28 June 2013
Nobel Prize for Lit nominees
Who were ever considered for the big literary prize in the first place?
The nomination database (link) for Nobel Prize for Lit, up to 1950 only, throws some light on the "insularity" of the award. (Warning: database NOT user-friendly.)
The nominees per country here.
The winners.
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What a fascinating list of nobodies, don't you think?
ReplyDeleteYes, a profusion of unknowns. But the nominators would disagree. And if these writers were as good as they were supposed to be, then we are deprived of some of the best writing out there.
ReplyDeleteAs far as Portugal goes, though, I have to admit Teixeira de Pascoaes was not a bad choice; in his time he was considered Portugal's greatest poet, and even Pessoa admired him; and even if his fame has declined, he's a remarkable poet.
DeleteBut Júlio Dantas? Obviously the nominator never read the great Anti-Dantas Manifesto by Almada Negreiros:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSRC6-XgSHo
I suppose the nominations at present are the same. With one or two exceptional writers being named alongside dozens of mediocre ones. Why the secrecy with the candidates anyway? If the nominees are known, I think the prize would generate a lot more publicity.
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