Author Topic: Nominate Annie Proulx for the Nobel Prize?  (Read 11873 times)

Offline Lynne

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Nominate Annie Proulx for the Nobel Prize?
« on: October 24, 2006, 08:46:36 pm »
Shakes,

You piqued my curiosity, so here's the scoop:

From http://nobelprize.org/nomination/

"Each year the respective Nobel Committees send individual invitations to thousands of members of academies, university professors, scientists from numerous countries, previous Nobel Laureates, members of parliamentary assemblies and others, asking them to submit candidates for the Nobel Prizes for the coming year. These nominators are chosen in such a way that as many countries and universities as possible are represented over time."

It seems deliberately vague, doesn't it?  The FAQ's on the site goes a bit further:

http://nobelprize.org/nomination/literature/nominators.html

"The right to submit proposals for the Nobel Prize in Literature, based on the principle of competence and universality, shall by statute be enjoyed by:

1. Members of the Swedish Academy and of other academies, institutions and societies which are similar to it in construction and purpose;
2. Professors of literature and of linguistics at universities and university colleges;
3. Previous Nobel Prize Laureates in Literature;
4. Presidents of those societies of authors that are representative of the literary production in their respective countries."

I vote we petition all of the above we can find.

 :)

And here is a link about the writer Annie mentioned, Orhan Pamuk (Turkish):

http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/laureates/2006/index.html
"Laß sein. Laß sein."

Offline Shakesthecoffecan

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Nominate Annie Proulx for the Nobel Prize?
« Reply #1 on: October 24, 2006, 10:15:50 pm »
Euuuu Lynne, in the back of my mind there is a Jake and Elwood getting into a black car, Mission from God on their minds. It would be "noble" thing to pursue it, don't cha think?
"It was only you in my life, and it will always be only you, Jack, I swear."

Offline Lynne

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Nominate Annie Proulx for the Nobel Prize?
« Reply #2 on: October 24, 2006, 10:20:45 pm »
Euuuu Lynne, in the back of my mind there is a Jake and Elwood getting into a black car, Mission from God on their minds. It would be "noble" thing to pursue it, don't cha think?

Absolutely...to paraphrase, 'We're on a mission from Jack and Ennis.'  :laugh:
"Laß sein. Laß sein."

Offline Lynne

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Re: Nominate Annie Proulx for the Nobel Prize?
« Reply #3 on: October 25, 2006, 02:10:08 am »
I split this thread from the 'I Met Annie Proulx and Adrian DelMar' thread because I think it's worth talking about if this is something we would like to pursue.

What would it take to wage a campaign to nominate Annie Proulx for a Nobel Prize?

A database compiled of universities with prominent English/Literature/Creative writing departments
One or more erudite letters of recommendation - BetterMost is lousy with erudite types ;)
Some $ for stamps
And some time and energy to put it all together

What do other people think?

-Lynne
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Offline Lynne

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Re: Nominate Annie Proulx for the Nobel Prize?
« Reply #4 on: October 25, 2006, 02:34:41 am »
Some more facts about the process...which makes me think we would need to get our lobby letters between September and January 1.  I wonder if earlier or later would be better??  2007 or 2008??

http://nobelprize.org/nomination/literature/process.html

Literature.

September - Nomination forms are sent out. The Nobel Committee sends out confidential forms to 600-700 persons and organizations who are qualified to nominate for the Nobel Prize in Literature.

February - Deadline for submission. The filled-in forms must reach the Nobel Committee not later than January 31 of the following year. The Committee then screens the nominations and submits a list for approval by the Academy.

April - Preliminary candidates. After further studies, the Committee selects 15-20 names for consideration as preliminary candidates by the Academy.

May - Final candidates. The Committee further trims down the list to 5 priority candidates to be considered by the Academy.

June-August - Reading of productions. The members of the Academy read and assess the productions of the final candidates during the summer. The Nobel Committee also prepares individual reports.

September - Academy members confer. Members of the Academy have read the productions of the final candidates and discuss the merits of the different candidates' work.

