Japanese-born British writer Kazuo Ishiguro who won this year’s Nobel Prize for Literature seems a surprise choice for the prestigious award.
The Swedish Academy announced their choice in Stockholm on Thursday saying that “Ishiguro who, in novels of great emotional force, has uncovered the abyss beneath our illusory sense of connection with the world”. The 62-year-old writer said the award was “flabbergastingly flattering” after hearing the news of his selection for the US$1.1 million prize. He will also receive a citation and an 18-carat gold medal that bears the face of the founder Alfred Nobel at an award ceremony on December 10.
Ishiguro has been a full-time author ever since his first book, A Pale View of Hills (1982). He was born on Nov. 8, 1954 in Nagasaki, Japan and his family moved to the United Kingdom when he was five years old. In the late 1970s, Ishiguro graduated in English and Philosophy at the University of Kent, and then went on to study Creative Writing at the University of East Anglia. His most famous The Remains of the Day and Never Let Me Go were adapted into highly acclaimed films. He was made an OBE in 1995.
He has written eight books, which have been translated into over 40 languages and won the Booker Prize in 1989 for The Remains of the Day.
Canadian novelist Michael Ondaatje, the author of The English Patient, said he was “thrilled” by the academy’s choice. “He is such a rare and mysterious writer, always surprising to me, with every book,” he said in an email to New York Times.
We have not seen Ishiguro’s name in any of the lists of Nobel hopefuls for this year. He was not seen even in the list published by Ladbrokes online gaming company.
Kenyan Ngugi wa Thiong’o topped their list. His work includes novels, plays, short stories, and essays, ranging from literary and social criticism to children’s literature. Japanese novelist Haruki Murakami was second followed by Canadian writer Margaret Atwood who came third.
The others were Spanish writer Javier Marias, Chinese novelist Yan Lianke, South Korean poet Ko Un, Norwegian novelist Jon Fosse, Albanian novelist Ismail Kadare, Portuguese novelist António Lobo Antunes and Hungarian novelist Laszlo Krasznahorkai.
Americans did not stand a chance considering Bob Dylan’s Nobel last year which some see as controversial. What’s wrong with songs? That is also literature! Didn’t we wait to see Canadian Leonard Cohen get on that Swedish stage but it never happened. He was a prolific writer with two acclaimed novels, many poetry collections, and an internationally known singer worthy of a Nobel.
Margaret Atwood’s dystopian novel “The Handmaid’s Tale” which has become relevant in the Donald Trump era was recently adapted into an Emmy-award-winning TV series. But being a Canadian she did not seem to stand a chance since Alice Munro won only four years ago. In that case, Sri Lankan-born Canadian superstar Michael Ondaatje has to wait a little while longer.
Considering Nobel committee’s penchant for filtering the countries of winners to leave a little time gap, the time was ripe for a Briton to win the award as the last Brit to win was playwright Harold Pinter in 2005 despite the fact two other British writers, Doris Lessing (2007) and V.S. Naipaul (2001) won the Nobel in the first decade of this century.
Most probably, it was the turn of Africa as the last one to win was Nadine Gordimer (1991). The first African to win the award was Wole Soyinka in 1986 which we see as the unkindest cut of all, though we, by no means, are trying to belittle the achievement of the great Nigerian writer. We honestly believe the honour should have gone to late Chinua Achebe who brought African literature to the attention of the whole world and was known as The Father of African Literature and edited the Heinemann African Writers’ Series. Despite diverse nationalities of this year’s rumoured contenders, the Academy has been critised in the past for its soft corner for unknown European authors. Gender, too, has been a controversial talking point. Of the 113 laureates honoured since French author Sully Prudhomme won the first prize in 1901, only 14 have been women.
Syrian poet Adonis who was awarded the German peace prize named after the pacifist writer Erich Maria Remarque was on the sidelines though critics have questioned his relationship to the Assad regime. They questioned whether Adonis really understood his fellow Syrians’ protests against Bashar Al Assad’s regime. Adonis said in an interview that Assad was capable of reforming Syria – even though he had already had thousands of people killed.
“Kazuo Ishiguro is a most surprising choice for this year’s Nobel Prize – I didn’t see his name listed anywhere as a potential winner – but it’s hard to argue with his elevation to laureate status,” said Irish writer John Boyne who backed supremely talented Irish writers John Boyne and John Banville adding that Atwood too had a greater claim in the prize.
Indo-Canadian writer Rohinton Mistry was 66/1 odd to win the prize according to book makers while Filipino novelist F Sioni Jose was 100/1 odd. Ondaatje’s name was not seen anywhere.
Better luck next time Ngugi and Murakami but will odds be stacked against Murakami next year as Ishiguro too was born in Japan? Let’s keep our fingers crossed! (Newstrails.com)
