Name: Eyvind Johnson
Year Won: 1974
Read: Dreams of Roses and Fire
Original Language: Swedish
Reason: "for a narrative art, farseeing in lands and ages, in the service of freedom"
About: "Dreams of Roses and Fire" is set in 17th century France and seems to mostly involve nuns being seduced by demons. Seriously. The demons appear to them at night and go absolutely wild. They caress their thighs, they arouse them, they make them cry out in pleasure. I'm fairly sure the demons are supposed to be exorcised as well, but mostly it's nun on demon sex for pages and pages and pages.
What I liked: I mean, who doesn't like some hot demons seducing nuns (who, of course, are always young and nubile).
What I Disliked: I'm not sure that there is a plot. In many ways, this reads almost like fan fiction, in which some hot demons get it on with some hot and sexually frustrated nuns.
Should it have won a Nobel: I always sigh a little when I see that the writer is Swedish. These stories are rarely as good as those where the writer is from literally everywhere else. This is no exception to that rule.
Next Up: "Aniara" Harry Martinson
Thursday, February 24, 2022
Monday, February 14, 2022
The Hanging Garden by Patrick White
Name: Patrick White
Year Won: 1973
Read: The Hanging Garden
Original Language: English
Reason: "for an epic and psychological narrative art, which has introduced a new continent into literature"
About: "The Hanging Garden" is about...well, I'm not 100% sure what it's about, seeing as it's unfinished and mostly seems like a series of (very well written) vignettes about a bunch of children and later teenagers. I suppose, maybe, it was supposed to eventually gather a plot. But in its scant 200 pages, it really doesn't.
What I liked: The imagery is sublime. I have literally never read descriptions as innovative as some of them within this book. And the characters are brilliantly crafted.
What I Disliked: There is no plot. None. In one way, I suppose maybe that's a blessing (since otherwise there might be a cliffhanger, seeing as the work is unfinished). But it means that the story just sort of is...there's nothing that propels it forward. (And, in case you're wondering even most psychological novels have some kind of plot. "Mother" had a fairly strong one and "The Old Man and the Sea" at least had some semblance of one. I could at least say what both were about beyond "um, existing, I guess?"
Should it have won a Nobel: For this, no. But really, he was awarded the Nobel for other novels that I'm assuming are more engaging? And his writing is delightful.
Next Up: "Dreams of Roses and Fire" by Eyvind Johnson
Year Won: 1973
Read: The Hanging Garden
Original Language: English
Reason: "for an epic and psychological narrative art, which has introduced a new continent into literature"
About: "The Hanging Garden" is about...well, I'm not 100% sure what it's about, seeing as it's unfinished and mostly seems like a series of (very well written) vignettes about a bunch of children and later teenagers. I suppose, maybe, it was supposed to eventually gather a plot. But in its scant 200 pages, it really doesn't.
What I liked: The imagery is sublime. I have literally never read descriptions as innovative as some of them within this book. And the characters are brilliantly crafted.
What I Disliked: There is no plot. None. In one way, I suppose maybe that's a blessing (since otherwise there might be a cliffhanger, seeing as the work is unfinished). But it means that the story just sort of is...there's nothing that propels it forward. (And, in case you're wondering even most psychological novels have some kind of plot. "Mother" had a fairly strong one and "The Old Man and the Sea" at least had some semblance of one. I could at least say what both were about beyond "um, existing, I guess?"
Should it have won a Nobel: For this, no. But really, he was awarded the Nobel for other novels that I'm assuming are more engaging? And his writing is delightful.
Next Up: "Dreams of Roses and Fire" by Eyvind Johnson
The Casualty by Heinrich Boll
Name: Heinrich Böll
Year Won: 1972
Read: The Casuality
Original Language: German
Reason: "for his writing, which through its combination of a broad perspective on his time and a sensitive skill in characterization has contributed to a renewal of German literature"
About: The Casuality is a series of short stories mostly focusing on the perspectives of normal Germans (especially lowly soldiers) during WWII. They're beautifully written, but stark and depressing. (Which I guess makes sense?) There's a kind of horrible brutality to them - wealthy soldiers buy wounds to get them away from the front lines, soldiers murder an officer who's been promoting aggressive fighting, etc.
