Name: Elfriede Jelinek
Year Won: 2004
Read: Greed
Original Language: German
Reason: "for her musical flow of voices and counter-voices in novels and plays that with extraordinary linguistic zeal reveal the absurdity of society's clichés and their subjugating power"
About: Greed follows a policeman's investigation of a murder, as well as the life of a woman he seduces.
What I liked: My god does this have voice. Every sentence is brimming with a strong, sure, intense voice. If you want a book that is basically "fuck the patriarchy" written large, this is it. Page after page after page of "fuck the patriarchy".
What I Disliked: One of the problems I often have with super voice-y novels is that, even under the best of circumstances, the voice can start to wear after a point. What, for 500 words, is an interesting peak into someone else's mind, after 5k starts feeling almost painful.
That's even more true when the voice is as aggressive and angry as the voice that Jelinek uses.
To make things maybe even harder to read, almost none of the story is told in anything other than voice. There are virtually no passages in which, say, the protagonist engages in dialogue or action or describes things. Instead it's all, "One has to know the secret of how to get a good grip on women. One doesn't absolutely have to be a doctor in order to slit people open, but it would be better if one were, if one wants to find the serpent in the stomach, which once led us astray, the evil one, where else it should be:" Like, I get the desire for voice, but c'mon. Balance it with something else at least occasionally for variety!
Should it have won a Nobel: This is the kind of thing the Nobel committee likes, so sure.
Next Up: "Death, Etc." by Harold Pinter
Sunday, December 3, 2023
Tuesday, November 14, 2023
The Pole by John Maxwsell Coetzee
Name: John Maxwell Coetzee
Year Won: 2003
Read: The Pole
Original Language: English
Reason: "who in innumerable guises portrays the surprising involvement of the outsider"
About: The Pole is a short (very short) novel about the seduction of a beautiful young woman by an elderly pianist. That's pretty much it.
What I liked: It was beautifully descriptive and did a great job of merging the world of art with the history of Poland while also telling the story of a romance. It was the kind of thing that read well on a superficial level (a romance), but also on a deeper, more allegorical level.
What I Disliked: The story was all very distant. Like, "the woman is sitting" etc. Which made it feel a bit contrived to me? Like, "hey, let's play with some weird narrative formats just because we can."
The story also had a lot of the issues I see when men write women. They don't seem to inherently get them. Like, the pianist is absolutely *floored* that a woman half his age isn't leaping into bed with him. But, of course, she does anyway, because I guess his art and debonair charm overcomes him, y'know, being twice her age. *eye roll*
Should it have won a Nobel: Coetzee is a good writer, I will give him that. I also doubt he won for this, so it's probably immaterial. From this alone, I'd probably say no, but I can see how him writing on another subject (particularly one pertaining to his home country of South Africa) would check all the right boxes.
Next Up: "Greed" by Elfriede Jelinek
Year Won: 2003
Read: The Pole
Original Language: English
Reason: "who in innumerable guises portrays the surprising involvement of the outsider"
About: The Pole is a short (very short) novel about the seduction of a beautiful young woman by an elderly pianist. That's pretty much it.
What I liked: It was beautifully descriptive and did a great job of merging the world of art with the history of Poland while also telling the story of a romance. It was the kind of thing that read well on a superficial level (a romance), but also on a deeper, more allegorical level.
What I Disliked: The story was all very distant. Like, "the woman is sitting" etc. Which made it feel a bit contrived to me? Like, "hey, let's play with some weird narrative formats just because we can."
The story also had a lot of the issues I see when men write women. They don't seem to inherently get them. Like, the pianist is absolutely *floored* that a woman half his age isn't leaping into bed with him. But, of course, she does anyway, because I guess his art and debonair charm overcomes him, y'know, being twice her age. *eye roll*
Should it have won a Nobel: Coetzee is a good writer, I will give him that. I also doubt he won for this, so it's probably immaterial. From this alone, I'd probably say no, but I can see how him writing on another subject (particularly one pertaining to his home country of South Africa) would check all the right boxes.
Next Up: "Greed" by Elfriede Jelinek
Thursday, October 26, 2023
Dossier K by Imre Kertész
Name: Imre Kertész
Year Won: 2002
Read: Dossier K
Original Language: Hungarian
Reason: "for writing that upholds the fragile experience of the individual against the barbaric arbitrariness of history"
About: Dossier K is Imre's autobiography, told as a dialogue between himself and...himself. It's pretty strange.
What I liked: It's a very interesting idea to write an autobiography as a dialogue. Just saying. Also Imre's life is fascinating. He's a Holocaust survivor who lived under Hungary's totalitarian communist regime. So he's got quite a bit to say.
What I Disliked: The dialogue format, IMO, works better as a high concept idea than in practice. It makes the writting really jumbled and jump about in a way that, IMO, robs the story of much of its power. Which feels all the more a shame as Imre's life truly is fascinating.
Should it have won a Nobel: I don't think he won it for this, so sure. FWIW, despite that I really hated the format of this story, when the story wasn't jumping around, it was incredibly riveting. Even details like his parents' divorce (normally not that exciting of a topic) was pretty cool in this as Imre Kertesz is a natural storyteller. So yeah, he probably deserved the prize. And if I can find an autobiography of his that's less scattered, I'd definitely be happy to read it.
Next Up: "The Pole" by John Maxwell Coetzee
Year Won: 2002
Read: Dossier K
Original Language: Hungarian
Reason: "for writing that upholds the fragile experience of the individual against the barbaric arbitrariness of history"
About: Dossier K is Imre's autobiography, told as a dialogue between himself and...himself. It's pretty strange.
What I liked: It's a very interesting idea to write an autobiography as a dialogue. Just saying. Also Imre's life is fascinating. He's a Holocaust survivor who lived under Hungary's totalitarian communist regime. So he's got quite a bit to say.
What I Disliked: The dialogue format, IMO, works better as a high concept idea than in practice. It makes the writting really jumbled and jump about in a way that, IMO, robs the story of much of its power. Which feels all the more a shame as Imre's life truly is fascinating.
Should it have won a Nobel: I don't think he won it for this, so sure. FWIW, despite that I really hated the format of this story, when the story wasn't jumping around, it was incredibly riveting. Even details like his parents' divorce (normally not that exciting of a topic) was pretty cool in this as Imre Kertesz is a natural storyteller. So yeah, he probably deserved the prize. And if I can find an autobiography of his that's less scattered, I'd definitely be happy to read it.
