Image taken from Nobelprize.org If you haven't already heard the news, Kazuo Ishiguro is the latest winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature. Congrats to him! If you have not read anything by this British author yet, I would highly recommend checking him out. I've read both Remains of the Day and Never Let Me Go, which are probably two of his more well known works. I enjoyed both of them. If you are a fan of the current American style of writing (fast paced, action oriented, and superficial), then I would not recommend his books. Ishiguro's pieces are dense, slower paces, and are more character driven. His writing is quite profound, but I wouldn't recommend it for a light beach reading day.
While many people will be focusing on Kazuo Ishiguro in the articles about the Nobel Prize, I thought this would be a fun opportunity to take a look at the history of the Nobel Prize in Literature. It all began on November 25, 1895. It was on this day that Alfred Nobel created the Nobel Prizes, including the Nobel Prize in Literature, through his last will and testament. Nobel is most famously known as the inventor of dynamite, but was a man of many intellectual curiosities. He spoke multiple languages, and left behind a private library with over 1500 volumes. Nobel passed away in 1896, but the first prize was not awarded until 1901. This gap in years was due to the fact that many people, including relatives and non-relatives, contested this latest will. Since Nobel was leaving behind a large fortune, many people wanted a piece of it, or for pieces of it to be reserved for Sweden only. Nobel designated different organizations to select the award winners for different prizes. The Academy in Stockholm, now known as The Swedish Academy was honored with the Literature Prize selection. The Swedish Academy was founded in 1786 by King Gustaf III to advance the Swedish literature and Swedish language. Founded in 1901, The Nobel Library, serves the purpose of aiding the Swedish Academy in evaluating selections for the Prize. So that is a short history of the Nobel Prize in Literature! To learn more about it, check out these resources below. (By the way, in the interest of being a good librarian, this is also serving as my References list.) Resources/References:
0 Comments
The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair (TAHQ) is a debut novel by Joel Dicker. If you like mystery, particularly crime dramas, then this book is for you. TAHQ is quite a lengthy tome. It, quite honestly, could have been shortened down to half the length. It dragged at parts, but the plot was always intriguing enough to keep you going. The author was clearly not an American; I mention this because there are instances in the book that would not occur because of our judicial policies and procedures and stick out like a sore thumb at times. If these sorts of divorces from reality do not alter your suspension of disbelief, then you will be all right. If implausibility in reality bothers you, I would steer clear of the novel. While there were a few flaws with TAHQ, I would recommend the title overall. The writing was well done, and the plot was very engaging. Once you get to the last hundred pages, you won't be able to put the book down. A great read for those who like twists and turns! In light of the horrible actions that occurred in Charlottesville recently, and in America over the past year or so, I thought it would be appropriate to talk about diversity in literature. Diversity means "the condition of having or being composed of differing elements". It's so important to have a diverse collection for a number of reasons. It enables people to be exposed to ideas, cultures, and thoughts that are different from their own. It also allows people who are more marginalized in society to have a voice. Sometimes it can be hard to know where to start. So, I've made a list of lists of diverse books. Have any other great lists or recommendations? Add them in the comments section! Adults:
Children/Young Adult: The book Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow by Yuval Noah Harari is marketed as answering the questions of humanity's future. Where will we be going from here? What will humans be like in the future?
Readers looking to read a few hundred pages on future hypothetical worlds will be disappointed. The author spends the first two-thirds of the book discussing the past and present of humanity. The last third of the book explores possible avenues for the human species to follow. While a majority of the book does not deal with the future, it is necessary and worthwhile. The author does an excellent job of keeping the past interesting and without seeming like a boring history lesson from middle school. Harari breaks the past into different categories and then showcases the patterns that have existed throughout homo sapiens' history. He then applies those patterns to the present and uses them to foreshadow what will most likely be in store for humanity. A well written piece of non-fiction, Harari keeps readers engaged throughout each section of the lengthy tome. A recommended read, especially for those readers that are just beginning to dip their toes into the non-fiction genre. |
AuthorI have worked in Education my entire life moving from K-12, to a community college, to my current position at a four year. I am fascinated by weird things and information in general. Archives
November 2017
Categories
All
|