Name: Svetlana Aleksievich
Year Won: 2015
Read: Voices from Chernobyl
Original Language:
Russian
Reason: "for her polyphonic writings, a monument to suffering and courage in our time"
About: Voices from Chernobyl is an oral history of the many who suffered at or around Chernobyl, told in monologue form.
What I liked: This is an intense book that covers a really important part of history. It's hard not to be affected by the suffering of the pepole described within.
It's also a really unique way of conveying history, as it captures the immediacy of what happened.
What I Disliked: Everything in the book is so horrific that it's like it's dialed up to 11 at all times. This at times makes the story feel overly dramatic and maudlin (even though all this stuff is real). I honestly think it might be more interesting if some of the stories were more prosaic. (Like, IDK, people being forced to move but otherwise being okay, or people getting sick, but not until they're 70.)
Should it have won a Nobel: Yes. This is beautifully written, intense, and important. Also, the writing style is really unique and a dramatic way to convey history.
Next Up: The Poems of Bob Dylan
Friday, February 21, 2025
Tuesday, February 11, 2025
Ballerina by Patrick Modiano
Name: Patrick Modiano
Year Won: 2014
Read: Ballerina
Original Language: French
Reason: "for the art of memory with which he has evoked the most ungraspable human destinies and uncovered the life-world of the Occupation"
About: Ballerina/i> is a story about a ballerina. So like, duh, but that's sort of what it is. A hazy, dreamy recollection of the life of a ballerina.
What I liked: There is a poetic, dreamy quality to this novel which is fun to become engrossed in.
What I Disliked: There isn't much of a plot to this book. It seems more like a vibe than anything else. A pretty vibe, but a vibe.
Should it have won a Nobel: I would have liked a bit more substance to this. It probably was there, but so obscured that I took almost nothing from it. So IMO, no, but this is the kind of thing the Nobel committee likes and this almost certainly isn't the only thing Modiana has written.
Next Up: "Voices from Chernobyl" by Svetlana Aleksievich
Year Won: 2014
Read: Ballerina
Original Language: French
Reason: "for the art of memory with which he has evoked the most ungraspable human destinies and uncovered the life-world of the Occupation"
About: Ballerina/i> is a story about a ballerina. So like, duh, but that's sort of what it is. A hazy, dreamy recollection of the life of a ballerina.
What I liked: There is a poetic, dreamy quality to this novel which is fun to become engrossed in.
What I Disliked: There isn't much of a plot to this book. It seems more like a vibe than anything else. A pretty vibe, but a vibe.
Should it have won a Nobel: I would have liked a bit more substance to this. It probably was there, but so obscured that I took almost nothing from it. So IMO, no, but this is the kind of thing the Nobel committee likes and this almost certainly isn't the only thing Modiana has written.
Next Up: "Voices from Chernobyl" by Svetlana Aleksievich
Thursday, January 30, 2025
Lives of Girls and Women by Alice Monroe
Name: Alice Monroe
Year Won: 2013
Read: Lives of Girls and Women
Original Language: English
Reason: "master of the contemporary short story"
About: Lives of Girls and Women/i> details a young girl's life growing up in rural Ontario. She is surrounded by many colorful characters who she interacts with as she grows to maturity.
What I liked: The description is beautiful and unique and the characterizations are aptly done.
What I Disliked: The plot is literally just..."this girl grows up". Which is very literary since who needs plots? But also makes for a story that doesn't have much motive power.
Should it have won a Nobel: Probably. The Nobel committee does like this sort of thing.
Next Up: "Ballerina" by Patrick Modiano
Year Won: 2013
Read: Lives of Girls and Women
Original Language: English
Reason: "master of the contemporary short story"
About: Lives of Girls and Women/i> details a young girl's life growing up in rural Ontario. She is surrounded by many colorful characters who she interacts with as she grows to maturity.
What I liked: The description is beautiful and unique and the characterizations are aptly done.
What I Disliked: The plot is literally just..."this girl grows up". Which is very literary since who needs plots? But also makes for a story that doesn't have much motive power.
Should it have won a Nobel: Probably. The Nobel committee does like this sort of thing.
Next Up: "Ballerina" by Patrick Modiano
Thursday, January 16, 2025
Frog by Mo Yan
Name: Mo Yan
Year Won: 2012
Read: Frog
Original Language: Mandarin
Reason: "who with hallucinatory realism merges folk tales, history and the contemporary"
About: Frog follows the life of several characters (the most interesting to me being a midwife) through a fictional Chinese village (in which the children, strangely, are all named for body parts.)