What I liked: The writing is beautiful and the themes, while depressing, are interesting, unique, and really powerful. If you want a sense that war is hell well...this collection definitely makes you feel that war is, indeed, hell. (And more so because of how it enables the terrible than just because of the freezing in trenches part.)
What I Disliked: These stories are dark and hard to read.
Should it have won a Nobel: Yes. Boll is a phenomenal writer and these stories feel fresh and unique the way so many others don't. He's phenomenal.
Next Up: "The Hanging Garden" by Patrick White
Year Won: 1972
Read: The Casuality
Original Language: German
Reason: "for his writing, which through its combination of a broad perspective on his time and a sensitive skill in characterization has contributed to a renewal of German literature"
About: The Casuality is a series of short stories mostly focusing on the perspectives of normal Germans (especially lowly soldiers) during WWII. They're beautifully written, but stark and depressing. (Which I guess makes sense?) There's a kind of horrible brutality to them - wealthy soldiers buy wounds to get them away from the front lines, soldiers murder an officer who's been promoting aggressive fighting, etc.
What I liked: The writing is beautiful and the themes, while depressing, are interesting, unique, and really powerful. If you want a sense that war is hell well...this collection definitely makes you feel that war is, indeed, hell. (And more so because of how it enables the terrible than just because of the freezing in trenches part.)
What I Disliked: These stories are dark and hard to read.
Should it have won a Nobel: Yes. Boll is a phenomenal writer and these stories feel fresh and unique the way so many others don't. He's phenomenal.
Next Up: "The Hanging Garden" by Patrick White
Thursday, January 20, 2022
The Lost Neruda Poems
Name: Pablo Neruda
Year Won: 1971
Read: The Lost Neruda Poems
Original Language: Spanish
Reason: "for a poetry that with the action of an elemental force brings alive a continent's destiny and dreams"
About: Do
you
like poems
written
like this?
If so
you
might
like
this collection
Add in some sentimentality (some of which I found almost mawkish), and this is at least this collection of Neruda poems. (I haven't read anything else by him, so can't say whether this is his normal style or something unique to this particular grouping. There may well be a reason these were "lost").
What I liked: There were some pretty images. I guess.
What I Disliked: I found these overly schmultzy, even in the original Spanish. They felt, to me, a bit too much like something that I saw back in the 90s on glittering Geocities pages. Maybe I'm just being cynical, but I wasn't a fan.
Should it have won a Nobel: I didn't care for these poems AT ALL. (And I read them in the original as well as translation, so it's probably not *just* a matter of a bad translator.) I suppose taste is always a thing and a lot of people LOVE Neurda. I, most definitely, do not. So in my opinion, no. Clearly others felt very differently.
Next Up: "The Casuality" by Heinrich Böll
Year Won: 1971
Read: The Lost Neruda Poems
Original Language: Spanish
Reason: "for a poetry that with the action of an elemental force brings alive a continent's destiny and dreams"
About: Do
you
like poems
written
like this?
If so
you
might
like
this collection
Add in some sentimentality (some of which I found almost mawkish), and this is at least this collection of Neruda poems. (I haven't read anything else by him, so can't say whether this is his normal style or something unique to this particular grouping. There may well be a reason these were "lost").
What I liked: There were some pretty images. I guess.
What I Disliked: I found these overly schmultzy, even in the original Spanish. They felt, to me, a bit too much like something that I saw back in the 90s on glittering Geocities pages. Maybe I'm just being cynical, but I wasn't a fan.
Should it have won a Nobel: I didn't care for these poems AT ALL. (And I read them in the original as well as translation, so it's probably not *just* a matter of a bad translator.) I suppose taste is always a thing and a lot of people LOVE Neurda. I, most definitely, do not. So in my opinion, no. Clearly others felt very differently.
