Hanging Garden" is about...well, I'm not 100% sure what it's about, seeing as it's unfinished and mostly seems like a series of (very well written) vignettes about a bunch of children and later teenagers. I suppose, maybe, it was supposed to eventually gather a plot. But in its scant 200 pages, it really doesn't.
What I liked: The imagery is sublime. I have literally never read descriptions as innovative as some of them within this book. And the characters are brilliantly crafted.
What I Disliked: There is no plot. None. In one way, I suppose maybe that's a blessing (since otherwise there might be a cliffhanger, seeing as the work is unfinished). But it means that the story just sort of is...there's nothing that propels it forward. (And, in case you're wondering even most psychological novels have some kind of plot. "Mother" had a fairly strong one and "The Old Man and the Sea" at least had some semblance of one. I could at least say what both were about beyond "um, existing, I guess?"
Should it have won a Nobel: For this, no. But really, he was awarded the Nobel for other novels that I'm assuming are more engaging? And his writing is delightful.
Next Up: "Dreams of Roses and Fire" by Eyvind Johnson
Year Won: 1973
Read: The Hanging Garden
Original Language: English
Reason: "for an epic and psychological narrative art, which has introduced a new continent into literature"
About: "The Hanging Garden" is about...well, I'm not 100% sure what it's about, seeing as it's unfinished and mostly seems like a series of (very well written) vignettes about a bunch of children and later teenagers. I suppose, maybe, it was supposed to eventually gather a plot. But in its scant 200 pages, it really doesn't.
What I liked: The imagery is sublime. I have literally never read descriptions as innovative as some of them within this book. And the characters are brilliantly crafted.
What I Disliked: There is no plot. None. In one way, I suppose maybe that's a blessing (since otherwise there might be a cliffhanger, seeing as the work is unfinished). But it means that the story just sort of is...there's nothing that propels it forward. (And, in case you're wondering even most psychological novels have some kind of plot. "Mother" had a fairly strong one and "The Old Man and the Sea" at least had some semblance of one. I could at least say what both were about beyond "um, existing, I guess?"
Should it have won a Nobel: For this, no. But really, he was awarded the Nobel for other novels that I'm assuming are more engaging? And his writing is delightful.
Next Up: "Dreams of Roses and Fire" by Eyvind Johnson
The Casualty by Heinrich Boll
Name: Heinrich Böll
Year Won: 1972
Read: The Casuality
Original Language: German
Reason: "for his writing, which through its combination of a broad perspective on his time and a sensitive skill in characterization has contributed to a renewal of German literature"
About: The Casuality is a series of short stories mostly focusing on the perspectives of normal Germans (especially lowly soldiers) during WWII. They're beautifully written, but stark and depressing. (Which I guess makes sense?) There's a kind of horrible brutality to them - wealthy soldiers buy wounds to get them away from the front lines, soldiers murder an officer who's been promoting aggressive fighting, etc.
What I liked: The writing is beautiful and the themes, while depressing, are interesting, unique, and really powerful. If you want a sense that war is hell well...this collection definitely makes you feel that war is, indeed, hell. (And more so because of how it enables the terrible than just because of the freezing in trenches part.)
What I Disliked: These stories are dark and hard to read.
Should it have won a Nobel: Yes. Boll is a phenomenal writer and these stories feel fresh and unique the way so many others don't. He's phenomenal.
Next Up: "The Hanging Garden" by Patrick White
Year Won: 1972
Read: The Casuality
Original Language: German
Reason: "for his writing, which through its combination of a broad perspective on his time and a sensitive skill in characterization has contributed to a renewal of German literature"
About: The Casuality is a series of short stories mostly focusing on the perspectives of normal Germans (especially lowly soldiers) during WWII. They're beautifully written, but stark and depressing. (Which I guess makes sense?) There's a kind of horrible brutality to them - wealthy soldiers buy wounds to get them away from the front lines, soldiers murder an officer who's been promoting aggressive fighting, etc.
What I liked: The writing is beautiful and the themes, while depressing, are interesting, unique, and really powerful. If you want a sense that war is hell well...this collection definitely makes you feel that war is, indeed, hell. (And more so because of how it enables the terrible than just because of the freezing in trenches part.)
What I Disliked: These stories are dark and hard to read.
Should it have won a Nobel: Yes. Boll is a phenomenal writer and these stories feel fresh and unique the way so many others don't. He's phenomenal.
Next Up: "The Hanging Garden" by Patrick White
Thursday, January 20, 2022
The Lost Neruda Poems
Name: Pablo Neruda
Year Won: 1971
Read: The Lost Neruda Poems
Original Language: Spanish
Reason: "for a poetry that with the action of an elemental force brings alive a continent's destiny and dreams"
About: Do
you
like poems
written
like this?
If so
you
might
like
this collection
Add in some sentimentality (some of which I found almost mawkish), and this is at least this collection of Neruda poems. (I haven't read anything else by him, so can't say whether this is his normal style or something unique to this particular grouping. There may well be a reason these were "lost").
What I liked: There were some pretty images. I guess.
What I Disliked: I found these overly schmultzy, even in the original Spanish. They felt, to me, a bit too much like something that I saw back in the 90s on glittering Geocities pages. Maybe I'm just being cynical, but I wasn't a fan.
Should it have won a Nobel: I didn't care for these poems AT ALL. (And I read them in the original as well as translation, so it's probably not *just* a matter of a bad translator.) I suppose taste is always a thing and a lot of people LOVE Neurda. I, most definitely, do not. So in my opinion, no. Clearly others felt very differently.
Next Up: "The Casuality" by Heinrich Böll
Year Won: 1971
Read: The Lost Neruda Poems
Original Language: Spanish
Reason: "for a poetry that with the action of an elemental force brings alive a continent's destiny and dreams"
About: Do
you
like poems
written
like this?
If so
you
might
like
this collection
Add in some sentimentality (some of which I found almost mawkish), and this is at least this collection of Neruda poems. (I haven't read anything else by him, so can't say whether this is his normal style or something unique to this particular grouping. There may well be a reason these were "lost").
What I liked: There were some pretty images. I guess.
What I Disliked: I found these overly schmultzy, even in the original Spanish. They felt, to me, a bit too much like something that I saw back in the 90s on glittering Geocities pages. Maybe I'm just being cynical, but I wasn't a fan.
Should it have won a Nobel: I didn't care for these poems AT ALL. (And I read them in the original as well as translation, so it's probably not *just* a matter of a bad translator.) I suppose taste is always a thing and a lot of people LOVE Neurda. I, most definitely, do not. So in my opinion, no. Clearly others felt very differently.
Next Up: "The Casuality" by Heinrich Böll
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