How Myopic Are Americans?
By Kristen on Oct 7, 2008 in Literary News
My friend Monica recently sent me an interesting article from the Star Tribune to kick off Book Award Season! Since I have readers from around the world, I would love to hear not only how Americans view themselves through literature, but the global perspective, too. And, more importantly, how much should the content of great writing count? First, excerpts from the article Are Oates, Updike too American for Nobel?
STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN – Bad news for American writers hoping for a Nobel Prize next week: The top member of the award jury believes the United States is too insular and ignorant to compete with Europe when it comes to great writing…
As the Swedish Academy enters final deliberations, permanent secretary Horace Engdahl said Tuesday it’s no coincidence that most winners are European. “Of course there is powerful literature in all big cultures, but you can’t get away from the fact that Europe still is the center of the literary world … not the United States…”
Speaking generally, he said U.S. writers are “too sensitive to trends in their own mass culture,” dragging down the quality of their work. “The U.S. is too isolated, too insular. They don’t translate enough and don’t really participate in the big dialogue of literature. That ignorance is restraining…”
The most recent American to win the award was Toni Morrison in 1993. Other American winners include Saul Bellow, John Steinbeck and Ernest Hemingway.
[This] Thursday is a possible date for the literature prize, but the Swedish Academy by tradition only gives the date two days before. Each Nobel Prize includes a $1.3 million purse and is awarded Dec. 10.
So, what do you think? Are American writers as myopic as the Nobel Prize judges believe?
And — should the content or topic matter when evaluating truly great writing?
Lastly, check out the odds on who will win the Nobel this year…
Welcome back!
I’ll pipe up regarding the “Content or Topic Matter” question. For any prize but especially at this level – I would think Content is what it’s all about – haven’t we read enough crappy books regarding this or that topic? Yeesh! It’s the books that have substance that should stand above the others – the more thought provoking, and more profound approach, etc. etc. Otherwise every junk/template novel writer out there would be up for it.
Cynthia | Oct 7, 2008 | Reply
Hmmm… very good point… So, if the writing has to exceptional and the content original and thought-provoking… I guess we can see why literary awards are so often controversial!
I have read books that sacrificed “art” for “message” and have been disappointed. The trick is to meld the two, I guess…
Great insight, Cynthia — you have me thinking this afternoon — thank you!
Kristen | Oct 7, 2008 | Reply