Next Up: "The Casuality" by Heinrich Böll
Tuesday, December 14, 2021
Apricot Jam and Other Stories by Aleksandr Solzenitsyn
Name: Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
Year Won: 1970
Read: Apricot Jam and Other Stories
Original Language: Russian
Reason: "for the ethical force with which he has pursued the indispensable traditions of Russian literature"
About: "Apricot Jam and Other Stories" is a collection of short stories by Solzhenitsyn, all set in Russia (most during the revolution). They cover anything from the ousted wealthy lamenting over their apricot tree, to a shamed maiden who is pregnant with her seducer's child, to Russian revolutionaries.
Most stories are realistic (I'd imagine a great risk in the Soviet era - and Solzhenitsyn was expelled from Russia for exposing the Gulag system), but neither are overly pessimistic nor optimistic, which is kind of refreshing compared to a number of other writers from his era. (Who seem to mostly be churning out propaganda.)
What I liked: These are some well written short stories that (I think? Never been there, LOL) faithfully paint a picture of the world under Soviet control. That's pretty cool!
What I Disliked: For whatever reason, I never really latched onto any of the stories. They're good, I think, from a technical perspective, they just didn't especially engage me for whatever reason.
Should it have won a Nobel: Probably. If nothing else, Solzhenitsyn deserves all the acclaim for exposing the Gulag system to the wider world. His writing also is quite good, even if I'm not a huge fan of it. And the world he perserves in his words is intersting. I'm *glad* that someone as talented as him set his words to describing it, so people can have a faithful picture of Soviet life in thousands of years.
Next Up: "Then Come Back" the lost Neruda Poems by Pablo Neruda
Year Won: 1970
Read: Apricot Jam and Other Stories
Original Language: Russian
Reason: "for the ethical force with which he has pursued the indispensable traditions of Russian literature"
About: "Apricot Jam and Other Stories" is a collection of short stories by Solzhenitsyn, all set in Russia (most during the revolution). They cover anything from the ousted wealthy lamenting over their apricot tree, to a shamed maiden who is pregnant with her seducer's child, to Russian revolutionaries.
Most stories are realistic (I'd imagine a great risk in the Soviet era - and Solzhenitsyn was expelled from Russia for exposing the Gulag system), but neither are overly pessimistic nor optimistic, which is kind of refreshing compared to a number of other writers from his era. (Who seem to mostly be churning out propaganda.)
What I liked: These are some well written short stories that (I think? Never been there, LOL) faithfully paint a picture of the world under Soviet control. That's pretty cool!
What I Disliked: For whatever reason, I never really latched onto any of the stories. They're good, I think, from a technical perspective, they just didn't especially engage me for whatever reason.
Should it have won a Nobel: Probably. If nothing else, Solzhenitsyn deserves all the acclaim for exposing the Gulag system to the wider world. His writing also is quite good, even if I'm not a huge fan of it. And the world he perserves in his words is intersting. I'm *glad* that someone as talented as him set his words to describing it, so people can have a faithful picture of Soviet life in thousands of years.
Next Up: "Then Come Back" the lost Neruda Poems by Pablo Neruda
Wednesday, October 27, 2021
Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett
Name: Samuel Beckett
Year Won: 1969
Read: Waiting for Godot
Original Language: English and French (strangely as he's Irish - whoda thunk?)
Reason: "for his writing, which - in new forms for the novel and drama - in the destitution of modern man acquires its elevation"
About: "Waiting for Godot" follows two homeless men who sit around, make up stories, talk about nonsense and...you got it!...wait for Godot, a mysterious *someone* who never shows up. Along the way they digress into talking about politics, hanging and nonsense. A LOT of nonsense.
What I liked: Desite the nonsense, there's a sense that there's a meaning behind what the men are saying. Godot has a sort of messianic feeling, but precisely what he's supposed to do is unclear, which allows the reader/watcher (it's a play, after all!) to project their own opinion on things - sort of like many religions, I guess.
What I Disliked: The play is nonsense. Heavily nonsense. Almost complete and total nonsense. It's really, really weird. (And I'm not sure what, if anything is supposed to be taken away from it other than that it's werid. I can see why this is satirized so often.)
