Books Doris Lessing to the Nobel Committee: Whatever With You
posted by on October 11 at 15:20 PM
Doris Lessing, who is not Philip Roth, won the Nobel Prize for Literature, it was announced today. There’s a post on the Guardian’s book blog by John Mullan, who interviewed Lessing earlier this year—a gloss of her career, a mention of the fact that she’s the oldest writer to ever win and only the eleventh female, etc. And then, toward the end, this sentence: “The prize money and the recognition will both no doubt be welcome.”
That’s not what the Associated Press is reporting. According to this story, Lessing said when she heard the news: “I couldn’t care less.” And then she said: “I’ve won all the prizes in Europe, every bloody one, so I’m delighted to win them all, the whole lot, OK?”
Surrounded by members of the international media in her flower-packed garden, Lessing was dismissive of the Nobel — calling the award process graceless and saying the prize “doesn’t mean anything artistically.”
She acknowledged the $1.5 million cash award was a lot of money, but still seemed less than thrilled.
“I’m already thinking about all the people who are going to send me begging letters — I can see them lining up now,” she said. The phone in her house, audible from the street, rang continuously.
You rule, old lady.
Yeah when I won the nobel prize in economics two years ago everyone kept calling and eventually I had to change my number.
Let's see Roth be that crotchety!
Hmm, I thought all she was good for was writing stories about her cats these days, but apparently she can manage a testy interview saying exactly what society does not expect her to say when she wins a snooty prestigious prize. I love that!
I hope when I'm that age I could care less what people think of me too. I hope I'm not a grump though.
Had I been chosen for "Freaky Friday," tomorrow you would have found a post discussing the psychological, spiritual and sociological undertones of Lessing's barely-known Science Fiction series, "Canopus in Argus: Archives" including its Sufi undertones and her connection to the trickster-teacher Idries Shah.
http://www.blaketashi.com/idries_shah.htm
Mr. Frizzelle,
Hadn't you better mention her claim that, decades prior, the Nobel Committee basically told her she'd never get a Nobel? I could imagine such a rebuff could make her "rude" (yet highly amusing) tirade a little more understandable.
From: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7039100.stm
"She recalled that, in the 1960s, 'they sent one of their minions especially to tell me they didn't like me at the Nobel Prize and I would never get it'.
'So now they've decided they're going to give it to me. So why? I mean, why do they like me any better now than they did then?'
The author, who turns 88 on 22 October, said she thought she had become more respectable with age.
'They can't give a Nobel to someone who's dead so I think they were probably thinking they had better give it to me now before I popped off,' she said."
@1 See, if I won the Nobel in Economics, I'd have the economic sense to set up a 900-number!
Yet another awesome person born on October 22nd!
Wow, kind of a bitch. That's awesome. I feel sorry for her grandchildren, though. That's probably who was on the other end of the telly!
The lady who wrote Harry Potter should have won.
Funny... they spelled my grandma's name wrong. No mistaking her, though.
Comments Closed
In order to combat spam, we are no longer accepting comments on this post (or any post more than 14 days old).