Not a bad prediction at all; I could easily see it. His reputation is very high right now. In addition to awarding someone from the subcontinent, it would also be a climate change pick, which I could see them wanting to do.
The certainty that it won’t be Rushdie does remind me of everybody saying don’t be an idiot, of course it won’t be Bob Dylan. But this isn’t a prediction!
No one I knew said "it won't be Bob Dylan"--unlike Rushdie, he wasn't on our radar at all! It was more like, "It won't be Philip Roth..." But I guess not everyone was totally blindsided by that.
Yes, we (we the readers) are the ones who ultimately decide questions of literary value, not the Nobel committee. At the same time, it's fun because it's the only time I'm really moved to take stock of global literary reputations rather than just pursuing what interests me.
The winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature in recent years is usually someone I have never heard of until then. Assuming the Committee reads more literature than I do, I expect that to happen again. So it won't be Margaret Atwood, even though she will die soon, and only living authors are given the Prize.
Oh, me too. But I feel like he's too playful for them, maybe? I thought the proposal of Krasznahorkai (though I think his star is now waning), Cărtărescu, and Murnane above was also good. And Carson would feel very possible if Glück hadn't been comparatively recent. I also wouldn't mind Murakami who I feel is unfairly maligned as inartistic because of his weird, flat, "born global" style, but I think the committee wouldn't want to given his controversial status as too commercial and too Western within Japan (and elsewhere).
The Hare is probably my favorite all through but I think about some of the ideas in The Literary Conference unreasonably often. Episodes in the Life of a Landscape Painter and Shantytown are also good.
He’s also the dullest man alive…trust me. I interviewed him. Nobel doesn’t go for the Poppies kind of fluff. Only Booker is a sucker for that. Nobel actually usually gets it right. I have no clue who it might be but I’m thinking it will be a surprise..
I’m aware of the danger of extrapolating the future from the past, but it’s (perhaps statistically un)interesting to note that that since 2017, it alternated between men and women, so perhaps it’ll be a man this time. Apart from Hang it’s been fairly Euro+N.Americacentric for a while, so perhaps they’ll try to find someone from N Africa/Middle East (though the latter is politically fraught enough that they may give it a pass).
But against that, there’s also the eternal E European trio of Cărtărescu, Krasznahorkai and Nádas. Some would argue that they are past their best, though that shouldn’t matter in the context of the prize rules.
Perhaps an outside bet on Donald J Trump for ongoing contributions to avant-garde and surreal online flash fiction?
Just read the article and that’s completely incorrect. Alice Munro was famous as a short story writer can be. Has not written non fiction. Besides, when I last went to hear Ghosh in conversation with some strange Bosnian I’d never heard of, two minutes in, I was praying, shut up Amitav. let this man speak. Whoever he is, he is incredible. Something very special about him. His name is Aleksander Hemon and since is one of my favourite writers and I (who when I do bet on a writer) am 3-3 right now and I always say Hemon will win one year. Not now. He is ‘dossier’ is not quite there yet. But he’s that caliber. Amitava sounds like a silly little writer wannabe sitting next to him. My idiot sister, who knows Ghosh happened to tell him this incident (about the conversation I went to etc) and Ghosh said it was the single most horrendous public appearance of his life. Um, yes! You were made a total fool of even on the most banal of subjects like ; what are your writing habits. Sasha (Hemon), who has since become a very special friend, always uses the political card and says they’ll never give it to him but of course he’ll say that. That’s what anyone would say. Mark my words, in ten-fifteen years Hemon will be on the list. This year, no clue. I can’t think of an English writing writer worthy of the Nobel this year so my guess is it’s a non English speaking writer. Amitava is really not even held in much esteem in India. There are plenty better writers. He just writes a certain kind of book foreigners love to read. But Nobel doesn’t fall for that. Besides re political, they did give it to Handke few years ago. That had many many people, including Hemon irate.
Not a bad prediction at all; I could easily see it. His reputation is very high right now. In addition to awarding someone from the subcontinent, it would also be a climate change pick, which I could see them wanting to do.
I don't actually know his novels, but I found her much reasoning better than most of what you see
The certainty that it won’t be Rushdie does remind me of everybody saying don’t be an idiot, of course it won’t be Bob Dylan. But this isn’t a prediction!
No one I knew said "it won't be Bob Dylan"--unlike Rushdie, he wasn't on our radar at all! It was more like, "It won't be Philip Roth..." But I guess not everyone was totally blindsided by that.
I recall people objecting to the fact that online betting markets listed him, for example in this memorably subtitled piece: https://newrepublic.com/article/137496/will-win-2016-nobel-prize-literature.
Ha ha. Well, shows how out of touch I am / we are.
