Well its nobel time again the yearly award that in last few years has got harder to call as the choices seem more obscure to us english language readers but not on the world stage so I ll throw a number of names up and why they could and why they couldn’t from favourites I ve seen mention and my own feelings –
Philip Roth – well he is the one I feel will win as it has been a long time since an us winner and he is probably the last of the big writers from sixties ie mailer and Updike etc .
PROS – well-known ,make up for Updike or mailer not winning Nobel
CONS – has won man booker this year ,recent books not as good as earlier cannon .
Juan Goytisolo – father of modern spanish writing ,
PROS – he is in Nobel mode of recent years tends to be experimental in his fiction ,best regarded living writer in Spain
CONS – rare for two writers from same language to win in following years
Haruki Murakami Japans best known writer
PROS – he’d be a very popular and well-known choice ,his masterpiece has just come out iq84 due in english soon
CONS – maybe to young ,maybe to well-known
Elias Khoury -my favourite arabic writer (I ll also note the Syrian poet Adonis I ve note read him but he’d have similar reasons to Khoury )
PROS – he is just a wonderful writer ,also with Arab spring be nice to see a voice of Arabic world chosen .
CONS – none really he be a great choice
Ben Okri – I like him enough said and have met him and he is so passionate about fiction
Pros does a lot to promote literacy and reading ,African winner is need at some point
CONS – too young ,maybe not lived up to early promise fully
Ismail Kadare – Has been on the list of contenders a number of times
PROS – Has not written a bad novel ,a new language to win the Nobel prize
CONS – Maybe should have won and as Michael Orther said to me on twitter there has been a lot of eastern european winners .
Ulrich Holbein – the German writer yet to be translated to English ,did shoot up last year in odds .
PRO – obscure ,experimental
CONS – Not well-known outside Germany
Cees Nooteboom – Hollands greatest living writer and master of numerous styles of writing poetry ,fiction and travel writing .
PRO – truly talented
CONS – none really he would be the ideal winner
Peter Nadas – the Hungarian master
Pro – maybe the best living writer (as I draw to end of his latest book)
Cons – he has not written a lot as a slow writer .
my tenth choice is a handful of names I ve not read but heard mentioned
Ko Un – Korean poet
Les Murray – Australian Poet
Antonio lobo Antunes – Portuguese writer (frank Wynne suggested I read him ,still waiting for library copy )
Ngugi wa Thiong’o – Kenyan writer ~(read him but one book many years ago)
Here are the odds on Ladbrokes a big move up odds , late on is usually sign of the winner .
As much as I would love Murakami to win, this is not a popularity contest. I suspect that the favourite, Adonis, may well be the choice this year.
I think should be Arabic writer now I ve thought again or Nadas
I love your pro’s and con’s. I sadly am not familiar with most of them. Being an australian I would love to see the australian take it out 🙂
A Aussie winner is due there few writers that could win and been long time since White won
Would love murakami to win, but not expecting him to, too popular, as to elias & adonis, just read an article saying that if politics get in the way ,Israeli peace process etc may not be chosen so there’s a con, not a great one but It’s surprising how much politicing goes on behind closed doors
I think it should be Arabic writer as sends right sign to arab world
@Parrish, I hate it when politics interferes with creativity. Let the politicians play the politics. All the same Ladbrokes the betting organisation are tipping Adonis – the Syrian poet – to win. He’s leading the pack. In Africa we’re looking forward to Assia Djebar (Algeria), Ngugi wa Thiong’o (Kenya). And I still wonder why Achebe has not been considered. Though this might sound an extreme hoping or thin faith, I will be happy if he does. For Okri, like you said, he is very very young.
Djebar is high in odds would be arabesque and frican winner be great choice just ordered her books to read
Good list, Stu. I;m thinking of putting one up myself. Agree with most of the names, though I think that Roth will not get it. I also don’t think that Adonis will get it either. I’m rooting for Nadas, Ngugi, Farah and Les Murray. A poet would be nice too. Thanks.
Your list is great too kinna so hard to say isn’t it so many worthy writers
It is about time africans are recognised with this award….
True they have start using experts to help them make it less Eurocentric
I think this is a great post! There’s so much talk about the Nobel Prize right now.
Yes it grabs some of us
Bob Dylan’s odds have shortened dramatically from 100 – 1 to just 10 -1 . If I were a lemming working at the Stock Exchange I would blindly follow the money ( a considerable bet has been laid to have odds shortened so much ). Dylan’s words have stood the test of time better than many of the writer’s nominated have, his one novel ‘Tarantula’ dates from 1966 though so maybe someone who has been published and read more recently.
This is true Kevin I m huge fan of his I would be happy if he won maybe show a change of tact from Nobel committee
Love your post, Stu! Will be interested to see how your predictions pan out. I am hoping for one of the more obscure authors…
Me too Sarah was way out last year so have to see
Is that time of the year again? All looks like great contender. Always a surprise but I’m rooting for Elias Khoury or Ismail Kadare
It was jov Thomas Transtormer won a swedish poet
I am late in commenting, Stu. I was surprised when I heard that Tomas Transtormer won the Nobel literature prize. I feel that Chinua Achebe, Philip Roth, Haruku Murakami, Cees Nooteboom all deserve it. I don’t know why Chinua Achebe’s name doesn’t crop up during Nobel prize discussions. It is sad.
I m not sure why Achebe gets missed I m hoping the next few years will see it spread it wings and acknoledge more african and asian writers hopefully ,all the best stu