It's actually Thursday January 8th.
The temperature is today hovering just above zero and the two-days'-worth of snow is gently dripping off Carmine's gutterless roofs. Overcast.
A friend-of-a-friend, writer Marita van der Vyver, and author of Reading Space, wrote recently about the new Nobel Laureate for Literature, Jean-Marie Gustave le Clezio. Her post got me thinking. For many years I've concentrated on reading the Booker Prize winners, and last year's 25-book Carmine reading list didn't include a single Nobel laureate. And while I'm relieved to say that I have in the past read several of those on The List, I can count them on the fingers of only one hand : Hesse, Coetzee, Pinter, Beckett, Steinbeck, Hemmingway, Pamuk, Lessing, Fo, Golding, Marquez, Boll, Neruda, Solzhenitsyn...how many hands is that? Oh forget about the hands, it's just not good enough!
So.
It being New Year's Resolution time, I've added one to my list. This is to read one Nobel Laureate per month for the whole of 2009.
I'll be posting the name of the Laureate and the title of the book I've chosen on the first of every month, with a reminder in the sidebar. I'll post my own paltry thoughts on the last day of the month (the vagaries of the Amazon European courier service notwithstanding). If you'd like to read and opine along with me, feel free.
In recognition of the literature of the country in which I now seem to be semi-permanently resident, this month's Laureate is Grazia Deledda, who won the prize in 1926. Born in Sardinia in 1871, Deledda published novels, short stories and a single play. You'll find out more about her here. The novel I've chosen is Reeds in the Wind, translated into English by Martha King.
Watch this space on 30th January for more...
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Wednesday 7 January 2009
New Year's Nobel Resolution
It's actually Thursday January 8th.
The temperature is today hovering just above zero and the two-days'-worth of snow is gently dripping off Carmine's gutterless roofs. Overcast.
A friend-of-a-friend, writer Marita van der Vyver, and author of Reading Space, wrote recently about the new Nobel Laureate for Literature, Jean-Marie Gustave le Clezio. Her post got me thinking. For many years I've concentrated on reading the Booker Prize winners, and last year's 25-book Carmine reading list didn't include a single Nobel laureate. And while I'm relieved to say that I have in the past read several of those on The List, I can count them on the fingers of only one hand : Hesse, Coetzee, Pinter, Beckett, Steinbeck, Hemmingway, Pamuk, Lessing, Fo, Golding, Marquez, Boll, Neruda, Solzhenitsyn...how many hands is that? Oh forget about the hands, it's just not good enough!
So.
It being New Year's Resolution time, I've added one to my list. This is to read one Nobel Laureate per month for the whole of 2009.
I'll be posting the name of the Laureate and the title of the book I've chosen on the first of every month, with a reminder in the sidebar. I'll post my own paltry thoughts on the last day of the month (the vagaries of the Amazon European courier service notwithstanding). If you'd like to read and opine along with me, feel free.
In recognition of the literature of the country in which I now seem to be semi-permanently resident, this month's Laureate is Grazia Deledda, who won the prize in 1926. Born in Sardinia in 1871, Deledda published novels, short stories and a single play. You'll find out more about her here. The novel I've chosen is Reeds in the Wind, translated into English by Martha King.
Watch this space on 30th January for more...
The temperature is today hovering just above zero and the two-days'-worth of snow is gently dripping off Carmine's gutterless roofs. Overcast.
A friend-of-a-friend, writer Marita van der Vyver, and author of Reading Space, wrote recently about the new Nobel Laureate for Literature, Jean-Marie Gustave le Clezio. Her post got me thinking. For many years I've concentrated on reading the Booker Prize winners, and last year's 25-book Carmine reading list didn't include a single Nobel laureate. And while I'm relieved to say that I have in the past read several of those on The List, I can count them on the fingers of only one hand : Hesse, Coetzee, Pinter, Beckett, Steinbeck, Hemmingway, Pamuk, Lessing, Fo, Golding, Marquez, Boll, Neruda, Solzhenitsyn...how many hands is that? Oh forget about the hands, it's just not good enough!
So.
It being New Year's Resolution time, I've added one to my list. This is to read one Nobel Laureate per month for the whole of 2009.
I'll be posting the name of the Laureate and the title of the book I've chosen on the first of every month, with a reminder in the sidebar. I'll post my own paltry thoughts on the last day of the month (the vagaries of the Amazon European courier service notwithstanding). If you'd like to read and opine along with me, feel free.
In recognition of the literature of the country in which I now seem to be semi-permanently resident, this month's Laureate is Grazia Deledda, who won the prize in 1926. Born in Sardinia in 1871, Deledda published novels, short stories and a single play. You'll find out more about her here. The novel I've chosen is Reeds in the Wind, translated into English by Martha King.
Watch this space on 30th January for more...
5 comments:
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Rengin Yazitas said...
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Your great idea reminded me old days. In my teen years, I was much more a good reader. Because we had only two TV channels, no internet!!! I've read most of the world classics in my teen and early adolescent years. Especially, Russian classics were (still are) my favorites, Tolstoy, Dostoyevski, Puskin.
I've just finished Orhan Pamuk's last book "Innocent Museum". As being a real keeper crazy quilter, that book is so interesting for me.
I swear, I'll keep your idea in my mind to read more books this year!
Best wishes from Istanbul,
Rengin -
Thursday, 08 January, 2009
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Anonymous said...
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12 Nobel books in one year! hope you get time for some good trash too
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Thursday, 08 January, 2009
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Anonymous said...
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Very Nobel indeed!
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Thursday, 08 January, 2009
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Audrey said...
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Well now this is intriguing. I believe that I will join you on this one.
A much better resolution than losing weight! -
Thursday, 08 January, 2009
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Ronnica said...
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It's always noble (hehe) to not just read the most popular authors of our time and reach back and read some good history. I've only read 4 on that list, but a good deal of my time I read books that are older than that. I find that they offer a great deal more than what we've come to expect in a book today.
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Sunday, 11 January, 2009
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5 comments:
Your great idea reminded me old days. In my teen years, I was much more a good reader. Because we had only two TV channels, no internet!!! I've read most of the world classics in my teen and early adolescent years. Especially, Russian classics were (still are) my favorites, Tolstoy, Dostoyevski, Puskin.
I've just finished Orhan Pamuk's last book "Innocent Museum". As being a real keeper crazy quilter, that book is so interesting for me.
I swear, I'll keep your idea in my mind to read more books this year!
Best wishes from Istanbul,
Rengin
12 Nobel books in one year! hope you get time for some good trash too
Very Nobel indeed!
Well now this is intriguing. I believe that I will join you on this one.
A much better resolution than losing weight!
It's always noble (hehe) to not just read the most popular authors of our time and reach back and read some good history. I've only read 4 on that list, but a good deal of my time I read books that are older than that. I find that they offer a great deal more than what we've come to expect in a book today.
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