Came across this article: Nobel literature head: US too insular to compete In my opinion it's no different than an editor (or group of editors) at a publishing house deciding upon manuscripts they favor to publish. Just a different venue for a similar decision based on tastes, dislikes, biases, and in this case, politics. Only difference is that this decision doesn't have much to do with turning a profit (although prestige and credibility could be at stake if that's what one might consider a form of currency). I guess one could also read into it how some literature is too far above the masses--thus it doesn't sell well--ie the masses don't buy it because they don't get it. Just a few thoughts on an interesting article. Terry
This kind of thing is something that really gets to me. I'm sick of how the world portrays America as a den of bumbling idiots, even our own media tells it to us. I think American authors of the future should never except Nobel prizes for writing in the future if it happens because of the insolence of this one individual. I think the true idiocy is in who is running it.
I really could care less about the Nobel "Blood Money" Prize. It's been biased towards particular groups and subject matters for awhile now (Along with just about every other major group of awards like the Academy, and the Emmy's etc). They can keep their awards. They've become so biased now that it's a meaningless piece of metal these days as the judges continue to perpetrate their own close mindedness and then assume themselves the lord critic almighty.
That has got to be some of the most ethnocentric, pig-headed commentary I have ever read. They can shove that prize you-know-where.
This part really struck me as odd: Theo Van Gogh was killed in Amsterdam by an Islamic Fundamentalist because of a film he made about violence against women in some Muslim societies. Meanwhile, Salman Rushdie currently lives in Atlanta, Georgia, where he is a Distinguished Writer at Emory University. Yes, it is only in Europe where you can be safe and write freely. Yup.
That is such a ridiculous comment. An American is capable of being as good a writer as anyone non-American. The American laureates are very good writers with some insanely good novels. Sadly, some of the winners of the Nobel Prize have only won it due to political reasons while other great people are overlooked.
When authors and books are rated I usually avoid them. I just find them uninteresting. Alice Munroe and Margaret Attwood 2 popular Canadian Authors are so depressing I never read them. One of Alice Munroes that people raved about spent the entire book talking about a woman's period and how it affected her life. I tend to pay no attention to the top sellers. I guess I will stick with the old tried and true. Right now it is fashionable to knock the Americans in any way possible so why would the Literature industry be any different. Next year it may be the British who are out of the loop.
I wonder if Tom Clancy feels unfulfilled because he has never been nominated for a Pulitzer Prize. I can hear the discussion as Clancy meets with his accountant: T C - "Honestly John, I appreciate all your hard work finding me the best tax shelters, but no matter how much tax avoidance you come up with, I will never feel complete." Accountant - "Well, Tom, I can save you millions in taxes, but I'm afraid there is nothing I can do to influence the Pulitzer Prize nominating committee. Maybe you should write a book extolling the virtues of socialism, or, I have it," said the account, as he suddenly sat up and spun the world globe on his desk, seeking an island in the south Pacific. "There! Right there! You should craft a story illustrating the plight of aboriginal peoples in Indonesia as they fight against American oil companies attempting to drill in their ancestral burial grounds!" T C - "Do you really think the Pulitzer Price people would notice?" Accountant - "Of course! It's right up their political alley." T C - "Okay, John, you've convinced me. Please notify my publisher that I am refusing their two million dollar advance on my next book. Also, contact John McTiernan and tell him I want to cancel that sequel on The Hunt for Red October...I'll return the five million dollars they sent. All I want is a Pulitzer Prize in literature!!!"