The midwife (Gugu) deals with the one child policy, sexism, and just existing in Communist China.
What I liked: The characters are generally interesting and it's a really intriguing look at a turbulent time and era from the past.
What I Disliked: The story is written almost as a fable, which makes things often feel flatter and less impactful than I think they otherwise might. I get why this was done (censorship and maybe to create a sense of timelessness), but it often for me, at least, dampened the seriousness of the subject matter.
Should it have won a Nobel: Probably. It's the sort of thing that the committee likes (arty and literary), while also covers significant subjects. It's definitely more *important* than a lot of the books on this list.
Next Up: "Lives of Girls and Women" by Alice Munro (this will be...interesting)
Year Won: 2012
Read: Frog
Original Language: Mandarin
Reason: "who with hallucinatory realism merges folk tales, history and the contemporary"
About: Frog follows the life of several characters (the most interesting to me being a midwife) through a fictional Chinese village (in which the children, strangely, are all named for body parts.)
The midwife (Gugu) deals with the one child policy, sexism, and just existing in Communist China.
What I liked: The characters are generally interesting and it's a really intriguing look at a turbulent time and era from the past.
What I Disliked: The story is written almost as a fable, which makes things often feel flatter and less impactful than I think they otherwise might. I get why this was done (censorship and maybe to create a sense of timelessness), but it often for me, at least, dampened the seriousness of the subject matter.
Should it have won a Nobel: Probably. It's the sort of thing that the committee likes (arty and literary), while also covers significant subjects. It's definitely more *important* than a lot of the books on this list.
Next Up: "Lives of Girls and Women" by Alice Munro (this will be...interesting)
Saturday, April 20, 2024
The Selected Poems of Tomas Tranströmer
Name: Tomas Tranströmer
Year Won: 2011
Read: The Selected Poems of Tomas Tranströmer
Original Language: Swedish
Reason: "because, through his condensed, translucent images, he gives us fresh access to reality"
About: It's a book of poems. I'm not sure what else to say.
What I liked: I suppose they were pretty and there were some interesting images? I'm not really sure how to describe poems.
What I Disliked: These poems didn't particularly gel for me. I can't really say why, they just didn't.
Should it have won a Nobel: I find it almost impossible to describe whether poetry is good or not even in English, far less in translation. For me, these poems didn't particularly work. But they might work better in Swedish, or resonate for someone else. So...who knows?
Next Up: "Frog" by Mo Yan
Year Won: 2011
Read: The Selected Poems of Tomas Tranströmer
Original Language: Swedish
Reason: "because, through his condensed, translucent images, he gives us fresh access to reality"
About: It's a book of poems. I'm not sure what else to say.
What I liked: I suppose they were pretty and there were some interesting images? I'm not really sure how to describe poems.
What I Disliked: These poems didn't particularly gel for me. I can't really say why, they just didn't.
Should it have won a Nobel: I find it almost impossible to describe whether poetry is good or not even in English, far less in translation. For me, these poems didn't particularly work. But they might work better in Swedish, or resonate for someone else. So...who knows?
Next Up: "Frog" by Mo Yan
Sunday, April 7, 2024
Aunt Julia and the Script Writer by Mario Vargas Llosa
Name: Mario Vargas Llosa
Year Won: 2010
Read: Aunt Julia and the Script Writer
Original Language: Spanish
Reason: "for his cartography of structures of power and his trenchant images of the individual's resistance, revolt, and defeat"
About: Aunt Julia and the Script Writer is a rather peculiar novel in which a young radio station worker has an affair with his somewhat older (13 years?) and fairly wild aunt. It's all written in a rather satrical tone, which I didn't personally find tremendously funny (it might be cultural. Or not. Humor is very subjective).
What I liked: Wonderful descriptions of contemporary Peru. A lively voice. It reminded me a bit of Carl Hiassen's mysteries.
What I Disliked: I really didn't get the humor. I do get that it's all subjective, but it just didn't work for me, which made the book feel like it was trying too hard.
Should it have won a Nobel: I've given up trying to understand this. Honestly, this didn't feel like a tremendously substantial book to me, but I also feel very much like I Just Didn't Get It. So...who knows?
Next Up: "The Selected Poems of Tomas Tranströmer"
Year Won: 2010
Read: Aunt Julia and the Script Writer
Original Language: Spanish
Reason: "for his cartography of structures of power and his trenchant images of the individual's resistance, revolt, and defeat"
About: Aunt Julia and the Script Writer is a rather peculiar novel in which a young radio station worker has an affair with his somewhat older (13 years?) and fairly wild aunt. It's all written in a rather satrical tone, which I didn't personally find tremendously funny (it might be cultural. Or not. Humor is very subjective).