October - Nobel Laureates are chosen. In early October, the Academy chooses the Nobel Laureate in Literature. A candidate must receive more than half of the votes cast. The Nobel Laureates names are then announced.

December - Nobel Laureates receive their prize. The Nobel Prize Award Ceremony takes place on December 10 in Stockholm when the Nobel Laureates receive their prize consisting of a medal, diploma, and a document confirming the prize amount.


"Laß sein. Laß sein."

Offline Shakesthecoffecan

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Proulx & The Nobel Prize
« Reply #5 on: December 10, 2006, 12:15:28 pm »
I am not well versed, but I am going to float this idea: I think there is a good case for Annie Proulx to be the recipient of the Nobel Prize for Literature based upon the phenominal effect the story Brokeback Mountain has had on people the world over.

Checking the Nobel website : http://nobelpeaceprize.org/ I find the following can make a nomination to the committee:

members of national assemblies and governments;

members of international courts of law;

university chancellors; university professors of social science, history, philosophy, law and theology;

leaders of peace research institutes and institutes of foreign affairs;

former Nobel Peace Prize laureates;

board members of organisations that have received the Nobel Peace Prize;

present and past members of the Norwegian Nobel Committee; (committee members must present their nomination at the latest at the first committee meeting after February 1);

former advisers at the Norwegian Nobel Institute.

So in the US, someone on the congressional level or higher, or more likely someone high in academia would have to be lobbied. Perhaps nothing would ever come of it, but to borrow the words Ossana and McMurtry put in Alma's mouth: "I think it would be nice."


 
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Offline nakymaton

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Re: Proulx & The Nobel Prize
« Reply #6 on: December 10, 2006, 12:56:30 pm »
That's the peace prize rather than the literature prize, though. I imagine that the literature prize nominations come from people who study literature, for the most part?

The recent trend has been to award the Literature prize to people who write in languages other than English. I wonder what it would take to convince the Nobel committee that an American was worthy of the prize?
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Offline Lynne

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Re: Nominate Annie Proulx for the Nobel Prize?
« Reply #7 on: December 10, 2006, 01:27:23 pm »
Mel,

This idea has been floating around for a few months.  I merged this topic w/one Truman & I had going in CT. I did quite a bit of research, including finding the nomination schedule.  My essential conclusion was that we would need to coordinate a lobby of professors at Universities with renown literature departments.

I think this would be a very worthy cause for us to pursue in the upcoming year.

-Lynne
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Offline nakymaton

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Re: Nominate Annie Proulx for the Nobel Prize?
« Reply #8 on: December 10, 2006, 01:37:44 pm »
Davidson College and the University of Colorado might be good places to start contacting people in lit departments, because both places had Annie Proulx speak recently. Jeff Mann, the Virginia Tech professor who wrote that really moving piece about going to see BBM for the first time, might also know some good departments to start with. I think the key would be to find someone connected with, I don't know, Harvard/Yale/Princeton/Brown/Dartmouth/Columbia/University of Chicago/Stanford/Oxford/Cambridge/I-hope-I-didn't-leave-out-your-favorite-prestigious-university, and get him or her to contact other prestigious people in the field. I'm not a lit person, so I'm not connected to the right network.
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Offline Mikaela

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Re: Nominate Annie Proulx for the Nobel Prize?
« Reply #9 on: December 10, 2006, 01:54:15 pm »
The Nobel Price in Literature is distributed by the Swedish Academy: link to their site in English
It consists of a group of by and large pompous old Swedish men, appointed by secret ballot.

Of course there's a fair amount of lobbying going on. Probably most of it behind the scenes. So contacting relevant "lobbyists" of high academic standing surely might have an effect.

