Sunday, October 17, 2021

The Nobel Prize in Literature does not go to ... Jozef Imrich

 XWord Info - XWord Info: New York Times Crossword Answers and Insights is the essential resource for crossword constructors and enthusiasts. Whether you’re stuck on a clue or searching for the best way to fill your grid, you’ll find help here. Take the Tour to learn more, or read the FAQ…”


If you, like me, and unlike Margaret and Tony Horton, haven’t had the opportunity to visit the Giza Pyramid Complex outside of Cairo, Egypt, this 2-hour HD walking tour is probably the next best thing — it feels like walking around about as much as a video can. Strap on those headphones for the full immersive experience. (via open culture)



All the Ways You Can Show Your COVID-19 Vaccination Status in Australia


The Stench of Corruption Leads to Kurz’s Sudden Resignation Der Spiegel


At a time when even some rich democracies are electing con men as their political leaders, the success of Indonesian President Joko Widodo deserves wider acclaim and appreciation. "Jokowi" is providing a model of good governance from which the rest of the world can learn.

The genius of Jokowi Project Syndicate




Nobel Peace Prize recipients Maria Ressa and Dmitry Muratov have some lessons for Australia

Australian journalists should try imitating the extreme courage of Nobel Peace Price winners Maria Ressa and Dmitry Muratov — justice needs to be done on many issues. 


3 US-based economists win Nobel for research on wages, jobs AP


The Impact of Abdulrazak Gurnah’s Nobel PrizeNew Yorker. 


Abdulrazak Gurnah’s books have sold only 3,000 copies in the United States. How did he go from obscure critic to Nobel laureate?  Nobel  



 The Nobel Prize in Literature goes to ... Abdulrazak Gurnah 


       They've announced the winner of this year's Nobel Prize in Literature, and it is Abdulrazak Gurnah. 
       The Zanzibar-born (and longtime UK resident) author was not on too many radars I think, but is a solid choice; it's been years since I read anything by him but I was quite impressed by his work. (I am somewhat disappointed that they chose yet another English-writing author.) 
       His Paradise was shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 1994, while his most recent novel appears to be Afterlives (2020); see the Bloomsbury publicity page, or get your copy at Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk; amazingly, this does not seem to have come out in a US edition (yet -- that will be rectified shortly, no doubt). 

       For information about the author, see, for example:
       For profiles and Q & As by Gurnah, see, for example:       For information about and coverage of his books, see, for example       Early coverage of his Nobel win includes:
       (Updated - 8 October): See now also:
       Particularly striking is how poorly Gurnah has sold in the United States -- "his books have, per the journalist Jane Friedman, sold only 3,000 copies in the United States -- total", Shephard notes, and: "according to NPD BookScan, his best-selling book in the U.S., Desertion, has sold under 2,000 copies at outlets that report to the service since the book's 2005 publication", Maher notes. It's not like his work hasn't gotten any attention -- The New York Times has reviewed six of his novels -- but they certainly do not seem to have found readers -- no wonder his latest, Afterlives, hasn't found a US publisher. 
       While some of his work has been translated, he also isn't particularly widely translated, and most of his work does not appear to be readily available (i.e. in print) in any other language; the US/UK media always jokes about all the obscure foreign-language-writing winners of the Nobel, but outside the UK Gurnah seems to be one of the least-read winners in recent memory.