| Who Will Win the 2000 Nobel Prize in Literature? | |
Rumors have been flying around the world... The announcement of the winner for the 2000 Nobel Prize in Literature will be made on October 12, 2000. Until then, we can all speculate about which great author will be chosen next... to be the object of the prestigious prize, as well as the nine million kronor (just under one million dollars). The winner will also receive the additional profits from the rise in their book sales after winning the Nobel Prize in Literature.
Let's start with a brief history lesson... By the terms of Alfred Bernhard Nobel's will (1896), the Nobel Prize for Literature is given to the person who has produced "the most distinguished work of an idealistic tendency" in the field of literature. The first Nobel Prize in Literature was given to Sully Prudhomme in 1901
By another provision of Alfred Nobel's will, the prize is intended for works "during the preceding year," but the Nobel Foundation interprets that part of the will to include recent cultural achievements as well as older works by a writer (if the significance of that work has only recently been recognized).
With the criteria being that the writer must have produced "the most distinguished work," it's difficult to guess who the next winner will be, especially when so many great authors have been overlooked. Leo Tolstoy never received the award, even though he was considered for the initial prize in 1901, and then again in 1902. Tolstoy claimed that he didn't mind, because, in his words, "it saved me from the painful necessity of dealing in some way with money — generally regarded as very necessary and useful, but which I regard as the source of every kind of evil."
Other great writers who never received the Nobel Prize in Literature include: James Joyce, Franz Kafka, Henry James, Joseph Conrad, Vladimir Nabokov, Italo Calvino, Henrik Ibsen, Mark Twain, Paul Valery, and Bertolt Brecht. Even Ernest Hemingway was repeatedly passed over for the prize, until he eventually won in 1954.
So, it's probably not surprising that Günter Grass, the winner of the 1999 Nobel Prize for literature, was a candidate for 20 years before being chosen for his 1959 novel, "The Tin Drum. "The win by Grass last year also continued a 5 year streak of European's receiving the award, starting with Wislawa Szymborska from Poland in 1996.
So, who, you may ask, is slated to win the Nobel Prize this year? More than 1,000 nominations are made every year by former Nobel Laureates and scholars from around the world. Of the possible nominees, some of the favorites to receive the Nobel Prize are: Margaret Atwood, Carlos Fuentes, J.M. Coetzee, Norman Mailer, Philip Roth, Salman Rushdie, V.S. Naipaul, and Maurice Blanchot.
According to the Agence France-Presse, in a recent article, "Philip Roth, VS Naipaul among Nobel Literature Prize favorites" , Swedish literary critic Maria Schottenius said, "The Swedish Academy could choose Philip Roth, a well-rounded writer who has produced quality books... But personally, I would choose J.M. Coetzee from South Africa."
Philip Roth is certainly well-known. His books have received numerous prizes, including two National Book Awards, two National Book Critics Circle Awards, and the PEN/Faulkner Award. He also won the 1998 Pulitzer Prize for his nationally-acclaimed novel "American Pastoral". But, Roth may be too well-known for the Swedish Academy to pick him for the prize winner.
South African writer J.M. Coetzee is well-established in literary circles, as well. Coetzee's novel, "Disgrace," has already won the 1999 Booker Prize for Fiction and the book has sold more than 100,000 copies in hardback. Other books by him include " Waiting for the Barbarians" (1980); "The Life and Times of Michael K " (1983), which also won the Booker Prize; "Foe" (1986); "Age of Iron" (1990); and "The Master of St. Petersburg" (1994), as well as a number of books of essays, among them "Doubling the Point: Essays and Interviews" (1994).
So, Coetzee could be a possibility, but the Swedish Academy has already chosen a South African Author this decade. So, Coetzee's chances may not be terribly good.
Another favorite, according to Infoculture, is Canadian writer Margaret Atwood. Notable novels include: "The Edible Woman" (1972), "Surfacing" (1972), "Lady Oracle" (1976) "Life Before Man" (1979), "Bodily Harm" (1981), "The Handmaid's Tale" (1985, which received the Governor General's Award), "Cat's Eye" (1988), "The Robber Bride" (1993). Her works also include short fiction, poetry, criticism, and children's books.
But, we shouldn't forget... the Nobel Prize may be awarded to more than one person if the Committee considers both writers to merit the prize. So, more than one of these talented writers could take home the Nobel Prize in Literature.
Another possibility is that the Swedish Academy could announce that no writer will receive the 2000 Nobel Prize for Literature. Though this possibility is not likely for this year, the Academy did decide in 1914, 1918, 1935, 1940, 1941, 1942, and in 1943 not to award a prize.
The writer who receives the Nobel Prize in Literature will be announce on Thursday, October 12th, but the person won't receive the award until the official ceremonies take place in Stockholm and Oslo on December 10, 2000. That date marks the anniversary of the death of Alfred Nobel. For whoever wins, that date will mark a momentous occasion.
So, who do you think will
win?
| Join The Discussion |
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• Which
of the favorite writers do you think will make the cut... to become the
Nobel Prize Laureate in Literature for 2000? Or do you think it will be
someone else?
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