Mario Vargas Llosa wins Nobel Prize in Literature
The Nobel Prize in Literature 2010 was awarded to Mario Vargas Llosa “for his cartography of structures of power and his trenchant images of the individual’s resistance, revolt, and defeat”.
So when he punched Gabriel Garcia Marquez in the face, it wasn’t just another writer fight, it was a Nobel prizewinner fight.
Like Richard Feynman and Murray Gell-Mann coming to blows. Or Albert Einstein and Marie Curie.
Answers to questions you might be asking, unless you wandered onto this site purely by accident >>>
October 8th, 2010 at 10:44
What is this obsession of the Nobel Awarding Committee with south american writers?
GGM books are unreadable. I am not sure if this is due to thr translation much like Eco.
I hope that his books won’t become forced readings in college literature courses.
October 8th, 2010 at 15:23
helenb, GGM’s works (as all postmodern literature) are “writerly” rather than “readerly,” their charm is in the way readers find different meanings in them. But yeah, I do hope MVL’s works don’t become forced readings: professors will just end up enforcing their interpretation of the text on their students.
JeZa, why didn’t you write a post about Herta Muller last year? (Just asking)
October 8th, 2010 at 16:03
Actually, there has been much criticism that the folks behind the Nobel are too Eurocentric. Of the last 6 winners, 5 are from Europe and 1 from Turkey (which fancies itself a part of Europe anyway). Llosa is the first South American to have won since (surprise surprise) Marquez in the 80s.
I find it fascinating that Llosa and Marquez were friends way back until they got into that fistfight in the 70s. Until now no one knows exactly why they got into that argument in the first place.
October 8th, 2010 at 16:47
I think this is the first time in my life that I wholeheartedly agree with the decision! Excellent choice, and I should say also overdue!
October 8th, 2010 at 18:22
more than well deserved. bravo, indeed!
and someone should write an equivalent to the feast of the goats for the philippines: 1965-1986. our mini-ramfis trujillo is now a senator. we forget too fast. a big novel might help us remember some of the atrocities.
October 8th, 2010 at 20:53
helenb, GGM’s works (as all postmodern literature) are “writerly” rather than “readerly,” their charm is in the way readers find different meanings in them.
I like books that say what they mean. If you start to put meanings intoeverything that the writer says in the book then what happens to the story?
GGM’s 110 Years was a required reading in UP’s Basic Literature course. With all the similar names being repeated through the generations the only thing that stuck to my mind was something about the smell of someone’s armpits. Maybe something is wrong with me or the story never really meant much to me as a reader. After finishing it (not sure if I really finished it or jump to the end) I remember what asking myself ‘what is the story about?’ Reader’s interpretation or no story line?