Not to be a wet blanket, but I don't think AP stands much of a chance. I think they'll consider her output too limited, and she hasn't just published something new that caught their attention. And moreover, the Academy mainly awards men writers.  :(

I must admit that my respect for the Academy went down the drain when they year after year failed to award Swedish author of children's literature Astrid Lindgren. She died a few years back, after a long life well lived, an event that created immense national mourning in all of Scandinavia. If ever an author deserved the prize, it was her. One can only surmise that the pompous old guys were of the outdated opinion that children's literature, even of her exceptional quality (and quantity) is not "literature". My respect for the Swedish Academy and the AMPAS actually are on the same level. I think both are uninformed and pathetic enough to snub Annie Proulx.
« Last Edit: December 10, 2006, 01:57:34 pm by Mikaela »

Offline Shakesthecoffecan

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Re: Nominate Annie Proulx for the Nobel Prize?
« Reply #10 on: December 11, 2006, 03:07:53 pm »
Jeff Mann, the Virginia Tech professor who wrote that really moving piece about going to see BBM for the first time, might also know some good departments to start with.

Holy Mole, I had been hoping to have an opportunity to contact him.
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Offline Lynne

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Re: Nominate Annie Proulx for the Nobel Prize?
« Reply #11 on: December 13, 2006, 04:37:13 am »
Holy Mole, I had been hoping to have an opportunity to contact him.

Well, there you have it, shakes!  Let me know what I can do to help.

This is a worthwhile pursuit for three reasons I can think of off the top of my head:

1) It might actually work!

2) If it doesn't work, many influential literary scholars/professors will be exposed to Annie's work who otherwise may be unaware; if they feel a passion for her work also, undoubtedly they will pass that passion to future generations through their own work.

3) It is a way to tangibly demonstrate to Annie the influence she has had on so many and our love and devotion to her.
"Laß sein. Laß sein."

Offline Katie77

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Re: Nominate Annie Proulx for the Nobel Prize?
« Reply #12 on: December 13, 2006, 04:39:22 pm »
Come on........A Nobel Prize.....you have to be kidding.......

Below is a copy of a post and my reply in the thread about "back stories".......

Annie doesnt need a Nobel Prize, she needs a word processor to complete her story, not rely on everyone else to complete it for her.......

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Quote from: Front-Ranger on Today at 04:56:13 am
So, we need a lot more backstories to flesh out the short story, since Annie didn't write a novel. How did Ennis come to know Alma, for instance, and what role did their siblings play in all that? Why was Lureen so hot for Jack that night? Whatever happened to the little boy with glasses at the fireworks display? What diid the Basque do during the off-season? Where did the jolly preacher end up after he kissed the brides once too often? What happened when the older guy got up the courage to go talk to one of the pool players? How did the lady get all those tattoos? Where were Trudy and Elizabeth going anyway? Who did Troy finally hook up with? What about all those cowboys who went to Denver?


Below is my response to this thread

These, and a thousand other questions and answers that never got explained in the story.......

I know I have hit this subject many times before, about the writing abilities of Annie Proulx......my opinion is, and has always been, that she failed.....all she could manage to accomplish was a "draft" of a story, not a complete story....I wish she had given that "draft" to a real author to be completed as it deserved to be completed.........

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Offline Front-Ranger

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Re: Nominate Annie Proulx for the Nobel Prize?
« Reply #13 on: December 13, 2006, 04:43:41 pm »
You would post this in TWO PLACES??  ::) ??? :o :D Okay, then, please let me know what author you do think is a success and should be nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature. I definitely want to read this person's work.
« Last Edit: December 13, 2006, 04:47:23 pm by Front-Ranger »
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Offline Katie77

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Re: Nominate Annie Proulx for the Nobel Prize?
« Reply #14 on: December 13, 2006, 05:10:24 pm »
You would post this in TWO PLACES??  ::) ??? :o :D Okay, then, please let me know what author you do think is a success and should be nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature. I definitely want to read this person's work.


Like i said in the other thread, I do not have any "superior intellect"....but I do think I am "realistic"......