What I liked: Wonderful descriptions of contemporary Peru. A lively voice. It reminded me a bit of Carl Hiassen's mysteries.
What I Disliked: I really didn't get the humor. I do get that it's all subjective, but it just didn't work for me, which made the book feel like it was trying too hard.
Should it have won a Nobel: I've given up trying to understand this. Honestly, this didn't feel like a tremendously substantial book to me, but I also feel very much like I Just Didn't Get It. So...who knows?
Next Up: "The Selected Poems of Tomas Tranströmer"
Sunday, March 10, 2024
The Hunger Angel by Herta Müller
Name: Herta Müller
Year Won: 2009
Read: The Hunger Angel
Original Language: German
Reason: "who, with the concentration of poetry and the frankness of prose, depicts the landscape of the dispossessed"
About: The Hunger Angel is about a man in a Soviet Prisoner of war camp. He shovels stuff. He starves. It's bleak.
What I liked: Beautiful descriptions of a miserable and hopeless situation. There's also some rather interesting stuff regarding the protagonist's family, which were Nazi's once.
What I Disliked: There's really no plot. The protagonist suffers. He continues to suffer. That is his lot.
I also found some of the stuff to feel sort of surreal in a bad way. Like, the prisoners apparently trade bread every night for...*reasons*? It was weird and baffling and took away from the stark misery of it all.
Should it have won a Nobel: This hit me harder than most. The writing is brilliant and it feels important. So sure.
Next Up: "Aunt Julia and the Script Writer" by Mario Vargas Llosa
Year Won: 2009
Read: The Hunger Angel
Original Language: German
Reason: "who, with the concentration of poetry and the frankness of prose, depicts the landscape of the dispossessed"
About: The Hunger Angel is about a man in a Soviet Prisoner of war camp. He shovels stuff. He starves. It's bleak.
What I liked: Beautiful descriptions of a miserable and hopeless situation. There's also some rather interesting stuff regarding the protagonist's family, which were Nazi's once.
What I Disliked: There's really no plot. The protagonist suffers. He continues to suffer. That is his lot.
I also found some of the stuff to feel sort of surreal in a bad way. Like, the prisoners apparently trade bread every night for...*reasons*? It was weird and baffling and took away from the stark misery of it all.
Should it have won a Nobel: This hit me harder than most. The writing is brilliant and it feels important. So sure.
Next Up: "Aunt Julia and the Script Writer" by Mario Vargas Llosa
Tuesday, February 27, 2024
The Prospector by Jean-Marie Gustave Le Clezio
Name: Jean-Marie Gustave Le Clézio
Year Won: 2008
Read: The Prospector
Original Language: French
Reason: "author of new departures, poetic adventure and sensual ecstasy, explorer of a humanity beyond and below the reigning civilization"
About: The Prospector follows a dude who wanders around the Carribean looking for ancient, lost treasure while encountering a bunch of adventures.
What I liked: The description of the Carribean is gorgeous and evocative. It almost felt like I was there. It was really beautiful and serene. Also, I basically enjoyed that stuff happened in the story. The hero got lost, looked for treasure, wandered around, etc. It was a very enjoyable read all in all.
What I Disliked: Not really anything. This was a legitimately fun book. I think maybe I didn't get overly attached to the protagonist (who didn't feel tremendously deep to me or really compel me in any particular way), but that didn't distract too much from the enjoyable journey of going through a richly realized world. (Filled with adventure, beauty, and some despair and the actual history of the Caribbean is pretty bleak.)
Should it have won a Nobel: Probably? This felt fairly unpretentious for a Nobel choice. But I felt like Clezio did an excellent job telling a fun story while also weaving in some of the darker aspects of Caribbean colonialism, which is hard to do. (Far less gracefully and in a way that doesn't feel like I'm being beaten over the head with it.)
Next Up: "The Hunger Angel" by Herta Müller
Year Won: 2008
Read: The Prospector
Original Language: French
Reason: "author of new departures, poetic adventure and sensual ecstasy, explorer of a humanity beyond and below the reigning civilization"
About: The Prospector follows a dude who wanders around the Carribean looking for ancient, lost treasure while encountering a bunch of adventures.