I like being out of touch and I enjoy these comment threads it seems almost unliterary somehow to care very much
Yes, we (we the readers) are the ones who ultimately decide questions of literary value, not the Nobel committee. At the same time, it's fun because it's the only time I'm really moved to take stock of global literary reputations rather than just pursuing what interests me.
I couldn’t have less of an idea about it tbh I just liked her piece Rushdie seems plausible to me but probably too famous?
Oh the article is interesting I just remember several articles exasperatedly declaring that it would never be Dylan. He was listed on the betting markets and they found even this silly: https://newrepublic.com/article/137496/will-win-2016-nobel-prize-literature
The winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature in recent years is usually someone I have never heard of until then. Assuming the Committee reads more literature than I do, I expect that to happen again. So it won't be Margaret Atwood, even though she will die soon, and only living authors are given the Prize.
Oh i didn’t see you were quoting someone else. Thank god. I had a lot more faith in you
the little green line always means a quote
I think my top 3 in terms of probability would be Laszlo Krashnahorkai, Mircea Cărtărescu, and Gerald Murnane. All hugely deserving recipients imo.
If a poet wins, Raul Zurita, Anne Carson, or Adelia Prado could be in the running.
A few left-field picks include Alexis Wright, Mia Couto, and Christian Kracht.
I'm rooting for César Aira.
Oh, me too. But I feel like he's too playful for them, maybe? I thought the proposal of Krasznahorkai (though I think his star is now waning), Cărtărescu, and Murnane above was also good. And Carson would feel very possible if Glück hadn't been comparatively recent. I also wouldn't mind Murakami who I feel is unfairly maligned as inartistic because of his weird, flat, "born global" style, but I think the committee wouldn't want to given his controversial status as too commercial and too Western within Japan (and elsewhere).
Where should one begin
The Hare is probably my favorite all through but I think about some of the ideas in The Literary Conference unreasonably often. Episodes in the Life of a Landscape Painter and Shantytown are also good.
He’s also the dullest man alive…trust me. I interviewed him. Nobel doesn’t go for the Poppies kind of fluff. Only Booker is a sucker for that. Nobel actually usually gets it right. I have no clue who it might be but I’m thinking it will be a surprise..
I like Rushdie a lot more than most of the sort of “literary” writers who get this sort of award. I’d love to see him win.
Same. I'd be happy for Rushdie to win. 😁
Won’t be Taylor Swift
Not for her Hamlet allusions?
I’m aware of the danger of extrapolating the future from the past, but it’s (perhaps statistically un)interesting to note that that since 2017, it alternated between men and women, so perhaps it’ll be a man this time. Apart from Hang it’s been fairly Euro+N.Americacentric for a while, so perhaps they’ll try to find someone from N Africa/Middle East (though the latter is politically fraught enough that they may give it a pass).
But against that, there’s also the eternal E European trio of Cărtărescu, Krasznahorkai and Nádas. Some would argue that they are past their best, though that shouldn’t matter in the context of the prize rules.
Perhaps an outside bet on Donald J Trump for ongoing contributions to avant-garde and surreal online flash fiction?
100% Anne Carson
Just read the article and that’s completely incorrect. Alice Munro was famous as a short story writer can be. Has not written non fiction. Besides, when I last went to hear Ghosh in conversation with some strange Bosnian I’d never heard of, two minutes in, I was praying, shut up Amitav. let this man speak. Whoever he is, he is incredible. Something very special about him. His name is Aleksander Hemon and since is one of my favourite writers and I (who when I do bet on a writer) am 3-3 right now and I always say Hemon will win one year. Not now. He is ‘dossier’ is not quite there yet. But he’s that caliber. Amitava sounds like a silly little writer wannabe sitting next to him. My idiot sister, who knows Ghosh happened to tell him this incident (about the conversation I went to etc) and Ghosh said it was the single most horrendous public appearance of his life. Um, yes! You were made a total fool of even on the most banal of subjects like ; what are your writing habits. Sasha (Hemon), who has since become a very special friend, always uses the political card and says they’ll never give it to him but of course he’ll say that. That’s what anyone would say. Mark my words, in ten-fifteen years Hemon will be on the list. This year, no clue. I can’t think of an English writing writer worthy of the Nobel this year so my guess is it’s a non English speaking writer. Amitava is really not even held in much esteem in India. There are plenty better writers. He just writes a certain kind of book foreigners love to read. But Nobel doesn’t fall for that. Besides re political, they did give it to Handke few years ago. That had many many people, including Hemon irate.
You’re properly mad now. Ghosh? Never. He wrote only one book of merit some decades ago- Shadowlines. The rest is yawning.
No Indian writer is Nobel worthy right now. My guess, it’ll be someone out of the radar…
please note, this is not my prediction
I sure hope it won’t be Rushdie but how can we be so sure - too famous?