If I were laying bets, I wouldnt be putting any money on Annie....
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It means you've decided to see beyond the imperfection

moremojo

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Re: Nominate Annie Proulx for the Nobel Prize?
« Reply #15 on: December 13, 2006, 06:27:36 pm »
I must admit that my respect for the Academy went down the drain when they year after year failed to award Swedish author of children's literature Astrid Lindgren. She died a few years back, after a long life well lived, an event that created immense national mourning in all of Scandinavia. If ever an author deserved the prize, it was her. One can only surmise that the pompous old guys were of the outdated opinion that children's literature, even of her exceptional quality (and quantity) is not "literature". My respect for the Swedish Academy and the AMPAS actually are on the same level. I think both are uninformed and pathetic enough to snub Annie Proulx.
There probably is something to the male bias, however unconscious it may be in our supposedly more enlightened era. I'm surprised that Doris Lessing, a very highly regarded writer whose work is frequently anthologized, has yet to garner the Nobel. She is quite aged now, and could well end up permanently snubbed like Astrid Lindgren.

Offline Front-Ranger

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Re: Nominate Annie Proulx for the Nobel Prize?
« Reply #16 on: December 13, 2006, 06:34:07 pm »
There probably is something to the male bias, however unconscious it may be in our supposedly more enlightened era. I'm surprised that Doris Lessing, a very highly regarded writer whose work is frequently anthologized, has yet to garner the Nobel. She is quite aged now, and could well end up permanently snubbed like Astrid Lindgren.
You're right, she should have won it after "The Golden Notebook." Do you think she suffered from being a former communist?
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Offline Mikaela

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Re: Nominate Annie Proulx for the Nobel Prize?
« Reply #17 on: December 13, 2006, 06:51:17 pm »
I think she suffers from being a woman.  :-\


Quote
Okay, then, please let me know what author you do think is a success and should be nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature. I definitely want to read this person's work.

As an a propos to this, it's interesting to note that my country's society of novelists (or whatever the English title would be) has proposed to the Academy that Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen should be awarded the Nobel prize for Literature. They assert it's not the form and format of the writing, but the consistent literary quality that is of importance. I can't quite see the Academy going along with it. But you never know!


moremojo

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Re: Nominate Annie Proulx for the Nobel Prize?
« Reply #18 on: December 13, 2006, 06:59:30 pm »
Do you think she suffered from being a former communist?
I don't think that is the most likely reason for her being overlooked. Certainly many recipients of the prize have been leftist in their politics (I'm thinking right now of Jean-Paul Sartre, who declined the prize), and/or have hailed from socialist regimes (Boris Pasternak comes to mind).

At the same time, I would be wary of overemphasizing a lack of sensitivity towards the feminine on the part of the Swedish Academy. Toni Morrison, for example, is a recent high-profile woman recipient. There are no doubt a variety of factors that play into a writer's winning (or not), but still, judging from Lessing's fame and recognized talent, her omission continues to puzzle.

Offline Kd5000

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Re: Nominate Annie Proulx for the Nobel Prize?
« Reply #19 on: December 13, 2006, 07:10:53 pm »
Well the Nobel Prize for Literature has already been awarded for the year.  I suppose we'd have to try for this coming April.   

Actually, I know prizes in the sciences come with the USD equiv of 1.2 million.  I'm not sure if that applies to the literature award as the money for sciences is suppose to allow the award winner to continue his research (which can be costly). Many are RETIRED.   

My economic professor thought that some years an award for economics should not be handed out as nothing substantial had been turned out, so to speak.   However, I think there are many great writers around the world who go unrecognized.

I still respect the Nobel Prizes more the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.  If Proulx would win this award, it would be a crowing achievement for her contribution to literature. Let's face it, she's won every other literary award she qualifies for.  ;)

Offline nakymaton

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Re: Nominate Annie Proulx for the Nobel Prize?
« Reply #20 on: December 13, 2006, 07:11:55 pm »
As an a propos to this, it's interesting to note that my country's society of novelists (or whatever the English title would be) has proposed to the Academy that Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen should be awarded the Nobel prize for Literature.