Next Up: "The Pole" by John Maxwell Coetzee
Monday, October 16, 2023
A Bend in the River by V.S. Naipaul
Name: V.S. Naipaul
Year Won: 2001
Read: A Bend in the River
Original Language: English
Reason: "for having united perceptive narrative and incorruptible scrutiny in works that compel us to see the presence of suppressed histories"
About: A Bend in the River is the story of an Indian man in an African nation. He travels inland from the more urbanized coast and moves into a former European ghost town populated by both the locals, Europeans who've refused to leave, and other sorts.
What I liked: The descriptions of Africa are incredibly evocative, as are the histories that Naipaul seems to breathe into almost every interaction with them. I also like some of the colorfully and weirdly described characters.
What I Disliked: Are all the women whores or Madonnas? Yes! Is this perhaps a critique of colonialism, but also one that is very, very racist? Also yes! While maybe - maybe - some of this is appropriate to an Indian in Africa (the protagonist spends an awful lot of time trying to convince a guy to abandon his common law wife and kids because they're "just African"), it also feels ickily like this might be sorta, kinda what the author himself believes. Which made reading this a bit grotesque.
Should it have won a Nobel: I mean, Naipaul is considered a great. He's also not without controversy due to his sexism. And...both are really apparent in this work. IDK. It feels a bit like Kipling, although I have to say that I enjoyed Kipling a bit more. Also, this was like...nearly a hundred years later. So...
With that said, the man can write. I just wish he could write in a less dehumanizing way.
Next Up: "Dossier K" by Imre Kertész
Year Won: 2001
Read: A Bend in the River
Original Language: English
Reason: "for having united perceptive narrative and incorruptible scrutiny in works that compel us to see the presence of suppressed histories"
About: A Bend in the River is the story of an Indian man in an African nation. He travels inland from the more urbanized coast and moves into a former European ghost town populated by both the locals, Europeans who've refused to leave, and other sorts.
What I liked: The descriptions of Africa are incredibly evocative, as are the histories that Naipaul seems to breathe into almost every interaction with them. I also like some of the colorfully and weirdly described characters.
What I Disliked: Are all the women whores or Madonnas? Yes! Is this perhaps a critique of colonialism, but also one that is very, very racist? Also yes! While maybe - maybe - some of this is appropriate to an Indian in Africa (the protagonist spends an awful lot of time trying to convince a guy to abandon his common law wife and kids because they're "just African"), it also feels ickily like this might be sorta, kinda what the author himself believes. Which made reading this a bit grotesque.
Should it have won a Nobel: I mean, Naipaul is considered a great. He's also not without controversy due to his sexism. And...both are really apparent in this work. IDK. It feels a bit like Kipling, although I have to say that I enjoyed Kipling a bit more. Also, this was like...nearly a hundred years later. So...
With that said, the man can write. I just wish he could write in a less dehumanizing way.
Next Up: "Dossier K" by Imre Kertész
Wednesday, October 4, 2023
Soul Mountain by Gao Xingjian
Name: Gao Xingjian
Year Won: 2000
Read: Soul Mountain
Original Language: Chinese
Reason: "for an oeuvre of universal validity, bitter insights and linguistic ingenuity, which has opened new paths for the Chinese novel and drama"
About: Soul Mountain follows a young man in China as he lives live. He seduces women. He wanders around the countryside. He interacts with people. Mostly women. Most of whom he has very unsatisfying seeming sex with.
What I liked: The descriptions of rural China were wonderful, as is the intermingling of the commonplace and divine. The writing was remarkably vivid and evocative of a world that is mostly lost now.
What I Disliked: True to Nobel form, there is no plot. Also, the guy seemed like a bit of an asshole to women, but eh. Also true to Nobel form.
Should it have won a Nobel: I'd love it if the Nobel committee, just once, went for a novel with a plot. But like that's going to happen, LOL.
At the very least, Soul Mountain is interesting and evocative and brilliantly calls to mind a specific time and place. So sure. Why not?
Next Up: "A Bend in the River" by V.S. Naipaul
Year Won: 2000
Read: Soul Mountain
Original Language: Chinese
Reason: "for an oeuvre of universal validity, bitter insights and linguistic ingenuity, which has opened new paths for the Chinese novel and drama"
About: Soul Mountain follows a young man in China as he lives live. He seduces women. He wanders around the countryside. He interacts with people. Mostly women. Most of whom he has very unsatisfying seeming sex with.
What I liked: The descriptions of rural China were wonderful, as is the intermingling of the commonplace and divine. The writing was remarkably vivid and evocative of a world that is mostly lost now.
What I Disliked: True to Nobel form, there is no plot. Also, the guy seemed like a bit of an asshole to women, but eh. Also true to Nobel form.
Should it have won a Nobel: I'd love it if the Nobel committee, just once, went for a novel with a plot. But like that's going to happen, LOL.
At the very least, Soul Mountain is interesting and evocative and brilliantly calls to mind a specific time and place. So sure. Why not?
Next Up: "A Bend in the River" by V.S. Naipaul
Monday, August 14, 2023
The Tin Drum by Günter Grass
Name: Günter Grass
Year Won: 1999
Read: The Tin Drum
Original Language: German
Reason: "whose frolicsome black fables portray the forgotten face of history"
About: The Tin Drum follows the lives of a number of eccentric people in a family, particularly the titlar Tin Drummer.
What I liked: The characters are quirky and weird and quite entertaining.
What I Disliked: This feels like a typical story that the Nobel committee likes. Weird, quirkly characters, spoken about in a unique, literary way. With no plot, since apparently plots ruin stories.
Should it have won a Nobel: Well, this is definitely the kind of thing the committee likes. I tend to like plots, so wasn't enormously fond of it. With that said, there are stories I've disliked tremendously more and I did very much enjoy the quirkiness of this novel.
Next Up: "Soul Mountain" by Gao Xingjian
Year Won: 1999
Read: The Tin Drum
Original Language: German
Reason: "whose frolicsome black fables portray the forgotten face of history"
About: The Tin Drum follows the lives of a number of eccentric people in a family, particularly the titlar Tin Drummer.
