2009 Nobel Prize Predictor

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2009 Nobel Prize Predictor

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1GlebtheDancer
Sep 12, 2009, 4:29 pm

Okay, seeing as we have had a bit of discussion about the 2009 Nobel Prize for literature, I thought we could have a bit of fun. In this thread, I want your predictions. No intelligent discussion, no prevarication, no denigration, just a few names. When the time comes we will all worship at the altar of whoever proves to have their finger(s) on the literary pulse. So how about we have:

1)Your prediction
2)Two other names you think might get it
3)Two other names you think should get it, but probably won't.

So here are mine:
1)Winner: Ngugi wa Thiong'o
2)Possibles: Chinua Achebe, Tchingitz Aitmatov
3)Improbables: Josef Skvorecky, Patricia Grace

2kidzdoc
Edited: Sep 15, 2009, 4:30 pm

1. Winner: Mario Vargas Llosa
2. Possibles: Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o, Bei Dao
3. Improbables: Amos Oz, Adonis

3lriley
Edited: Sep 12, 2009, 6:49 pm

1. Winner: Assia Djebar
2. Possibles: Milan Kundera, Mario Vargas Llosa
3. Improbables: Elias Khoury, Antonio Lobo Antunes

4tonikat
Edited: Sep 13, 2009, 2:09 pm

1. Mary Oliver (I WISH)
2. Umberto Eco, Milan Kundera (yes both would be fine by me)
3. Thomas Pynchon (I wish), William Trevor (I wish!)

I'm assuming I can change my mind as much as I like? I'll comment further elsewhere. sorry for the euro/western orientation.

5urania1
Sep 15, 2009, 12:57 pm

1. Winner Tahar Ben Jelloun
2. Possibles Ngugi wa Thiong'o
3. Improbable Patrick Chamoiseau (A writer from Martinique - really good but I never hear anyone on LT talk about him)

6kidzdoc
Sep 15, 2009, 1:35 pm

#%: I have Texaco by Chamoiseau, but haven't read it yet. Have you read any of his other books?

7urania1
Sep 15, 2009, 2:49 pm

kidzdoc,

Yes I have read two other books by Chamoiseau. He's wonder. Texaco is his finest work in my opinion.

8avaland
Sep 15, 2009, 4:07 pm

1. Winner: Ngugi wa Thiong'o
2. Possibles: Assia Djebar, Bei Dao (I really want to put Djebar at #1, but. . .)
3. Wishlist: Joyce Carol Oates, thinking. . .

9kidzdoc
Sep 15, 2009, 4:31 pm

I substituted Amos Oz for Philip Roth on my improbables list.

10lriley
Sep 15, 2009, 5:33 pm

There's so many really. I think I like Roth more than a lot of other people. Oz is another great choice. As well as Ngugi. Eco, Tabucchi, Ondaatje,Trevor. There are certainly a number of writers off my list above that I'd be very happy to see win. A couple more names I thought of today--Eduardo Galeano and Dag Solstad.

11polutropos
Sep 15, 2009, 8:08 pm

Winner: Amos Oz
Possible: Adonis, Chinua Achebe
Unlikely: Milan Kundera, Ngugi wa Thiong'o

12GlebtheDancer
Sep 16, 2009, 4:39 am

-->5 urania1:
I am reading Texaco at the moment. I nearly put Chamoiseau as an 'improbable', but, like you, have noted his almost complete absence from LT discussions.

13urania1
Sep 16, 2009, 3:06 pm

>12 GlebtheDancer:,

Yes. I am completely mystified by Chamoiseau's invisibility on this thread. I have encouraged a number of people to read Texaco but no takers. Interestingly, when I looked for his name on various Google sites listing Caribbean writers, he was absent more often than not. What gives here? Periodically, I think I'll start a Chamoiseau reading thread just to get his work on the radar.

14GlebtheDancer
Oct 2, 2009, 4:39 pm

As noted in another thread, the Nobel is announced on the 8th of this month. Any more guesses?

15polutropos
Oct 6, 2009, 4:12 pm

The announcement is almost here! I hear Swedish voices softly conferring, just beneath the rustle of the leaves. And yes, yes, the winner is.....

Come on, let's have some more guesses!

16virapol
Oct 6, 2009, 7:27 pm

1) Arnost Lustig,
2) Milan Kundera,
3) Josef Skvorecky.

All-Czech winning ticket!

17janeajones
Oct 6, 2009, 7:30 pm

Assia Djebar
Milan Kundera
Chinua Achebe

no particular order

18GlebtheDancer
Oct 9, 2009, 4:52 am

And the winner is....

Umm, none of us, As you have probably heard, the Nobel was won by Herta Muller, who was mentioned precisely no times, by anyone (or should that be no times by everyone?).

Anyway, we are all very bad people. Go back to your rooms and spank yourself with a Hardback of your choosing.

19urania1
Edited: Oct 9, 2009, 6:51 pm

>18 GlebtheDancer: At least I've read one book by Muller. I refuse to spank myself. Doing so is not as much fun as spanking others . . . hmmmm ;-)