Sometime in the past four months, I heard a story on NPR about a revision of... I'm not sure exactly what, but I think it was an anthology of poetry that's commonly used in literature courses in the US. Bob Dylan had been added to it, and the lyrics hold up quite well as poetry. So you never know.

And, yeah, I think that every major award-giving body suffers from biases of some sort or another. I'm not familiar enough with the winners of the Nobel prize in literature to have a good sense of what their biases are. Annie Proulx has quite a bit of respect already in some American literary circles -- she has won a Pulitzer Prize, after all, and my sense is that people who teach contemporary American literature respect that award. And a number of her short stories, including BBM, have won awards. Anyway, Nobel or not, her work is getting taught in some American college literature courses already. (Try googling 'brokeback mountain syllabus' -- there's quite a list of courses, some literature and some film studies and some interdisciplinary courses that use some combination of the short story and the movie.)
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Offline Lynne

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Re: Nominate Annie Proulx for the Nobel Prize?
« Reply #21 on: December 13, 2006, 08:44:26 pm »
Come on........A Nobel Prize.....you have to be kidding.......

Below is a copy of a post and my reply in the thread about "back stories".......

Annie doesnt need a Nobel Prize, she needs a word processor to complete her story, not rely on everyone else to complete it for her.......

These, and a thousand other questions and answers that never got explained in the story.......

I know I have hit this subject many times before, about the writing abilities of Annie Proulx......my opinion is, and has always been, that she failed.....all she could manage to accomplish was a "draft" of a story, not a complete story....I wish she had given that "draft" to a real author to be completed as it deserved to be completed.........

Katie - I am stunned, but of course not speechless ;).

Let me first say that you are completely entitled to your opinion, but we'll just have to respectfully agree to disagree on this one.

Annie Proulx's talent is not limited to only "Brokeback Mountain."  I have read both volumes of her Wyoming short stories, as well as Postcards and The Shipping News.  She has the body of work of a lifetime which would be evaluated as a whole for a Nobel Prize.

I think that the genius of the short story, "Brokeback Mountain," lies squarely in the criticisms you have stated.  If she had written a nice story with all the blanks filled in, i's dotted, t's crossed, with all the answers tied up for me with a big red bow (and this is just my opinion, worth what you paid for it - a big fat zero in any currency!) is that I would have the equivalent of a tragic romance novel worth reading once, maybe even skimming, and then dropping off at the used book store.

All those blanks and unanswered questions give me the space to see what in the world her sparse story about two gay itinerant cowboys in 1963 Wyoming has to do with a 38-year-old software engineer in 2006 Tennessee.  And obviously, I've found plenty of parallels worth exploring, because here I am 14 months later, still seeking answers, finding some, finding even more questions, and so on, and so on...

Nonetheless, the question I want on this table :) is

"Do we want to pursue as a group a lobbying project of some sort to nominate Annie Proulx for the 2008 Nobel Prize for Literature?"

Quote
September - Nomination forms are sent out. The Nobel Committee sends out confidential forms to 600-700 persons and organizations who are qualified to nominate for the Nobel Prize in Literature.

February - Deadline for submission. The filled-in forms must reach the Nobel Committee not later than January 31 of the following year. The Committee then screens the nominations and submits a list for approval by the Academy.

I outlined in an earlier post (excerpt above) the timetable for the literature prize.  The lobbying effort would need to occur between September 2007 and February 2008 for the prize that will be awarded in December 2008.  (I doubt there's time to put together a coordinated serious lobbying campaign between now and the end of February 2007, I'm sure many have already made their submissions by now anyhow.)

With this in mind, I'm going to create a poll!

