Nobel judge: U.S. too ignorant to compete
09/30/08 04:18 PM, EDT
Bad news for American writers hoping for a Nobel Prize next week: the top member of the award jury believes the United States is too insular and ignorant to compete with Europe when it comes to great writing.
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3 comments:
I'm sure it is unfair but I couldn't help but smile when I read this. Many Americans do seem insular [majority? I don't know], and don't seem very aware of what goes on outside their own state, never mind the country. Even some of those I met while in China seemed out of their depth. Which does make it a little unfair on those who do have broader horizons. As to why, I haven't a clue.
These comments are based on my own observations, not much else.
There seems always a discrepancy between the way others perceive Americans and Americans perceive themselves. I guess this is also true for Chinese. :-)
That is a loaded comment. I do think what is more real is that deep and rich experiences and viewpoints create outstanding prose. That can be found in any culture and translated to the page by skilled writers. By deep and rich experience I mean those that transcend time and culture.
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