Thursday, October 11, 2007
Doris Lessing Wins Nobel!!!!
Very few writers of my liking actually become Nobel laureates, so I'm thrilled to learn that Doris Lessing, the British writer, won the Nobel Prize in Literature.
No, I'm not a feminist.
The truth is, you don't have to be a feminist or feminism-liking to enjoy Lessing(yes, it might be hard to swallow the idea that centuries ago no man exists in the world - The Cleft), but Lessing's writing has a particular sense of humor almost lurking in his imagination and makes every book of hers immensely fascinating.
It's quite ironic, considering only 2 months ago, when Boston Globe interviewed Lessing and asked "Why do you think you haven't won the Nobel Prize", Lessing replied: "There is something hidden here. At a big evening party in Sweden, back when my Swedish publisher was alive, a little gray chap from the Nobel Committee sat down beside me and said: "You'll never win the Nobel Prize. We don't like you."It was so graceless. What was I to say? I didn't say anything. I've never found out why they don't like me."
Well, I guess the Swedish guys have grown to like her after all. Doris Lessing, "that epicist of the female experience, who with skepticism, fire and visionary power has subjected a divided civilization to scrutiny."
New York Times has a special series on Lessing with Reviews of Doris Lessing's Earlier Books, Articles About and by Doris Lessing and an audio special Doris Lessing at The 92nd St. Y (October 24, 1994).
And I'll review some of her books in the following posts. I love her!