What I liked: The characters are quirky and weird and quite entertaining.
What I Disliked: This feels like a typical story that the Nobel committee likes. Weird, quirkly characters, spoken about in a unique, literary way. With no plot, since apparently plots ruin stories.
Should it have won a Nobel: Well, this is definitely the kind of thing the committee likes. I tend to like plots, so wasn't enormously fond of it. With that said, there are stories I've disliked tremendously more and I did very much enjoy the quirkiness of this novel.
Next Up: "Soul Mountain" by Gao Xingjian
Thursday, August 3, 2023
Blindness" by José Saramago
Name: José Saramago
Year Won: 1998
Read: Blindness
Original Language: Portuguese
Reason: "who with parables sustained by imagination, compassion and irony continually enables us once again to apprehend an elusory reality"
About: Blindness is about a bunch of people who mysteriously go blind and are thrown into an asylum.
What I liked: The writing is vivid and shocking and grotesque. Normal people, suddenly stricken by their ailments and thrown into an asylum. It's very much "Lord of the Flies" meets an awful lot of apocolyptic fiction.
What I Disliked: The story follows no character in particular. It just sort of hops around, which keeps me distant from the characters I feel I should be sympathizing with.
Also, none of the characters seem inclined to *do* anything, which leaves the plot fairly lifeless. I'm inclined to think this would have worked really well as a short story. But as a novel, it feels like it starts dragging after about 50 pages of watching a bunch of miserable characters wake up in their own feces/struggle to find food/etc.
Should it have won a Nobel: Meh. I've read worse. This was one that seems very 'literary', but also would have read a lot better had Saramago used genre tricks to like, IDK, have a main protagonist and have them do something (even if it failed) to improve their position.
Next Up: "The Tin Drum" by Günter Grass
Year Won: 1998
Read: Blindness
Original Language: Portuguese
Reason: "who with parables sustained by imagination, compassion and irony continually enables us once again to apprehend an elusory reality"
About: Blindness is about a bunch of people who mysteriously go blind and are thrown into an asylum.
What I liked: The writing is vivid and shocking and grotesque. Normal people, suddenly stricken by their ailments and thrown into an asylum. It's very much "Lord of the Flies" meets an awful lot of apocolyptic fiction.
What I Disliked: The story follows no character in particular. It just sort of hops around, which keeps me distant from the characters I feel I should be sympathizing with.
Also, none of the characters seem inclined to *do* anything, which leaves the plot fairly lifeless. I'm inclined to think this would have worked really well as a short story. But as a novel, it feels like it starts dragging after about 50 pages of watching a bunch of miserable characters wake up in their own feces/struggle to find food/etc.
Should it have won a Nobel: Meh. I've read worse. This was one that seems very 'literary', but also would have read a lot better had Saramago used genre tricks to like, IDK, have a main protagonist and have them do something (even if it failed) to improve their position.
Next Up: "The Tin Drum" by Günter Grass
Monday, July 24, 2023
The Pope's Daughter by Dario Fo
Name: Dario Fo
Year Won: 1997
Read: The Pope's Daughter
Original Language: Italian
Reason: "who emulates the jesters of the Middle Ages in scourging authority and upholding the dignity of the downtrodden"
About: The Pope's Daughter is a historical fiction novel about the life of Lucrezia Borgia.
What I liked: The subject matter is great. How do you go wrong with Lucrezia Borgia? Also, the book has really pretty full color illustrations.
What I Disliked: The book veers between incredibly dry, boring history (like, "on this date, so and so did this thing") and what feels like almost random gossip.
Example:
Let us leave Cesare for a moment and move into the countryside around Ferrera....a fairly corpulent woman strode up to him, shoving him back.
"Get out of here! Who are you looking for?"
Immediately Lucrezia's voice rang out: she was leaning out a window and shouting: "Leave him alone! That's my husband!"
And yes. It continues like that. Seemingly random scenes...forever.
Should it have won a Nobel: Maybe it's better in its original language? I have no idea. I was so excited about this then so underwhelmed when I actually read it.
Next Up: "Blindness" by José Saramago
Year Won: 1997
Read: The Pope's Daughter
Original Language: Italian
Reason: "who emulates the jesters of the Middle Ages in scourging authority and upholding the dignity of the downtrodden"
About: The Pope's Daughter is a historical fiction novel about the life of Lucrezia Borgia.
What I liked: The subject matter is great. How do you go wrong with Lucrezia Borgia? Also, the book has really pretty full color illustrations.
What I Disliked: The book veers between incredibly dry, boring history (like, "on this date, so and so did this thing") and what feels like almost random gossip.
Example:
Let us leave Cesare for a moment and move into the countryside around Ferrera....a fairly corpulent woman strode up to him, shoving him back.
"Get out of here! Who are you looking for?"
Immediately Lucrezia's voice rang out: she was leaning out a window and shouting: "Leave him alone! That's my husband!"
And yes. It continues like that. Seemingly random scenes...forever.
Should it have won a Nobel: Maybe it's better in its original language? I have no idea. I was so excited about this then so underwhelmed when I actually read it.
Next Up: "Blindness" by José Saramago
Saturday, July 1, 2023
Map by Wisława Szymborska
Name: Wisława Szymborska
Year Won: 1996
Read: Map
Original Language: Polish
Reason: "for poetry that with ironic precision allows the historical and biological context to come to light in fragments of human reality"
About: Map is a collection of poetry. Most of the poems focus on normal life, with some traces of history and mythology thrown in. Just like oh...95% of the other poets the Nobel committee seems enamored of.
What I liked: The poetry is very pretty, even in translation and quite evocative. I liked this better than most collections of poetry.
What I Disliked: It's really hard for me to judge poetry. Like, okay, I guess the words are interesting and creative? Which is, I think, what a poem is supposed to do? But they rarely transport me the way fiction does, so all I can do is go, "I guess it seems nice."
It's especially hard when 95% of poems that the Nobel committee picks are practically the same. Free form (e.g. not attempting for rhyme or meter - I think - hard to tell in different languages) poetry about daily life, with some mythology or history mixed in. And usually it's Greek mythology, so it's not even different mythology like, say, Polish folk tales or whatever. So it all feels very same-ish.
Should it have won a Nobel: This is clearly what they like. Not sure if it should have won, but sometimes the winning feels kind of inevitable now.
