Nominate Annie Proulx for the Nobel Prize?

[nakymaton]

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.)

[Lynne]

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?"

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)

[Katie77]

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.....

[Shakesthecoffecan]

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.

[Lynne]

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

[Katie77]

Just wanted to let you know Lynne, that yesterday I ordered "The Shipping News" and "Postcards" from my local book store......

[Front-Ranger]

Good for you, Katie. Join us at the virtual book club, anytime.

[Lynne]

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

[Katie77]

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....

[Oregondoggie]

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.