How About Them ... Nobel Prize Judges?

[Super Ugly]

And the Nobel Prize for literature went to Harold Pinter.

This came way out of leftfield, in my opinion. Pinter's a footnote in the history of literature if ever I saw one. Looking at the list of winners over the years, who do you think deserves recognition if they haven't already received it?

[WSUCougar]

a footnote in the history of literature
Cool phrase!

[Honolulu_Blue]

Are you sure they didn't mean to give it to this guy?

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[Ksyrup]

Harold Pinter = Harry Potter

It was so obvious!

[WSUCougar]

You say Pinter, I say Potter
You say potater, I say potato

[JPhillips]

Pinter does seem out of the blue. He's got some good plays to his credit, but he's easily behind the other great absurdist playwrights. He's not in the same league as Beckett, Genet or Ionesco. Hell he's probably not as good as Albee either.

A strange choice.

[Super Ugly]

Yeah, Albee would be a much better choice. Plus he's still writing plays, unlike Pinter's stabs at 'poetry' (shudder).

I wonder if Philip Roth will ever get the prize.

[kcchief19]

I don't know if you can say the Nobel selection committee went out in left field on this selection because the committee has historically, particularly in later years, been in left field the entire time and only occassional reaches into the mainstream for a choice.

I don't know enough about Pinter's work, but I do see that some are suggesting that his aggressive opposition to the war in Iraq played a role in his selection. It's likely. The prize has always been largely political. I think it's rare when the prize solely recognizes art and doesn't consider the politics of the either the person of the impact of the selection. Everytime the committee picked a Russian during the Cold War they knew it would get the Soviets' panties in a twist.

I feel so out of touch with modern literature I'm not sure I could make an informed decision. Roth is as good a choice as any for an American to win, but I think it will be a while before an American is honored.

[TargetPractice6]

Are you sure they didn't mean to give it to this guy?



http://www.detroitlions.com/photos/Artose_Pinner_Sidebar.jpg
TOOOOOOOOOOOOSE!

[st.cronin]

Isn't the Nobel Prize the one that has to go to a living honoree? That may have something to do with it. Anyway, fwiw, I read Pinter in high school. I was unimpressed.