Vilma > Status Update

Ah, exactly! I'll have to pick up a book of his soon then. Red Sorghum was the one NPR news mentioned.

Just ordered The Garlic Ballads and Red Sorghum. The Engl. translations have 100 and 150 pages less. Guess MAO was right then.

The most books I see added as to-read today are those of Mo Yan ^^

Oh wow, that is a lot missing. I wonder how much that will skewer the understanding, and what parts they remove and why. Also, I just started reading this article: http://www.cnn.com/2012/10/11/world/s...
I felt they took an unflattering look at him early on in the article, hinting that he tows the party line.

I've seen so many people add him too. Unlike last year when Tranströmer won. I got excited, bought his book and quickly got a review up thinking it would be one of many but, probably due to him being a poet not a novelist, he didn't seem to make as much of an impact. I love T's work though.

Yes, that Mo Yan is not all controversial or publicly against the offical Party-line I have read too in more or less every newspaper article. But some were more sensitive than others. In one he says smth like he got his health insurance and so on from the Military, otherwise he would not survive as an Author in China today. That this is just reality.

Haven´t read Tranströmer since I am not really liking Poetry *sighs* he is the only Nobel Laureates of the recent years I did not really care much about.

Yeah, poetry is not everyone's cup of tea. He was a total surprise too, I'd never even heard of him (as I'm sure is true for most of Americans... we suck). Mo Yan will hopefully get a good boost from this, especially here, but there will always be detractors. People get so uppity right after the Nobel! I enjoy your stance 'this is just reality'. Exactly. Oh, Museum of Eterna's Novella came in the mail today (according to my package stalker). I'm excited.

*rolleyes" "He said he senses that the award appears to be a recognition of -- or trying to please -- the Chinese government." What a load of crap. As if they had picked up writers who were hailing some asshat goverments all the time or smth, instead of those who were speaking loudly against such regimes. This quote of the Poon guy made me stop reading the rest. Surprise surprise that he is clearly on the other side, now if that doesnt smell poo poo all over.

s.penkevich wrote: "as I'm sure is true for most of Americans... we suck)"

Haha, I like that :D but you guys over there have some lads w/ good taste who spread the word, someone like you so its not all bad ;)

Vilma wrote: "*rolleyes" "He said he senses that the award appears to be a recognition of -- or trying to please -- the Chinese government." What a load of crap. As if they had picked up writers who were hailing..."

Poon clearly had an agenda going with that quote. I mean, Saramago won the award being an outspoken communist and atheist, so trying to claim they are attempting to sneak some government propaganda across sounds foolish.

Vilma wrote: "s.penkevich wrote: "as I'm sure is true for most of Americans... we suck)"

Haha, I like that :D but you guys over there have some lads w/ good taste who spread the word, someone like you so its no..."

We'll continue to try and carry that weight ha. The arts aren't as appreciated over here, and to immerse yourself in literature is often to be looked at as pretentious and strange, which is sad. Milosz wrote in Captive Mind about how the problem with America is that Americans consider the arts to be a hobby and many who could be great spend all their time in the factories and shops 12hrs a day, and then are too burnt out to write later, but to take time away from work to practice an art would be shameful.

s.penkevich wrote: "Vilma wrote: "*rolleyes" "He said he senses that the award appears to be a recognition of -- or trying to please -- the Chinese government." What a load of crap. As if they had picked up writers wh..."

Totally agree, and think of Herta Müller who grew up under the regime of Ceaucescu and her stories about it; MVL who is very political and outspoken (not sure if I agree with him about this lol) or Le Clezio who is to say it nicely wary of everything of Western Culture etc. The list goes on and on. There isnt a single writer I would name who has "pleased" any goverment at all. Really, screw the politics, why not judge a writer by his literary talents and merits *sighs*

Good points. The prize is for literature, not peace or politics. I suppose it often goes to someone who speaks to the heart of humanity - Steinbeck being one who basically spoke a subtle socialism in America - but I agree, keep the ideas of pandering to governments out of it. I do like how the Nobel committee often states something to the effect of 'it's our prize, we give it to whoever we want' to shut people up.

s.penkevich wrote: "it's our prize, we give it to whoever we want'"

And right they are, its private money after all and they can do whatever they see fit with it imho. Actually I do like their choices very much, all writers I would know nothing about at all if it wasnt for the Nobel Prize. Probably politics does always play a role in one way or the other but so does it in real life for everyone. Surely that is not the main thing why a writer gets this award or not. I strongly believe they award really only for the body of work of a writer, not what he or she believes or where someone is born or whatever other reasons anyone might think.