Next Up: "The Pope's Daughter" by Dario Fo
Year Won: 1996
Read: Map
Original Language: Polish
Reason: "for poetry that with ironic precision allows the historical and biological context to come to light in fragments of human reality"
About: Map is a collection of poetry. Most of the poems focus on normal life, with some traces of history and mythology thrown in. Just like oh...95% of the other poets the Nobel committee seems enamored of.
What I liked: The poetry is very pretty, even in translation and quite evocative. I liked this better than most collections of poetry.
What I Disliked: It's really hard for me to judge poetry. Like, okay, I guess the words are interesting and creative? Which is, I think, what a poem is supposed to do? But they rarely transport me the way fiction does, so all I can do is go, "I guess it seems nice."
It's especially hard when 95% of poems that the Nobel committee picks are practically the same. Free form (e.g. not attempting for rhyme or meter - I think - hard to tell in different languages) poetry about daily life, with some mythology or history mixed in. And usually it's Greek mythology, so it's not even different mythology like, say, Polish folk tales or whatever. So it all feels very same-ish.
Should it have won a Nobel: This is clearly what they like. Not sure if it should have won, but sometimes the winning feels kind of inevitable now.
Next Up: "The Pope's Daughter" by Dario Fo
Sunday, June 11, 2023
Opened Ground by Seamus Heaney
Name: Seamus Heaney
Year Won: 1995
Read: Opened Ground
Original Language: English
Reason: "for works of lyrical beauty and ethical depth, which exalt everyday miracles and the living past"
About: Opened Ground is a collection of poetry. Most of the themes seem to be fairly typical, ordinary things observed around Ireland.
What I liked: I liked the focus on the ordinary and mundane world, explored with unique and unusual insight. I also loved how some of the teim, Heaney blended the past and present, the mythic and the real.
What I Disliked: Not much. I enjoyed Heaney's poetry.
Should it have won a Nobel: I always have a hard time with poetry and it's so difficult for me to judge what makes a poem "good" vs "bad". But I liked these, so sure. Why not?
Next Up: "Map" by Wisława Szymborska
Year Won: 1995
Read: Opened Ground
Original Language: English
Reason: "for works of lyrical beauty and ethical depth, which exalt everyday miracles and the living past"
About: Opened Ground is a collection of poetry. Most of the themes seem to be fairly typical, ordinary things observed around Ireland.
What I liked: I liked the focus on the ordinary and mundane world, explored with unique and unusual insight. I also loved how some of the teim, Heaney blended the past and present, the mythic and the real.
What I Disliked: Not much. I enjoyed Heaney's poetry.
Should it have won a Nobel: I always have a hard time with poetry and it's so difficult for me to judge what makes a poem "good" vs "bad". But I liked these, so sure. Why not?
Next Up: "Map" by Wisława Szymborska
Tuesday, May 30, 2023
The Changeling by Kenzaburō Ōe
Name: Kenzaburō Ōe
Year Won: 1994
Read: The Changeling
Original Language: Japanese
Reason: "who with poetic force creates an imagined world, where life and myth condense to form a disconcerting picture of the human predicament today"
About: The Changeling follows Kogito Choko as he travels around Japan and Germany, trying to figure out why his friend, Goro, killed himself. It dips back and forth between times and places, often barely differentiating one from the other, as the present and future meld together.
What I liked: Lovely, unpretentious writing, interesting characters, and a really fascinating story structure. I found this to be one of the better books on this list.
What I Disliked: Not much. I found this to be a really interesting story about friendship, loss, and memory.
Should it have won a Nobel: Yes. This has been one of my favorites in a while. It's an actually enjoyable book. It does feel a bit un-literary in a lot of ways for a Nobel prize winner, but to me, that's a major advantage. It feels good because it's good rather than good because it used the right length of run on sentence.
Next Up: "Opened Ground" by Seamus Heaney
Year Won: 1994
Read: The Changeling
Original Language: Japanese
Reason: "who with poetic force creates an imagined world, where life and myth condense to form a disconcerting picture of the human predicament today"
About: The Changeling follows Kogito Choko as he travels around Japan and Germany, trying to figure out why his friend, Goro, killed himself. It dips back and forth between times and places, often barely differentiating one from the other, as the present and future meld together.
What I liked: Lovely, unpretentious writing, interesting characters, and a really fascinating story structure. I found this to be one of the better books on this list.
What I Disliked: Not much. I found this to be a really interesting story about friendship, loss, and memory.
Should it have won a Nobel: Yes. This has been one of my favorites in a while. It's an actually enjoyable book. It does feel a bit un-literary in a lot of ways for a Nobel prize winner, but to me, that's a major advantage. It feels good because it's good rather than good because it used the right length of run on sentence.
Next Up: "Opened Ground" by Seamus Heaney
Monday, May 22, 2023
"Beloved" by Toni Morrison
Name: Toni Morrison
Year Won: 1993
Read: Beloved
Original Language: English
Reason: "who in novels characterized by visionary force and poetic import, gives life to an essential aspect of American reality"
About: Beloved is about a group of escaped slaves who have made it to Ohio from Kentucky. It is now post civil war, but they are haunted by their past lives in slavery, particularly Sethe. Things become even more peculiar when a teenaged girl shows up with a mysterious quality around her and the name "Beloved"...the same name that Sethe gave to her baby daughter who she killed rather than see enslaved again during her escape.
What I liked: Beautiful writing, of course. Also horribly, tragically evocative of the lives the characters spent in slavery as well as the way it continues to torment them. It also does a sublime job of weaving the non-real (Biblical allusions, Beloved being clearly not entirely human) and the mundane.
What I Disliked: At times, it felt like I almost had to stop and parse what was happening, at least if I wanted to figure out the plot. I know, typical literary stuff, but I still find it kind of annoying to go, "okay, so what point is the author trying to make here with all of this poetic language"? It's especially weird as I've read other novels by Morrison that are far more straight forward.
Should it have won a Nobel: Yes. Morrison is taught in classrooms precisely because she's a genius writer. She also brilliantly captured the horrors of slavery, both to the slaves as they live it, but the way it continues to haunt them afterward, beautifully.
