He Nobel Prize for Literature It is one of the recognitions that generates the most attention and discussions worldwide. The winner will be announced on next thursdayduring the first hours of the day in Argentina and will be awarded by the Swedish Academy of Letters.
The lucky one – or the lucky ones, since it is possible that the award will be shared, as happened this Monday with the Nobel Prize in Medicine – will be recognized with a diploma, a gold medal and a sum close to a million dollars, given by the Nobel Foundation.
For the Literature award, critics and experts from all over the world, as well as bettors, are already speculating about who could be chosen, and it is possible to put together a “consensus list” with the most mentioned names. However, the Swedish Academy always has surprises in store, as happened in 2016 when it awarded the prize to the American musician Bob Dylan, causing great astonishment in the literary field.
Dylan was recognized “for having created new forms of poetic expression within the great tradition of American song,” the Academy justified at the time, which unleashed an avalanche of criticism from different cultural sectors. As if that were not enough, the singer-songwriter did not attend the award ceremony in December of that year, although he thanked the award from a distance, showing a certain disinterest.
The favorites to win the 2024 Nobel Prize in Literature
Among the most mentioned writers this year, three women stand out. the china Can Xue (1953), considered the most outstanding exponent of experimental fiction in her country; the canadian Anne Carson (1950), poet, essayist and translator, and the Russian Lyudmila Ulitskaya (1943), author of novels, children’s stories and plays.
In the English-speaking world, in addition to Carson, three other authors are mentioned: the Australian Gerald Murnane (1939), practically unknown in Argentina; the enigmatic American novelist Thomas Pynchon (1937), and the British-American Salman Rushdie (1947), who in 2022 suffered an attack in New York and this year published ‘Cuchillo’, a book where he recounts that tragic episode that almost cost him his life.
The Romanian professor, essayist and narrator also continue to appear among the possible winners. Mircea Cartarescu (1956), Kenyan author Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o (1938), and the controversial French novelist Michel Houellebecq (1956). On the other hand, one of the most popular worldwide is Japanese Haruki Murakami (1949), always present on the lists of favorites, although sometimes underestimated by literary critics due to its commercial success.
The Argentine César Aira, among the possible winners
Finally, the multi-award-winning Argentine writer César Aira (1949) continues to be mentioned as a possible Nobel winner. Known for his novels, essays and translations, some of his most notable and translated books are “The Test” and “How I Became a Nun”although his prolific production includes hundreds of titles.
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Courtesy M1
Expectation for a new surprise from the Swedish Academy
Although all these speculations point to prominent authors, it will be the Swedish Academy that will make the final decision this Thursday. As has already happened on other occasions, they could surprise again with an unexpected election. With a history of controversial decisions since 1901, it would not be strange for something as surprising to be announced this year as Javier Milei being the next winner of the Nobel Prize in Economics on October 14.
Source: Ambito
I am an author and journalist who has worked in the entertainment industry for over a decade. I currently work as a news editor at a major news website, and my focus is on covering the latest trends in entertainment. I also write occasional pieces for other outlets, and have authored two books about the entertainment industry.