Should it have won a Nobel: I don't know. It's considered a classic, so probably? But it's also just...weird. I feel like there are a number of other works that tackle the same topics more coherently. (Although I do feel like the lack of coherence is the point?) Who knows any more?
Next Up: Something by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
Year Won: 1969
Read: Waiting for Godot
Original Language: English and French (strangely as he's Irish - whoda thunk?)
Reason: "for his writing, which - in new forms for the novel and drama - in the destitution of modern man acquires its elevation"
About: "Waiting for Godot" follows two homeless men who sit around, make up stories, talk about nonsense and...you got it!...wait for Godot, a mysterious *someone* who never shows up. Along the way they digress into talking about politics, hanging and nonsense. A LOT of nonsense.
What I liked: Desite the nonsense, there's a sense that there's a meaning behind what the men are saying. Godot has a sort of messianic feeling, but precisely what he's supposed to do is unclear, which allows the reader/watcher (it's a play, after all!) to project their own opinion on things - sort of like many religions, I guess.
What I Disliked: The play is nonsense. Heavily nonsense. Almost complete and total nonsense. It's really, really weird. (And I'm not sure what, if anything is supposed to be taken away from it other than that it's werid. I can see why this is satirized so often.)
Should it have won a Nobel: I don't know. It's considered a classic, so probably? But it's also just...weird. I feel like there are a number of other works that tackle the same topics more coherently. (Although I do feel like the lack of coherence is the point?) Who knows any more?
Next Up: Something by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
Sunday, October 17, 2021
The Thousand Cranes by Yasunari Kawabata
Name: Yasunari Kawabata
Year Won: 1968
Read: The Thousand Cranes
Original Language: Japanese
Reason: "for his narrative mastery, which with great sensibility expresses the essence of the Japanese mind"
About: "The Thousand Cranes" follows a young Japanese man as he conducts tea ceremonies, has an affair with not one but TWO of his father's mistresses (much elder ladies), as well as falls in love with a woman closer to his own age. It's a fairly short (around 150 pages) and simple story.
What I liked: It's really beautiful. The ways in which the characters are described are almost magnetic. From the first page, I felt hooked even though I'd have a hard time saying precisely *why*. And the characters have this wonderful feeling of tragedy about them. I really felt for these older women who have spent their lives feeling neglected and abused, so now are are taking refuge in the (temporary) love of the protagonist.
What I Disliked: The story does feel a bit scant. In many ways, I'd have liked more of it. Such is the shame of a short novel..
Should it have won a Nobel: Yes. I really loved this book, although it's hard to say precisely why. There's just something about Kawabata's writing that has an almost magnetic pull. I'm not sure why, it just *does*. That gave this a unique feeling that's been hard to find in other novels, even among this vaunted list.
Next Up: "Waiting for Godot" by Samuel Beckett
Year Won: 1968
Read: The Thousand Cranes
Original Language: Japanese
Reason: "for his narrative mastery, which with great sensibility expresses the essence of the Japanese mind"
About: "The Thousand Cranes" follows a young Japanese man as he conducts tea ceremonies, has an affair with not one but TWO of his father's mistresses (much elder ladies), as well as falls in love with a woman closer to his own age. It's a fairly short (around 150 pages) and simple story.
What I liked: It's really beautiful. The ways in which the characters are described are almost magnetic. From the first page, I felt hooked even though I'd have a hard time saying precisely *why*. And the characters have this wonderful feeling of tragedy about them. I really felt for these older women who have spent their lives feeling neglected and abused, so now are are taking refuge in the (temporary) love of the protagonist.
What I Disliked: The story does feel a bit scant. In many ways, I'd have liked more of it. Such is the shame of a short novel..
Should it have won a Nobel: Yes. I really loved this book, although it's hard to say precisely why. There's just something about Kawabata's writing that has an almost magnetic pull. I'm not sure why, it just *does*. That gave this a unique feeling that's been hard to find in other novels, even among this vaunted list.
Next Up: "Waiting for Godot" by Samuel Beckett
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