Let's face it, she's won every other literary award she qualifies for.  ;)

From her website:  http://www.annieproulx.com/

Literary Awards and Prize Collections:

2002 Best Foreign Language Novels of 2002 / Best American Novel Award, Chinese Publishing Association and Peoples' Literature Publishing House (That Old Ace in the Hole)

2000 WILLA Literary Award, Women Writing the West

2000 Borders Original Voices Award in Fiction (Close Range, Wyoming Stories)

2000 "People in Hell Just Want a Drink of Water," Best American Short Stories 2000

2000 English-Speaking Union’s Ambassador Book Award (Close Range, Wyoming Stories)

2000 The New Yorker Book Award Best Fiction 1999 (Close Range, Wyoming Stories)

1999 "Half-Skinned Steer" inc. Best American Short Stories of the Century, ed. J. Updike

1999 "The Bunchgrass Edge of the World," The Best American Short Stories 1999

1999 "The Mud Below," O. Henry Awards Prize Stories 1999

1998 "Brokeback Mountain" National Magazine Award

1998 "Brokeback Mountain" inc. O. Henry Awards Prize Stories 1998

1998 "Half-Skinned Steer" inc. Best American Short Stories 1998

1997 Dos Passos Prize for Literature, Longwood College (for body of work)

1994 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction (The Shipping News)

1994 National Book Award for fiction (The Shipping News)

1993 Irish Times International Fiction Prize (The Shipping News)

1993 Chicago Tribune Heartland Prize for Fiction (The Shipping News)

1993 P.E.N.-Faulkner Award for Fiction (Postcards)
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Offline Katie77

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Re: Nominate Annie Proulx for the Nobel Prize?
« Reply #22 on: December 14, 2006, 02:21:40 am »
Katie - I am stunned, but of course not speechless ;).

Let me first say that you are completely entitled to your opinion, but we'll just have to respectfully agree to disagree on this one.

Annie Proulx's talent is not limited to only "Brokeback Mountain."  I have read both volumes of her Wyoming short stories, as well as Postcards and The Shipping News.  She has the body of work of a lifetime which would be evaluated as a whole for a Nobel Prize.


I must admit Lynn, I came to this forum this morning, in a hell of a mood, and maybe because of that, I came accross as being a bit harsh on Annie....

As far as Brokeback is concerned, maybe its just that I think Ennis and Jack deserved a longer, more in depth story.......maybe thats my way of saying, I just want more of them...more words written about them...same as i wanted more love scenes in the movie.....I just wanted more.....

I have no credentials to pass judgement on Annie Proulx, Brokeback is the only story I have read of hers, but I will definately go get some more of her works, and read them.....you have aroused my curiosity about her stories, and obviously as you say, she is not just a "one hit wonder" as the list of awards she has received, shows.....

Good luck with your lobbying, towards the Nobel prize thing....good on ya for believing in something and going all out to see that it is recognised.......I really mean that, no offence was meant to you or anyone else who persue this course.....

Being happy doesn't mean everything is perfect.

It means you've decided to see beyond the imperfection

Offline Shakesthecoffecan

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Re: Nominate Annie Proulx for the Nobel Prize?
« Reply #23 on: December 14, 2006, 08:23:31 am »
Certainly the story, like everything else, is far from perfect. I believe in the sacredness of words, and have seen the effects of these words upon people. for that reson I think their author needs to be honored. It is an uphill battle, going nowhere maybe, but after the first of the year, I think I'll find out how it lays.
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Offline Lynne

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Re: Nominate Annie Proulx for the Nobel Prize?
« Reply #24 on: December 14, 2006, 01:21:15 pm »
As far as Brokeback is concerned, maybe its just that I think Ennis and Jack deserved a longer, more in depth story.......maybe thats my way of saying, I just want more of them...more words written about them...same as i wanted more love scenes in the movie.....I just wanted more.....

Hey Katie-did ;) No offense at all - if you came across as harsh, then I come across as evangelical because I love this work so much - short story and movie and BetterMost!  Shakes makes a good point that nothing is perfect.  I can agree a hunnerd percent with your statement above.  And that may be again the genius of both Annie and Ang Lee - leaving us wanting more of Jack and Ennis, leaving us wanting more for Jack and Ennis, and ultimately leaving us wanting more for ourselves.