Next Up: "The Changeling" by Kenzaburō Ōe
Year Won: 1993
Read: Beloved
Original Language: English
Reason: "who in novels characterized by visionary force and poetic import, gives life to an essential aspect of American reality"
About: Beloved is about a group of escaped slaves who have made it to Ohio from Kentucky. It is now post civil war, but they are haunted by their past lives in slavery, particularly Sethe. Things become even more peculiar when a teenaged girl shows up with a mysterious quality around her and the name "Beloved"...the same name that Sethe gave to her baby daughter who she killed rather than see enslaved again during her escape.
What I liked: Beautiful writing, of course. Also horribly, tragically evocative of the lives the characters spent in slavery as well as the way it continues to torment them. It also does a sublime job of weaving the non-real (Biblical allusions, Beloved being clearly not entirely human) and the mundane.
What I Disliked: At times, it felt like I almost had to stop and parse what was happening, at least if I wanted to figure out the plot. I know, typical literary stuff, but I still find it kind of annoying to go, "okay, so what point is the author trying to make here with all of this poetic language"? It's especially weird as I've read other novels by Morrison that are far more straight forward.
Should it have won a Nobel: Yes. Morrison is taught in classrooms precisely because she's a genius writer. She also brilliantly captured the horrors of slavery, both to the slaves as they live it, but the way it continues to haunt them afterward, beautifully.
Next Up: "The Changeling" by Kenzaburō Ōe
Sunday, May 14, 2023
What the Twilight Says by Derek Walcott
Name: Derek Walcott
Year Won: 1992
Read: What the Twilight Says
Original Language: English
Reason: "for a poetic oeuvre of great luminosity, sustained by a historical vision, the outcome of a multicultural commitment"
About: What the Twilight Says is a book of essays. What are they about? All sorts of topics, although an awful lot regard life in the Carribean and the legacy of colonialism.
In particular, Walcott is known for being the artist who really challenged other artists to "de-colonize" their thought process and create works of art that are less imitative of European art.
What I liked: Beautiful writing, of course. Also many of the essays are quite thought provoking. I particularly love how he entails other artists to think of new modes of expression and not to favor, necessarily, a way of doing things just because that's How It's Been Done. (Or to write stories because those are what have been popular in the past/found approval/been in vogue with the elites.
He also casts some shade on V.S. Naipul which, honestly, gotta applaud.
What I Disliked: Most essays are very academic. Not a surprise, but this is (IMO) more a book to be read for insight and education than pleasure.
Should it have won a Nobel: Yes. Many of the ideas that Walcott originated are still being debated. He is a true luminary.
Next Up: "Beloved" by Toni Morrison
Year Won: 1992
Read: What the Twilight Says
Original Language: English
Reason: "for a poetic oeuvre of great luminosity, sustained by a historical vision, the outcome of a multicultural commitment"
About: What the Twilight Says is a book of essays. What are they about? All sorts of topics, although an awful lot regard life in the Carribean and the legacy of colonialism.
In particular, Walcott is known for being the artist who really challenged other artists to "de-colonize" their thought process and create works of art that are less imitative of European art.
What I liked: Beautiful writing, of course. Also many of the essays are quite thought provoking. I particularly love how he entails other artists to think of new modes of expression and not to favor, necessarily, a way of doing things just because that's How It's Been Done. (Or to write stories because those are what have been popular in the past/found approval/been in vogue with the elites.
He also casts some shade on V.S. Naipul which, honestly, gotta applaud.
What I Disliked: Most essays are very academic. Not a surprise, but this is (IMO) more a book to be read for insight and education than pleasure.
Should it have won a Nobel: Yes. Many of the ideas that Walcott originated are still being debated. He is a true luminary.
Next Up: "Beloved" by Toni Morrison
Thursday, May 4, 2023
My Son's Story by Nadine Gordimer
Name: Nadine Gordimer
Year Won: 1991
Read: My Son's Story
Original Language: English
Reason: "who through her magnificent epic writing has – in the words of Alfred Nobel – been of very great benefit to humanity"
About: My Son's Story follows a South African family, in Aparthid, as they realize that their father is...gasp!...dating a white woman. The story veers between each of the family member's lives, as well as how race affects all of them.
What I liked: Beautiful writing, fantastic character building, and and an interesting backdrop. This novel made me think and it was actually pretty enjoyable to read. (I liked seeing how the characters wrapped their minds both around their father's betrayal as well as how it was, in many ways made worse, but the race of the woman he choose to cheat with.)
What I Disliked: Like most books on this list, the plot wasn't praticularly grabby. Also, I wished, at times, that they'd get out of their heads for a bit and do something. Anything. It was like, "argh, enough internal monologue!!!"
Should it have won a Nobel: Yes. It's well written and on an important, contemporary subject.
With that said, it's hard to imagine it winning now as the author is white and was writing about Blacks. I do wonder whether a similar topic would be better (or worse, or just very different) coming from a Black writer. Or maybe it would be exactly the same...
Next Up: "What the Twilight Says" by Derek Walcott
Year Won: 1991
Read: My Son's Story
Original Language: English
Reason: "who through her magnificent epic writing has – in the words of Alfred Nobel – been of very great benefit to humanity"
About: My Son's Story follows a South African family, in Aparthid, as they realize that their father is...gasp!...dating a white woman. The story veers between each of the family member's lives, as well as how race affects all of them.
What I liked: Beautiful writing, fantastic character building, and and an interesting backdrop. This novel made me think and it was actually pretty enjoyable to read. (I liked seeing how the characters wrapped their minds both around their father's betrayal as well as how it was, in many ways made worse, but the race of the woman he choose to cheat with.)
What I Disliked: Like most books on this list, the plot wasn't praticularly grabby. Also, I wished, at times, that they'd get out of their heads for a bit and do something. Anything. It was like, "argh, enough internal monologue!!!"
Should it have won a Nobel: Yes. It's well written and on an important, contemporary subject.
With that said, it's hard to imagine it winning now as the author is white and was writing about Blacks. I do wonder whether a similar topic would be better (or worse, or just very different) coming from a Black writer. Or maybe it would be exactly the same...
Next Up: "What the Twilight Says" by Derek Walcott
Friday, April 21, 2023
"The Labyrinth of Solitude" by Octavio Paz
Name: Octavio Paz
Year Won: 1990
Read: The Labyrinth of Solitude
Original Language: Spanish
Reason: "for impassioned writing with wide horizons, characterized by sensuous intelligence and humanistic integrity"
About: The Labyrinth of Solitude is a series of essays about what it is like to be a Mexican.
