Nobel Literature tries to restore confidence in two awards for 2019

Imran Abdullah

Next week, the Swedish Academy will not announce one Nobel Prize winner in literature, but two, as the body that chooses the winners of the award seeks to overcome the negative effects of 2018 on its image, and the Chairman of the Prize Committee stated that this year's award will be more diverse and gender-sensitive and avoid "Centralization of Europe" previously dominated.

Anders Olson, chairman of the Nobel Prize Committee for Literature, revealed that the criteria for the award have changed, adding that his committee has a broader and more comprehensive perspective on literature now, and has expanded its scope around the world.``We have a lot of female writers who are really great. ''

Nominated candidates
The Guardian speculated that Russian novelist Lyudmila Ulitskaya, an opponent of Putin's regime and author of the Kokotsky case, will be among the contenders for the award this year, along with writer Maryse Conde from the French Guadeloupe in the Caribbean, and Canadian novelist Margaret Atwood, author of The Maid Tale. .

The British newspaper pointed out that its guess is based on changing the criteria of the award this year to become less European and masculine, in contrast, some critics considered that the hospitality of certain work standards of "diversity" non-literary is a compliment does not serve the development of world literature.

Some literary circles also venture to guess some unofficial nominees such as Polish writer Olga Tokarkuk, Hungarian novelist Laszlo Krasnhorkai, Albanian Ismail Kadari, American novelist Joyce Carol Oates, Japanese Haruki Murakami, and Kenyan author Ngogi Wathiongo. Even though they didn't get it.

"If there are two winners, they have to be a woman," said Culture correspondent for The Economist and director of the World Booker Prize Femita Rocco.

The Guardian newspaper quoted Rocco as saying that Condi, named by the Empress of Caribbean Literature, "among the writers who deserve a much wider readers," Rocco added two names from Eastern Europe, the Polish Tokarark and Hungarian Krasnahorkai.

According to Rocco, exiled Chinese writer Ma Jian is also among the expected names (unofficial), a well-known critic and opponent of the Chinese Communist regime, along with Argentine Cesar Aira and South African poet Antje Krug. Rocco added that any writer writing in English would be an unthinkable possibility. .

The Swedish Academy grants the Nobel Prize for Literature in October each year.According to Alfred Nobel's will, the award recognizes "the most wonderful work of an idealistic tendency." Swedish Academy.

Although the prize is primarily concerned with novelists, poets and playwriters, it has seen the selection of philosophers such as Bertrand Russell in 1950, and has also been awarded to many exiled writers with political orientations opposed to their regimes.

Academic suffering
The prestigious literary body suffered last year to regain its image globally and in Sweden after members of the Academy exchanged harsh criticism in the media, and resigned seven of the 18 members. For the first time in 70 years, the 2018 award was postponed, as the institution found itself without a quorum for key decisions.

In 2019, one Literature Prize for 2018 and one for 2019, each accompanied by a gold medal and nine million kronor ($ 908,000), are expected to be announced, while Swedish literature critic Svenska Dagbladet warned Madeleine Levy that this year's award could be rejected by the winner. Or winners "because they think the prize has been tarnished."

The Swedish Academy announced last year that it would not be awarded the Nobel Prize for literature this year, following accusations of sexual misconduct that led to the resignation of a number of members of the Academy Board.

The Nobel Prize was rarely canceled or postponed, and the last time the Literature Prize was canceled was in 1943 at the height of World War II.

The Swedish Academy, a board of senior writers and linguists, has faced accusations of sexual misconduct by some of its members, as well as allegations of leaking names of some Nobel Prize winners before their official announcement, and financial scandals.