Well, the Committee surprises again by awarding the 2009 Nobel Prize for Literature to Herta Müller. Once again I have to confess I've never read any of her books or poems, but I was able to request Herztier from the Bowdoin College Library, possibly the only one of her books – German or English – available in a 100-square mile radius of my home.
The reaction to the news here in the US has been rather cynical. Thom Geier's comments are rather typical:
"The Nobel ranks
are cluttered with writers who’ve sunk into obscurity and irrelevance,
sometimes deservedly so. Do Swedes still read the work of 1916 laureate
Verner von Heidenstam? Does anyone think 1938 winner Pearl Buck was one of the top 100 writers of the 20th century?"
The Brits, in particular, are grumbling at the choice. The Guardian suggests that The Nobel Prize Committee should get out more.
When I learned that Herta Müller is from the German-speaking minority in Romania, I immediately thought of that other Romanian German poet – Paul Celan. And then I found this promising blog post by "Mirabell" on The World Litetature Forum:
Like Celan (another Romanian German writer) she uses words in a way few
writers are ABLE to, she burrows into the meaning of words that's
older, frequently, than the one used today. She is an extraordinary,
extraordinary writer. She should have been given this award as a joint
award with Oskar Pastior but I'm happy as it is.
Elfriede Jelinek turned out to be a rather inspired surprise choice by the Committee, so perhaps Herta Müller will turn out to be so as well.
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I hope so. I am eager to read her work.