What I liked: The writing was clear and easy to follow.
What I Disliked: Want to read a bunch of essays that read like what a 16 year old edgelord Redditor might right? Step no further! Mexicans are dark, barbaric, crude and superstitious! With inflamed, wild passions! They can't distinguish their own individulity from their culture, history, or religion! Because...duh. And of course Paz speaks for all Mexicans, not just like, him. To read it, yes, we do need a wall. We need it now. And we need with turrets that shoot to kill. *eye roll*
In case you're wondering whether it can really be that bad...yes. It can be. This quote especially stood out, but it's all kind of like that... "'A woman's place is in the home with a broken leg'...Woman is a domesticated wild animal, lecherous and sinful from birth, who must be subdued by a stick and guided by the 'reins of religion'. Therefore Spaniards consider other women - especially of a race or religion different than their own - to be easy game."
Yeah...it's something.
Should it have won a Nobel: I mean...I know it was a different era. And I guess you always get a bit more slack when stereotyping your own people. But still...wow...really?
Next Up: "My Son's Story" by Nadine Gordimer
Year Won: 1990
Read: The Labyrinth of Solitude
Original Language: Spanish
Reason: "for impassioned writing with wide horizons, characterized by sensuous intelligence and humanistic integrity"
About: The Labyrinth of Solitude is a series of essays about what it is like to be a Mexican.
What I liked: The writing was clear and easy to follow.
What I Disliked: Want to read a bunch of essays that read like what a 16 year old edgelord Redditor might right? Step no further! Mexicans are dark, barbaric, crude and superstitious! With inflamed, wild passions! They can't distinguish their own individulity from their culture, history, or religion! Because...duh. And of course Paz speaks for all Mexicans, not just like, him. To read it, yes, we do need a wall. We need it now. And we need with turrets that shoot to kill. *eye roll*
In case you're wondering whether it can really be that bad...yes. It can be. This quote especially stood out, but it's all kind of like that... "'A woman's place is in the home with a broken leg'...Woman is a domesticated wild animal, lecherous and sinful from birth, who must be subdued by a stick and guided by the 'reins of religion'. Therefore Spaniards consider other women - especially of a race or religion different than their own - to be easy game."
Yeah...it's something.
Should it have won a Nobel: I mean...I know it was a different era. And I guess you always get a bit more slack when stereotyping your own people. But still...wow...really?
Next Up: "My Son's Story" by Nadine Gordimer
Sunday, March 5, 2023
"The Family of Pascal Duarte" by Camilo José Cela
Name: Camilo José Cela
Year Won: 1989
Read: The Family of Pascal Duarte
Original Language: Spanish
Reason: ""for a rich and intensive prose, which with restrained compassion forms a challenging vision of man's vulnerability"
About: The Family of Pascal Duarte follows the life of Pascal Duarte as he has a childhood in a ne'er do well family, gets a girl pregnant and marries her, she dies, then he marries someone else and at last is on the run, ready to be garrotted. This all takes place in a scant 150 pages, so it doesn't really linger.
What I liked: The characters in this novel are wonderfully interesting. Each paragraph is practically a new and unique character study of a unique person who is explained so well I feel like I know them.
I also like all of the details of living in a small village in 1930s (I think?) Spain, as well as the interplay of religion and faith.
What I Disliked: Plot? Is there a plot? Of course there's no plot. LOL. It's a Nobel prize winning book. (Or at least no plot in a conventional sense.)
Should it have won a Nobel: Probably. This is the sort of thing that the Nobel committe digs. Religion? Lack of plot? Good writing and character studies? BRING IT ON. (Graham Greene...you were cheated because your novels tended to have plots, LOL.) I also liked this one a lot better than most as the writing really was solid, the characters interesting, and it didn't go on freaking forever. So hey! An improvement over many! (I still like plots, though...)
Next Up: "The Labyrinth of Solitude" by Octavio Paz
Year Won: 1989
Read: The Family of Pascal Duarte
Original Language: Spanish
Reason: ""for a rich and intensive prose, which with restrained compassion forms a challenging vision of man's vulnerability"
About: The Family of Pascal Duarte follows the life of Pascal Duarte as he has a childhood in a ne'er do well family, gets a girl pregnant and marries her, she dies, then he marries someone else and at last is on the run, ready to be garrotted. This all takes place in a scant 150 pages, so it doesn't really linger.
What I liked: The characters in this novel are wonderfully interesting. Each paragraph is practically a new and unique character study of a unique person who is explained so well I feel like I know them.
I also like all of the details of living in a small village in 1930s (I think?) Spain, as well as the interplay of religion and faith.
What I Disliked: Plot? Is there a plot? Of course there's no plot. LOL. It's a Nobel prize winning book. (Or at least no plot in a conventional sense.)
Should it have won a Nobel: Probably. This is the sort of thing that the Nobel committe digs. Religion? Lack of plot? Good writing and character studies? BRING IT ON. (Graham Greene...you were cheated because your novels tended to have plots, LOL.) I also liked this one a lot better than most as the writing really was solid, the characters interesting, and it didn't go on freaking forever. So hey! An improvement over many! (I still like plots, though...)
Next Up: "The Labyrinth of Solitude" by Octavio Paz
Monday, February 20, 2023
"Akhenatan" by Naguib Mahfouz
Name: Naguib Mahfouz
Year Won: 1988
Read: Akhenatan/i>
Original Language: Arabic
Reason: "who, through works rich in nuance – now clear-sightedly realistic, now evocatively ambiguous – has formed an Arabian narrative art that applies to all mankind"
About: Akehenatan follows the lives around the heretic pharoah. Most don't like him which is historically correct. (As it turns out, people generally aren't huge fans of casting out their traditions and gods. Whoda thunk?) Most seem very interested in explaining all the ways in which they hate Akhenatan, or his wife Nefertiti. Which makes for a wonderfully, juicy novel in which people air their grievances against each other.
What I liked: I love ancient Egypt so...this is my thing to begin with. But the gossipy voice? OMG. This is all I ever wanted from a novel. I am a small, petty person. But I am SO into the people around an ancient pharoah dissing him. This stuff is glorious.