OT - But you know the scene in the movie - I call it the last night in the tent, after Ennis hasn't responded to Jack's 'Sometimes I miss you so much I can hardly stand it,' they are seen sleeping together in the tent, spoon-style but a little distance between them??  The movie cuts SO fast from that moment to the cold night outside, water(time) rushing by that I can't stand it.  I just want to freeze time, right there in that tent, so the next morning doesn't come.  And you bet I think Ang Lee did that cut so quickly to deliberately evoke those feelings from us.  So I hear you and second everything you said in that regard.

-Lynne
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Offline Katie77

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Re: Nominate Annie Proulx for the Nobel Prize?
« Reply #25 on: December 16, 2006, 10:16:34 pm »
Just wanted to let you know Lynne, that yesterday I ordered "The Shipping News" and "Postcards" from my local book store......
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Offline Front-Ranger

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Re: Nominate Annie Proulx for the Nobel Prize?
« Reply #26 on: December 16, 2006, 10:36:29 pm »
Good for you, Katie. Join us at the virtual book club, anytime.
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Offline Lynne

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Re: Nominate Annie Proulx for the Nobel Prize?
« Reply #27 on: December 16, 2006, 11:22:24 pm »
Just wanted to let you know Lynne, that yesterday I ordered "The Shipping News" and "Postcards" from my local book store......

Good deal, Katie!  If I were you, I'd start with 'The Shipping News.'  I think it's a little more accessible than Postcards, imo.   Let me know what you think.  I haven't read it in years, and would like to re-read it since Brokeback to see what new things I can see.
-Lynne
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Offline Katie77

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Re: Nominate Annie Proulx for the Nobel Prize?
« Reply #28 on: December 17, 2006, 06:13:38 pm »
Just went over to the Book club and had a scan thru the threads.....some interesting books there and I will make a note of them.....thanks for inviting me over there.....and Lynne, I will take your advice and read the Shipping News first....
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Offline Oregondoggie

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Re: Nominate Annie Proulx for the Nobel Prize?
« Reply #29 on: January 08, 2007, 02:54:23 am »
Additonal strategy:  There is a hornets' nest of Brokeback Supporters still buzzin' around the Dave Cullen site.  Let them know about this Nobel Prize idea.  I suspect there are plenty of academics over there too.  Let's mix our flocks on this one.

Brokeback Mountain is among the greatest and most important pieces of literature ever written.  It is the tire iron against fear and bigotry.  We should swing it and swing it.

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Re: Nominate Annie Proulx for the Nobel Prize?
« Reply #30 on: January 08, 2007, 03:08:53 am »
Additonal strategy:  There is a hornets' nest of Brokeback Supporters still buzzin' around the Dave Cullen site.  Let them know about this Nobel Prize idea.  I suspect there are plenty of academics over there too.  Let's mix our flocks on this one.

Brokeback Mountain is among the greatest and most important pieces of literature ever written.  It is the tire iron against fear and bigotry.  We should swing it and swing it.

Well said, Larry.

From all accounts, the joint Denver BBQ planning is working out real well.  Seems to me we need a point person at Dave Cullen to spearhead amassing interest there, then create a joint task force ;).

One person comes immediately to my mind because we've conspired about sharing info about Annie's appearances in the past.  But I don't think he's real active there anymore, sadly.  If you have any suggestions about who'd be good to approach, PM Truman and me.  I believe we all have accounts there, but I rarely visit and post even less frequently.  We would ideally have a point person there with history and credibility to lead the effort on that end.

-Lynne
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Offline Lynne

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Re: Nominate Annie Proulx for the Nobel Prize?
« Reply #31 on: January 27, 2007, 12:33:46 am »
Howdy folks,

I've created a forum-independent yahoo group to work on this project and invited people I gleaned from this thread who I understood to express an interest.  The yahoo group is at

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nominate_annie/

If you're not interested and got an invite, PM me and let me know.  If you're interested, posted here, and did not get an invite, it's because your email address is hidden, so please send me your email, and I will add you.  Similarly, if you know of other interested parties, PM me their name/email and I'll add them.

When setting up the security options, I made them as stringent as possible to avoid unwanted interference.

