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
Monday, February 20, 2023
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
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