What I liked: The description of the Carribean is gorgeous and evocative. It almost felt like I was there. It was really beautiful and serene. Also, I basically enjoyed that stuff happened in the story. The hero got lost, looked for treasure, wandered around, etc. It was a very enjoyable read all in all.
What I Disliked: Not really anything. This was a legitimately fun book. I think maybe I didn't get overly attached to the protagonist (who didn't feel tremendously deep to me or really compel me in any particular way), but that didn't distract too much from the enjoyable journey of going through a richly realized world. (Filled with adventure, beauty, and some despair and the actual history of the Caribbean is pretty bleak.)
Should it have won a Nobel: Probably? This felt fairly unpretentious for a Nobel choice. But I felt like Clezio did an excellent job telling a fun story while also weaving in some of the darker aspects of Caribbean colonialism, which is hard to do. (Far less gracefully and in a way that doesn't feel like I'm being beaten over the head with it.)
Next Up: "The Hunger Angel" by Herta Müller
Sunday, February 18, 2024
The Golden Notebook by Doris Lessing
Name: Doris Lessing
Year Won: 2007
Read: The Golden Notebook
Original Language: English
Reason: "that epicist of the female experience, who with scepticism, fire and visionary power has subjected a divided civilisation to scrutiny"
About: The Golden Notebook follows the life of a writer who tries to tie the threads of her life together. Or something. IDK. I didn't make it super far as the beginning felt like a rudimentary introduction to feminism 101, which is fine and all, but also kind of boring in the 21st century.
What I liked: There's a nice sense of time, place and character that permeates through the narrative.
What I Disliked: Maybe this fades with time - since I didn't read the whole thing - but the first chapters honestly feel like, 'hey, y'wanna learn about feminism? I'll tell you about feminism!" circa 1970. Which like, yeah, I'm a feminist and all. But it feels super dull and lectury.
Should it have won a Nobel: Maybe it gets better as it continues? IDK.
Next Up: "The Prospector" by Jean-Marie Gustave Le Clézio
Year Won: 2007
Read: The Golden Notebook
Original Language: English
Reason: "that epicist of the female experience, who with scepticism, fire and visionary power has subjected a divided civilisation to scrutiny"
About: The Golden Notebook follows the life of a writer who tries to tie the threads of her life together. Or something. IDK. I didn't make it super far as the beginning felt like a rudimentary introduction to feminism 101, which is fine and all, but also kind of boring in the 21st century.
What I liked: There's a nice sense of time, place and character that permeates through the narrative.
What I Disliked: Maybe this fades with time - since I didn't read the whole thing - but the first chapters honestly feel like, 'hey, y'wanna learn about feminism? I'll tell you about feminism!" circa 1970. Which like, yeah, I'm a feminist and all. But it feels super dull and lectury.
Should it have won a Nobel: Maybe it gets better as it continues? IDK.
Next Up: "The Prospector" by Jean-Marie Gustave Le Clézio
Friday, February 2, 2024
Museum of Innocence by Orhan Pamuk
Name: Orhan Pamuk
Year Won: 2006
Read: Museum of Innocence
Original Language: Turkish
Reason: "who in the quest for the melancholic soul of his native city has discovered new symbols for the clash and interlacing of cultures"
About: The Museum of Innocence is about a rich young Turkish man who falls in love with a poor relation then utterly destroys his life with his obsession for her. He slowly gathers items from the time they spend together and at last assembles it in the titular "Museum of Innocence" (which in a hilarious twist, was created to mirror the book...so is a real place in Istanbul.)
What I liked: I find Orhan's writing almost magnetic. I love how he describes Turkish life (in the 70s in this case) and the contrasts between the western, secularized society and more traditional values.
Orhan also has a sense of humor that I find charming. He inserts himself into the story very briefly in a rather entertaining way and, of course, the museum is both real and not real.
Finally, I kind of like that the narrator is a total knob. He's one of the least sympathetic characters in the story (I'm more fond of almost any of the side characters), and it's never really clear to me whether the woman he obsesses over actually likes him, or just hopes he'll use his money to make her a movie star. It's layered in a way that I find really interesting.
What I Disliked: Not much. I really like this book. With that said, I wish it was a bit clearer as to whether the protagonist is supposed to come off as being as much of a knob as he is. If he's truly supposed to be sympathtic (and the woman he's in love with is truly supposed to return his affection), the story comes off as pretty sexist, TBH, with a rich douche basically wanting to 'save' a pretty poor relation, only fate gets in the way. I don't think this is the way this story is meant to be interpreted, though, but I could be wrong.