Thanks!  This is really exciting!

Lynne
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Re: Nominate Annie Proulx for the Nobel Prize?
« Reply #32 on: February 21, 2007, 01:25:08 am »
So...I think we're finally getting this project off the ground - wish us luck!!!  I just sent this message to our nominate_Annie yahoo group.  I added bold type to the parts where we could really use input!  If you have input, post here or PM me or Truman (shakestheground)!  Much obliged.

Quote
Friends,

During the last few weeks, we have put together a terrific group of people interested in this project from the different major Internet groups - BetterMost, Dave Cullen, EnnisJack, and Yahoo.  We now have an impressive cross-section of folks coming together for the worthy cause of lobbying for Annie Proulx to win a Nobel Prize - the only major literary prize she has not yet been awarded.

Here are my ideas - my 'three-pronged plan' - of what we need to do to realize our goals.  Clearly, absolutely nothing is cast in stone, so please feel free to comment, interject your own views, opinions, or criticisms.

First, we need to build a database of potential nominators, which will include College/University, Department Director, and contact information.  I do not mind taking the lead here because building databases is my current career (translate - easy).  I've done some cursory queries of renown English/Creative Writing departments - the potential list is in the hundreds, if not approaching 1,000!  I would like each of our alma maters, or those of our parents, or others where we have personal connections, where applicable, to be included in this database.  Please send me these college and/or university names ([email protected]), and I will be sure they are included and annotated appropriately.

Next, we obviously have a large body of information at our disposal regarding Annie Proulx and Brokeback Mountain.  However, the Nobel is awarded for a 'body of work.'  There is a definite hole in (at least my own knowledge base) regarding her other works, although I have read most of them.  Consequently, we need to gather resources (literary criticism and commentary) of Annie Proulx that are not BBM-centric. And we need someone to volunteer to take the lead in accumulating these additional resources.  Email me if you have interest, please!!  This is going to be a most challenging part, IMO.

Finally, we need some real-life BBM-testimonials to include as part of our nomination package.  I'm not envisioning hundreds - more like 5-15 poignant stories about how BBM made a significant difference to an individual life, ruthlessly culled (by necessity) from the thousands we know are out there.  Truman ([email protected]) has expressed interest in accumulating these stories.  (Obviously, we will need the permission of the original posters to duplicate their [edited] posts in our package.)  The first order of business should be for each of us to identify a few (5?) personal stories (our own or others we've read about) that touched us deeply.  Please post or send Truman and/or me the pertinent links.  We can go from there.

Now - a timetable...

Some of us are planning to be in Denver (Estes Park) for Memorial Day weekend.  This date would make an excellent goal for reviewing our progress.

My goal is to have the potential nominator database completed by 5/1/2007.  This would give me the opportunity to send it to the group for review before Mem Day and to solicit additional input at the gathering.

It would be awesome to have a draft of the nomination package completed before Mem Day.  I envision this as an ongoing work in the coming months as we gather information and testimonials.  I imagine we will be through several drafts before 5/1.

Perhaps we should set intermediate goals of
Draft 1 - 4/1
Draft 2 - 4/15
Draft 3 = 5/1
Draft 4 = 5/15

We could then have the latest draft to distribute to a wider group at the Mem Day gathering for additional input.  This means that most input regarding literary criticism and analysis references and testimonials should be in place ASAP to 4/1 to give us time to write.

Ultimately, we will have through mid-July to make revisions and finalize our nomination package and distribution list.  We should be ready to mail our nomination package NLT 8/1/2007, which is when the Nobel committee starts soliciting nominations.

Please mark your calendar with these important dates and respond with feedback and any information you can gather (including if coming to Denver/Estes Park for Memorial Day is in your plans)!!!

Thank you in advance for all your hard work!!!

Best,
Lynne

P.S.
The general website for the Estes Park gathering:

http://www.brokeback2007.com/

The BetterMost link to the Estes Park gathering (registration required):

http://bettermost.net/forum/index.php/topic,5791.msg156368.html#msg15
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