Longevity Part of the Nobel Secret
I have seen so many of my writing friends come and go
so when an article on the Noble Prize for Literature
popped into my e-mail box this—one of the very
last sentences in the report—stood out. It said:
“The
literature prize is given out for an entire lifetime
of writing rather than a single work.”
That
came after a list of recent literary Nobel winners.
The last American to win was Toni Morrison in 1993.
So, I’m asking myself if it’s possible that
American writers are behind the curve because we don’t
stick with it. Because we expect instant success and/or
fame and when we don’t get it with a first book
our writing gets forgotten? Sort of a lack in our national
character?
Or
is it something just as insidious. That many writers
with talent get discouraged because of our publishing
industry’s tendency toward what I call book bigotry.
That is judging (and accepting—or not) a book
based on the press it is printed on. Before it’s
even read, It’s that hierarchy some tend to assign
to publishers and after that to print over e-books and
on and on. In other words, we’re letting publishers
filter (and censor!) our reading material!)
That
I’d like to see an American win again—and
soon—doesn’t keep me from being thrilled
for Frenchman Patrick Modiano, whose novels explore
topics like memory, identity and guilt. And I’ll
read some of his work.
But
that brings me to another issue. I’d like to see
more women in that lineup! We still have so many things
to talk about, things that affect the world and our
children to come and therefore the world. Men can certainly
address those issues, but their insights are likely
to be very different.
It’s
something to think about. Keep writing. Keep developing
your craft. Push yourself beyond the genre that is comfortable
for you. Keep learning more about your craft. Hope is
one thing but we need some heft behind the hope. And
readers, keep supporting new writers who exhibit promise.
Read
more about Nobel’s great
literature prize.
And
here are a couple more books for your consideration.
Carolyn’s
Noble List of Suggestions for 2015 Reading:
These are numbered for ease of
reading but are in no particular order. |
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1.
Detour Trail by Joy V. Smith: (Melange Books)
©2013: A story of how a community of disparate
souls survive blizzards . . .and prejudice. (pagadan@aol.com).
Copy in desk file. |
2. Here is an old book that make
it clear how hard we must work and fight to make
life better. It you read it, it’s worth
a reread. I had many on my cruise around the cape
of Africa interested in it again. It is The
Covenant by James A. Michener, now available
in the new and used feature at Amazon. And no,
Michener was never lauded for it as he should
have been. I annotated my copy as I reread it
because there is so much to learn from it. ( Random
House ©1980).
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3. And
a new one set in pre World War II Paris that explores
gender prejudices and many others. It is Francine
Prose’s new Lovers at the Chameleon
Club.
It’s also
a book that can be examined for technique.
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| A Tip
for Writers:
My
multi award-winning The
Frugal Editor is now in its second
edition—as an e-book (the print edition
is coming a bit later.) It’s been
reformatted, updated and expanded. |
A
Tip for Readers' Tip:
Do you want to begin the new year
with a book that inspired me to write fiction
and poetry? It is Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy.
No matter what you plan to do in 2015, this
is bound to keep you on track for supporting
the qualities that make us human. |
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