Should it have won a Nobel: This was written after Pamuk won his Nobel, so it's kind of irrelevant. I liked this, but is it Nobel worthy? IDK.
With that said, I think Pamuk won because of his somewhat comedic, definitely surreal, picture of terrorism in Snow, which absolutely is a masterwork and deserves a Nobel SO MUCH.
Next Up: "The Golden Notebook" by Doris Lessing
Year Won: 2006
Read: Museum of Innocence
Original Language: Turkish
Reason: "who in the quest for the melancholic soul of his native city has discovered new symbols for the clash and interlacing of cultures"
About: The Museum of Innocence is about a rich young Turkish man who falls in love with a poor relation then utterly destroys his life with his obsession for her. He slowly gathers items from the time they spend together and at last assembles it in the titular "Museum of Innocence" (which in a hilarious twist, was created to mirror the book...so is a real place in Istanbul.)
What I liked: I find Orhan's writing almost magnetic. I love how he describes Turkish life (in the 70s in this case) and the contrasts between the western, secularized society and more traditional values.
Orhan also has a sense of humor that I find charming. He inserts himself into the story very briefly in a rather entertaining way and, of course, the museum is both real and not real.
Finally, I kind of like that the narrator is a total knob. He's one of the least sympathetic characters in the story (I'm more fond of almost any of the side characters), and it's never really clear to me whether the woman he obsesses over actually likes him, or just hopes he'll use his money to make her a movie star. It's layered in a way that I find really interesting.
What I Disliked: Not much. I really like this book. With that said, I wish it was a bit clearer as to whether the protagonist is supposed to come off as being as much of a knob as he is. If he's truly supposed to be sympathtic (and the woman he's in love with is truly supposed to return his affection), the story comes off as pretty sexist, TBH, with a rich douche basically wanting to 'save' a pretty poor relation, only fate gets in the way. I don't think this is the way this story is meant to be interpreted, though, but I could be wrong.
Should it have won a Nobel: This was written after Pamuk won his Nobel, so it's kind of irrelevant. I liked this, but is it Nobel worthy? IDK.
With that said, I think Pamuk won because of his somewhat comedic, definitely surreal, picture of terrorism in Snow, which absolutely is a masterwork and deserves a Nobel SO MUCH.
Next Up: "The Golden Notebook" by Doris Lessing
Saturday, January 6, 2024
Death, etc. by Harold Pinter
Name: Harold Pinter
Year Won: 2005
Read: Death, etc.
Original Language: English
Reason: "who in his plays uncovers the precipice under everyday prattle and forces entry into oppression's closed rooms"
About: Death, etc. is a collection of poetry, essays, and plays all focusing on Pinter's clear dislike of the Iraq war.
What I liked: Pinter has an interesting way of blending the real with the surreal which is quite fascinating. A scene will go from very realistic, to very unrealistic in a way that's quite intriguing. I also like how he creates unusual and peculair metaphors in a stage form.
What I Disliked: This is so, so, so heavy handed. I hated the Iraq war too, but dude, if you want to convince people who aren't already on your side, a lighter touch goes a looong way. Some of this was so heavy handed that it almost struck me as something that belonged, in all caps, on a punk 'zine.
Should it have won a Nobel: I don't think this was what Pinter won for, so it's probably not really relevant. He is a solid writer, though, and I can see that if he used those talents in a somewhat lighter way, definitely.
Next Up: "Museum of Innocence" by Orhan Pamuk
Year Won: 2005
Read: Death, etc.
Original Language: English
Reason: "who in his plays uncovers the precipice under everyday prattle and forces entry into oppression's closed rooms"
About: Death, etc. is a collection of poetry, essays, and plays all focusing on Pinter's clear dislike of the Iraq war.
What I liked: Pinter has an interesting way of blending the real with the surreal which is quite fascinating. A scene will go from very realistic, to very unrealistic in a way that's quite intriguing. I also like how he creates unusual and peculair metaphors in a stage form.
What I Disliked: This is so, so, so heavy handed. I hated the Iraq war too, but dude, if you want to convince people who aren't already on your side, a lighter touch goes a looong way. Some of this was so heavy handed that it almost struck me as something that belonged, in all caps, on a punk 'zine.
Should it have won a Nobel: I don't think this was what Pinter won for, so it's probably not really relevant. He is a solid writer, though, and I can see that if he used those talents in a somewhat lighter way, definitely.
Next Up: "Museum of Innocence" by Orhan Pamuk
Sunday, December 3, 2023
Greed by Elfriede Jelinek
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
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
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
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