What I Disliked: Like most Nobel prize winners, there is no plot. This is mostly people around an important historical figure dishing the tea. I love it. But this isn't an actual story with a plot. Still...woah is it fun to read. It's like reading the Sun from several thousand years ago just...more so. There is so much gossip in the ancient Egyptian lineages!
Should it have won a Nobel: On the one hand, this seems to be what they're going for - plotless, well described stuff. On the other...woah was this fun! (Mahfoiuz's other stuff is fun, too, although I think a bit more restrained.) But...y'know...if what it takes to win a prize is extremely entertaining soap opera stuff from a culture that isn't Nordic, I am ALL FOR IT. Seriously, this is the best thing I've read in years. More like it, please? Pleae?
Next Up: "The Family of Pascal Duarte" by Camilo José Cela
Year Won: 1988
Read: Akhenatan/i>
Original Language: Arabic
Reason: "who, through works rich in nuance – now clear-sightedly realistic, now evocatively ambiguous – has formed an Arabian narrative art that applies to all mankind"
About: Akehenatan follows the lives around the heretic pharoah. Most don't like him which is historically correct. (As it turns out, people generally aren't huge fans of casting out their traditions and gods. Whoda thunk?) Most seem very interested in explaining all the ways in which they hate Akhenatan, or his wife Nefertiti. Which makes for a wonderfully, juicy novel in which people air their grievances against each other.
What I liked: I love ancient Egypt so...this is my thing to begin with. But the gossipy voice? OMG. This is all I ever wanted from a novel. I am a small, petty person. But I am SO into the people around an ancient pharoah dissing him. This stuff is glorious.
What I Disliked: Like most Nobel prize winners, there is no plot. This is mostly people around an important historical figure dishing the tea. I love it. But this isn't an actual story with a plot. Still...woah is it fun to read. It's like reading the Sun from several thousand years ago just...more so. There is so much gossip in the ancient Egyptian lineages!
Should it have won a Nobel: On the one hand, this seems to be what they're going for - plotless, well described stuff. On the other...woah was this fun! (Mahfoiuz's other stuff is fun, too, although I think a bit more restrained.) But...y'know...if what it takes to win a prize is extremely entertaining soap opera stuff from a culture that isn't Nordic, I am ALL FOR IT. Seriously, this is the best thing I've read in years. More like it, please? Pleae?
Next Up: "The Family of Pascal Duarte" by Camilo José Cela
Sunday, February 19, 2023
Watermark by Joseph Brodsky
Name: Joseph Brodsky
Year Won: 1987
Read: Watermark/i>
Original Language: English (and Russian, but novel was originally written in English)
Reason: "for an all-embracing authorship, imbued with clarity of thought and poetic intensity"
About: Watermark is a series of observations and recollections of being in Vencie. Yup, that's it.
What I liked: The writing is gorgeous, evoactive and unusual. Which seems to be the preference of the Nobel comittee.
What I Disliked: There is no plot. With that said, I dislike that less in this book than in many of the others both because a) it's short (really a novella - almost just a short story) and b) the writing really is exquisitely evocative of a past, long forgotten Venice. So enjoyed this, unlike many of the other, "we write pretty stuff" novelists.
Should it have won a Nobel: What the heck, why not, this seems to be what they're going for.
Next Up: "Akhenatan" by Naguib Mahfouz
Year Won: 1987
Read: Watermark/i>
Original Language: English (and Russian, but novel was originally written in English)
Reason: "for an all-embracing authorship, imbued with clarity of thought and poetic intensity"
About: Watermark is a series of observations and recollections of being in Vencie. Yup, that's it.
What I liked: The writing is gorgeous, evoactive and unusual. Which seems to be the preference of the Nobel comittee.
What I Disliked: There is no plot. With that said, I dislike that less in this book than in many of the others both because a) it's short (really a novella - almost just a short story) and b) the writing really is exquisitely evocative of a past, long forgotten Venice. So enjoyed this, unlike many of the other, "we write pretty stuff" novelists.
Should it have won a Nobel: What the heck, why not, this seems to be what they're going for.
Next Up: "Akhenatan" by Naguib Mahfouz
Friday, February 10, 2023
"Chroncles from the Land of the Happiest People on Earth" by Wole Soyinka
Name: Wole Soyinka
Year Won: 1986
Read: Chroncles from the Land of the Happiest People on Earth
Original Language: English
Reason: "who in a wide cultural perspective and with poetic overtones fashions the drama of existence"
About: Chronicles from the Land of the Happiest People on Earth follows a lot of people being strange in modern Nigeria. By strange I mean...strange. Like, dissecting human bodies for ~*reasons*~ and selling the parts. Starting new, prophetic religions. Running for public office. It's a smorgasboard of the strange and, honestly, I'm kind of there for it.
What I liked: The voice on this is amazing - and hilarious. Like, this is a genuinely funny book. It's also fun. It's written in a lovely, amusing, deeply entertaining way. (So much so that I'm like, "huh, hadn't thought the Nobel committee would go for this. Like, it's something someone might actually read for pleasure." It's really a delight.
What I Disliked: The plot veers around like a drunk driver. It is really hard to follow (assuming there is a plot, which I'm not 100% sure of - I read this on a plane, so may be a bit less able to follow nuances than usual.) This didn't really ruin the experience, but it did dampen it.
Should it have won a Nobel: I'm honestly surprised it did, because this is a *fun* book that doesn't feel at all pretentious. Is this a wonderful, new way in which the Nobel project will go? Fingers crossed.
It's also really nice having Not-Another-Norwegian (Soyinka is the first Black person to have won a Nobel prize in literature). There is the sneaking suspicion that what his book won for (this book just came out meaning he won the prize, oh, more than thirty years ago...) was a lot more pretentious and he's like, "screw it all, let's have fun!". There's also the sneaking suspicion they were like, "oh, we need a Black guy, let's find one - oh, this guy is politically active - even better!" But I'm willing to *hope* that someone genuinely enjoyed Soyinka's fun, lively voice and sense of humor. Since it would be good to read more like this.
Next Up: "Watermark" by Joseph Brodsky
Year Won: 1986
Read: Chroncles from the Land of the Happiest People on Earth
Original Language: English
Reason: "who in a wide cultural perspective and with poetic overtones fashions the drama of existence"
About: Chronicles from the Land of the Happiest People on Earth follows a lot of people being strange in modern Nigeria. By strange I mean...strange. Like, dissecting human bodies for ~*reasons*~ and selling the parts. Starting new, prophetic religions. Running for public office. It's a smorgasboard of the strange and, honestly, I'm kind of there for it.
