So Patrick Modiano is the 2014 Nobel laureate -- and those official pages are a good source for much of the basic information about him and the prize.
See also yesterday's post for early reactions, information, and links to (English) reviews of his books -- but now there's already a whole lot more to add.
A good place to begin: at the Wall Street Journal's Speakeasy Sven Grundberg and Jens Hansegard have a Q & A with the Swedish Academy's Nobel point-man, Peter Englund, and try to learn from him: Why Patrick Modiano Won the Nobel Prize in Literature.
Englund probably does himself no favors with his first 'explanation':
For those looking for a basic introduction, there are several pieces on offer:
There's also the winner himself, briefly interviewed at the Nobel site by Hélène Hernmarck (but handle with caution: it is a: "Translation into free English (not literal) of a telephone interview in French with Patrick Modiano").
Appreciations and (relatively) more thorough overviews include:
- Worth noting that The Guardian polled readers regarding Who should win the Nobel prize in literature ? with the top ten betting favorites as options: Modiano tied for dead last with two per cent support, while Murakami polled 36% and Philip Roth 28%.
- At the Wall Street Journal's Speakeasy -- you've figured out that they had by far the best overall prize-coverage, right ? -- Brenda Cronin reports on the Nobel Prize in Literature: Bookmakers Hail A Dark Horse, with titbits such as:
- In Svenska Dagbladet Alan Asaid takes a more in-depth look at the betting phenomenon, in Vadslagningen sätter snurr på priset -- noting:
Finally, there is the familiar reaction: The real scandal of Patrick Modiano's Nobel win is that Philip Roth is a huge loser -- again, here by Emma Brockes in The Guardian. (I am fascinated by this obsession with Roth, above all others; surely there are quite a few other similarly deserving authors who share the same disappointment, year after year.)
See also yesterday's post for early reactions, information, and links to (English) reviews of his books -- but now there's already a whole lot more to add.
A good place to begin: at the Wall Street Journal's Speakeasy Sven Grundberg and Jens Hansegard have a Q & A with the Swedish Academy's Nobel point-man, Peter Englund, and try to learn from him: Why Patrick Modiano Won the Nobel Prize in Literature.
Englund probably does himself no favors with his first 'explanation':
So no American this year, yet again. Why is that ?Still, good to get some information from the source
[Alice] Munro is Canadian, and I believe Canada is part of the North American continent, so there.
For those looking for a basic introduction, there are several pieces on offer:
- Everything You Need to Know About Patrick Modiano, the Newest Nobel Laureate promises Nate Jones at New York's Vulture; it's probably not, but still .....
- Where Do I Start With Patrick Modiano ? - Josephine Livingstone offers suggestions at Slate (given how few of Modiano's books are in print in English, there really isn't much to choose from)
- Why You Haven't Heard of Patrick Modiano, Winner of the Nobel in Literature - Megan Gibson tries to explain, in Time
- Who the Hell Is Patrick Modiano ? asks Malcolm Jones, at The Daily Beast
In many cases, the English-language rights to Mr. Modiano’s books have lapsed and now must be renegotiated, according to Anne-Solange Noble, the foreign-rights director for Éditions Gallimard, Mr. Modiano’s French publisher. This week, she is attending the Frankfurt Book Fair, where such rights are often negotiated.Recall that the first Modiano to make it into English was Night Rounds, which Alfred A. Knopf brought out in 1971 -- but they seem to have soured on him quickly, and presumably rights reverted ages ago.
There's also the winner himself, briefly interviewed at the Nobel site by Hélène Hernmarck (but handle with caution: it is a: "Translation into free English (not literal) of a telephone interview in French with Patrick Modiano").
Appreciations and (relatively) more thorough overviews include:
- Patrick Modiano: an appreciation of the Nobel prize in literature winner by Rupert Thomson in The Guardian (which includes a list of: "Five key books")
- Patrick Modiano, winner of this year's Nobel Prize in Literature, is a paradox by Akane Kawakami in The Washington Post
- Patrick Modiano: 2014 Nobel Prize Winner for Literature Is a Post-Proustian Novelist by James McAuley in The New Republic
- How Patrick Modiano mined his dysfunctional childhood to create a haunting body of work by J.P.Smith at Salon
- Patrick Modiano, the Nobel Prize and what (if anything) it means by David L. Ulin at The Los Angeles Times' Jacket Copy
- How to Win the Nobel Prize by Dan Piepenbring at The Paris Review's The Daily
- Worth noting that The Guardian polled readers regarding Who should win the Nobel prize in literature ? with the top ten betting favorites as options: Modiano tied for dead last with two per cent support, while Murakami polled 36% and Philip Roth 28%.
- At the Wall Street Journal's Speakeasy -- you've figured out that they had by far the best overall prize-coverage, right ? -- Brenda Cronin reports on the Nobel Prize in Literature: Bookmakers Hail A Dark Horse, with titbits such as:
On Thursday, Ms. Bridge said that during the final leadup to the Swedish Academy's decision, the number of bets on Mr. Modiano didn't increase notably. "There were a few chunky bets placed on him in the last few days," she wrote, amid all-over brisk betting on the contest, which was up 20% from last year.And apparently Ladbrokes already have a list for next year (though I failed to find it at their site).
- In Svenska Dagbladet Alan Asaid takes a more in-depth look at the betting phenomenon, in Vadslagningen sätter snurr på priset -- noting:
Vadslagning och Nobelpriset i litteratur har nu bildat en medial konstellation under lite mer än ett årtionde.He also mentions the different sources of information and speculation, and I am of course tickled to read:
[Betting and the Nobel Prize in Literature have now formed a media-constellation in little over a decade.]
avancerade spekulationskällor på nätet, varav den kanske mest informativa och underhållande är oddsoraklet MA Orthofers blogg The Literary Saloon.("Oddsoraklet" might be a good title for my next business card.)
Finally, there is the familiar reaction: The real scandal of Patrick Modiano's Nobel win is that Philip Roth is a huge loser -- again, here by Emma Brockes in The Guardian. (I am fascinated by this obsession with Roth, above all others; surely there are quite a few other similarly deserving authors who share the same disappointment, year after year.)