18 thoughts on “You and the Nobel Prize of Literature 2012”
Nope and I don’t plan to. I see he’s great enough to win the prize but he does not seem the type of writer I’d like, so I’ll try to avoid the Nobel Prize fashion for now.
But would you now even if his works don’t appeal to you “just” because he won the Nobel Prize? I find if I don’t, I’m being a snob and if I do, I feel like reading another bestseller everyone is reading too.
I don’t follow the herd, I read the synopsis, ratings etc, and if the genre or the writing doesn’t look like it’s something that would be of value to me, I don’t read it, even if millions do. But sometimes, Nobel Prizes have opened me to great writers I would not have known otherwise.
That’s true. I must admit I haven’t read so many Nobel Prizes, more Prince of Asturias Literature Prizes (because I live in the town where they are celebrated and we usually get really good conferences).
Gosh, why would nearly 60% of respondents write him off like this? “Haven’t read him and don’t plan to’. That’s really strange…
I’ve enjoyed my adventures with Nobel Prize winners!
Maybe readers are scared by the synopsis of some of his books, rather on the violent and gloomy side?
Who are your favorite Nobel Prize winners? Have you read Mo Yan?
I can’t believe I never heard about Patrick White. Goodreads says:
“widely regarded as one of the major English-language novelists of the 20th century”!!
Which book of his would you recommend to start with?
I enjoy very much Steinbeck, particularly East of Eden.
Thanks for pointing to your Nobel Winners category and to the Read The Nobels blog.
so glad I put up that poll, ending up having really great input.
My favourite is The Aunt’s Story, but at school they usually introduce White with Voss, which is also a really clear example of how White ‘introduced a new continent in literature – which is what his Nobel citation gives as the reason why he won it.
I did start reading The Republic of Wine a while ago, but it was a really strange story that did not appeal to me much. I think I’ll give Red Sorghum a try next though.
Words And Peace 
Nope and I don’t plan to. I see he’s great enough to win the prize but he does not seem the type of writer I’d like, so I’ll try to avoid the Nobel Prize fashion for now.
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Thanks for your input. I did this poll, because no one around me seems to have read him, I haven’t either
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But would you now even if his works don’t appeal to you “just” because he won the Nobel Prize? I find if I don’t, I’m being a snob and if I do, I feel like reading another bestseller everyone is reading too.
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I don’t follow the herd, I read the synopsis, ratings etc, and if the genre or the writing doesn’t look like it’s something that would be of value to me, I don’t read it, even if millions do. But sometimes, Nobel Prizes have opened me to great writers I would not have known otherwise.
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That’s true. I must admit I haven’t read so many Nobel Prizes, more Prince of Asturias Literature Prizes (because I live in the town where they are celebrated and we usually get really good conferences).
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Thanks for pointing to this Prize I had not heard of. I see they have had interesting choices these past years.
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You’re welcome! i highly recommend Margaret Atwood to anyone 😉
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yes! I read 4 books by her, by order of preference from most to least:
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My favourite is Alias Grace. I reviewed it without spoilers in case you’re interested, but mainly I’d describe it as the perfect psychological novel.
I also read The Year of the Flood and liked it, but I’m not passionate about it, not a big fan of sci-fi.
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not read Alias Grace, but with your encouragement, I will add it to my TBR. thanks!
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Gosh, why would nearly 60% of respondents write him off like this? “Haven’t read him and don’t plan to’. That’s really strange…
I’ve enjoyed my adventures with Nobel Prize winners!
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Maybe readers are scared by the synopsis of some of his books, rather on the violent and gloomy side?
Who are your favorite Nobel Prize winners? Have you read Mo Yan?
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I haven’t read Mo Yan – I’d never heard of him before now, but I shall certainly read something of his, just because I’m curious and I usually find that the Nobel winners offer something distinctive that I haven’t encountered in my reading before.
My favourite is (as you’d expect from an Australian blogger of literary fiction) is our only Nobel winner Patrick White and I’ve read nearly all his books but I also really enjoy Jose Saramago and John Steinbeck, I’ve read a lot of theirs and enjoyed every one. I’ve liked what I’ve read of V S Naipaul, Boris Pasternak, Herta Muller, Orhan Pamuk, J M Le Clezio, Imre Kertész, Nadine Gordimer, Thomas Mann, Ernest Hemingway, Toni Morrison and Elias Canetti but I’m not so keen on Elfriede Jelinek and Rudyard Kipling. (You can find my reviews in the Nobel winners category on my blog).
There’s also a really good blog called Read the Nobels where a community has shared reviews and so you can find reviews of almost every winner there is.
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I can’t believe I never heard about Patrick White. Goodreads says:
Which book of his would you recommend to start with?
I enjoy very much Steinbeck, particularly East of Eden.
Thanks for pointing to your Nobel Winners category and to the Read The Nobels blog.
so glad I put up that poll, ending up having really great input.
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My favourite is The Aunt’s Story, but at school they usually introduce White with Voss, which is also a really clear example of how White ‘introduced a new continent in literature – which is what his Nobel citation gives as the reason why he won it.
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Thanks. I added The Aunt’s Story to my TBR.
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I did start reading The Republic of Wine a while ago, but it was a really strange story that did not appeal to me much. I think I’ll give Red Sorghum a try next though.
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good for you! both stories sound rather weird and tough for me for now
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