What I liked: The voice on this is amazing - and hilarious. Like, this is a genuinely funny book. It's also fun. It's written in a lovely, amusing, deeply entertaining way. (So much so that I'm like, "huh, hadn't thought the Nobel committee would go for this. Like, it's something someone might actually read for pleasure." It's really a delight.
What I Disliked: The plot veers around like a drunk driver. It is really hard to follow (assuming there is a plot, which I'm not 100% sure of - I read this on a plane, so may be a bit less able to follow nuances than usual.) This didn't really ruin the experience, but it did dampen it.
Should it have won a Nobel: I'm honestly surprised it did, because this is a *fun* book that doesn't feel at all pretentious. Is this a wonderful, new way in which the Nobel project will go? Fingers crossed.
It's also really nice having Not-Another-Norwegian (Soyinka is the first Black person to have won a Nobel prize in literature). There is the sneaking suspicion that what his book won for (this book just came out meaning he won the prize, oh, more than thirty years ago...) was a lot more pretentious and he's like, "screw it all, let's have fun!". There's also the sneaking suspicion they were like, "oh, we need a Black guy, let's find one - oh, this guy is politically active - even better!" But I'm willing to *hope* that someone genuinely enjoyed Soyinka's fun, lively voice and sense of humor. Since it would be good to read more like this.
Next Up: "Watermark" by Joseph Brodsky
Monday, January 23, 2023
The Flanders Road by Claude Simon
Name: Claude Simon
Year Won: 1985
Read: The Flanders Road
Original Language: French
Reason: "who in his novel combines the poet's and the painter's creativeness with a deepened awareness of time in the depiction of the human condition"
About: The Flanders Road is a semi-autobiographical retelling of Simon's time in WWII. Semi-autobiographical, because while many of the details are pulled from memory, he also follows the stories of other characters from his life. It's all very weird and trippy.
What I liked: There were a lot of very unconventional, intersting, and vivid images.
What I Disliked: The whole novel is told in long, run on, never ending stories and in stream of consciousness that drones on and on and makes for a near unintelligble reading experience unless, as a reader you like to parse, ah, but reader, do you like to parse: "Ah, the book, it has these themes and meanings" and oh, another battle scene with mud and dogs and horses and gunshots and....
Yeah. It's pretty much all like that. I gave up after about a dozen pages as every page felt like a miserable slog to me.
Should it have won a Nobel: This is the kind of book that the Nobel committee seems to lap up but that no ordinary person would want to read. So...IDK. Maybe? I just can't help but feel that writing things people might want to read is a valuable skill. (I really loathe writing that seems almost designed to flummox and annoy the reader.)
Next Up: "Chroncles from the Land of the Happiest People on Earth" by Wole Soyinka
Year Won: 1985
Read: The Flanders Road
Original Language: French
Reason: "who in his novel combines the poet's and the painter's creativeness with a deepened awareness of time in the depiction of the human condition"
About: The Flanders Road is a semi-autobiographical retelling of Simon's time in WWII. Semi-autobiographical, because while many of the details are pulled from memory, he also follows the stories of other characters from his life. It's all very weird and trippy.
What I liked: There were a lot of very unconventional, intersting, and vivid images.
What I Disliked: The whole novel is told in long, run on, never ending stories and in stream of consciousness that drones on and on and makes for a near unintelligble reading experience unless, as a reader you like to parse, ah, but reader, do you like to parse: "Ah, the book, it has these themes and meanings" and oh, another battle scene with mud and dogs and horses and gunshots and....
Yeah. It's pretty much all like that. I gave up after about a dozen pages as every page felt like a miserable slog to me.
Should it have won a Nobel: This is the kind of book that the Nobel committee seems to lap up but that no ordinary person would want to read. So...IDK. Maybe? I just can't help but feel that writing things people might want to read is a valuable skill. (I really loathe writing that seems almost designed to flummox and annoy the reader.)
Next Up: "Chroncles from the Land of the Happiest People on Earth" by Wole Soyinka
Saturday, January 14, 2023
"The Poetry of Jaroslav Seifert" by Jaroslav Seifert
Name: Jaroslav Seifert
Year Won: 1984
Read: The Poetry of Jaroslav Seifert
Original Language: Czech
Reason: "for his poetry, which endowed with freshness, and rich inventiveness provides a liberating image of the indomitable spirit and versatility of man"
About: This poetry collection is just that...a poetry collection. Many of the poems surround the Czech Republic, particularly Prague, of which Seifert felt a particular love.
What I liked: A lot of the images are both beautiful and fresh. The language (at least in translation) is interesting and keeps me on my toes. There's a light, unencumbered feel to the verse, similar in nature to that of ee cummings (who I also rather like).
What I Disliked: Not really anything, although I'll admit that I find it really hard to assess poetry in the same way I do prose. Like, it's pretty and the images are interesting and the language fresh. I'm not sure what more to say?
Should it have won a Nobel: Perhaps. Again, I feel that poetry is one of the more challenging genres to assess precisely because it's subjective in a way few other forms of literature are.
Next Up: "The Flanders Road" by Claude Simon
Year Won: 1984
Read: The Poetry of Jaroslav Seifert
Original Language: Czech
Reason: "for his poetry, which endowed with freshness, and rich inventiveness provides a liberating image of the indomitable spirit and versatility of man"
About: This poetry collection is just that...a poetry collection. Many of the poems surround the Czech Republic, particularly Prague, of which Seifert felt a particular love.
What I liked: A lot of the images are both beautiful and fresh. The language (at least in translation) is interesting and keeps me on my toes. There's a light, unencumbered feel to the verse, similar in nature to that of ee cummings (who I also rather like).
What I Disliked: Not really anything, although I'll admit that I find it really hard to assess poetry in the same way I do prose. Like, it's pretty and the images are interesting and the language fresh. I'm not sure what more to say?
Should it have won a Nobel: Perhaps. Again, I feel that poetry is one of the more challenging genres to assess precisely because it's subjective in a way few other forms of literature are.
Next Up: "The Flanders Road" by Claude Simon
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