It's been seventeen years since Toni Morrison won the Nobel Prize for Literature, making her the last American to receive the prestigious honor.
The first American to win the award was Sinclair Lewis in 1930, and since then there have been eleven winners from the United States (only two of them women, Morrison and Pearl S. Buck).
Eleven honorees out of the one hundred and seven laureates that have been christened since 1901 isn't such a bad number, but today's naming of Peru's Mario Vargas Llosa as the latest addition to the acclaimed group of writers got me thinking--
Are there any Americans that should be considered for the prize?
Jonathan Franzen has been in the news a lot lately for his massive and lauded novel Freedom. With this book and his last, The Corrections, he has been catapaulted into the top tier of American literature. Still, you wouldn't think to toss around the name of someone so young when mentioning such an esteemed prize, but one of the interesting things about the Nobel Prize for Literature is that, unlike a Lifetime achievement award, many of its authors went on to produce even more powerful work than what they wrote before receiving the award. Toni Morrison is still an active writer, as is Orhan Pamuk from Turkey, who isn't much older than Franzen. J. M. Coetzee from South Africa just put out a wonderful book last year entitled Summertime. So perhaps Franzen could be considered after all.
But who else?
I would certainly vote for Zadie Smith. Although she isn't as widely discussed as Franzen (call me a cynic, but I tend to think it might be a gender issue), she's also put out two virtually flawless, ground-breaking novels: White Teeth and On Beauty.
It's amazing to think that Philip Roth has never won. The Nobel committee likes to recognize authors like Llosa with strong political views, who embody the spirit of their country. Roth has certainly proven his mettle with novels like American Pastoral and The Plot Against America. He's another author who seems to only get better with time.
Another notable absence from the list would be Cormac McCarthy. His novel The Road was called one of the best books of the decade, but in addition to that he wrote the powerful Border trilogy that included All the Pretty Horses, and the stand-alone thriller No Country for Old Men.
Admittedly I have a soft spot for Michael Chabon. His epic novel The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay is one of my favorite books, and he's certainly put out an impressive and diverse body of work, including books for young adults and children. Perhaps it's the fact that he IS so diverse that keeps him from seeming as austere as some of the other authors.
As I look at the list of winners, even more names jump out at me: E.L. Doctorow, T.C. Boyle, Joyce Carol Oates, etc.
Then I start thinking about authors who have passed away without ever having received the award: John Updike, Raymond Carver, Flannery O'Connor, etc.
When President Obama won the Nobel Prize for Peace last year, I remember feeling oddly patriotic. It felt good to have that sort of recognition bestowed upon the President, not just because he's our Commander-in-Chief, but because he's a fellow American.
I'd love to see one of our wonderful writers achieve that honor again before another thirteen years goes by.
The first American to win the award was Sinclair Lewis in 1930, and since then there have been eleven winners from the United States (only two of them women, Morrison and Pearl S. Buck).
Eleven honorees out of the one hundred and seven laureates that have been christened since 1901 isn't such a bad number, but today's naming of Peru's Mario Vargas Llosa as the latest addition to the acclaimed group of writers got me thinking--
Are there any Americans that should be considered for the prize?
Jonathan Franzen has been in the news a lot lately for his massive and lauded novel Freedom. With this book and his last, The Corrections, he has been catapaulted into the top tier of American literature. Still, you wouldn't think to toss around the name of someone so young when mentioning such an esteemed prize, but one of the interesting things about the Nobel Prize for Literature is that, unlike a Lifetime achievement award, many of its authors went on to produce even more powerful work than what they wrote before receiving the award. Toni Morrison is still an active writer, as is Orhan Pamuk from Turkey, who isn't much older than Franzen. J. M. Coetzee from South Africa just put out a wonderful book last year entitled Summertime. So perhaps Franzen could be considered after all.
But who else?
I would certainly vote for Zadie Smith. Although she isn't as widely discussed as Franzen (call me a cynic, but I tend to think it might be a gender issue), she's also put out two virtually flawless, ground-breaking novels: White Teeth and On Beauty.
It's amazing to think that Philip Roth has never won. The Nobel committee likes to recognize authors like Llosa with strong political views, who embody the spirit of their country. Roth has certainly proven his mettle with novels like American Pastoral and The Plot Against America. He's another author who seems to only get better with time.
Another notable absence from the list would be Cormac McCarthy. His novel The Road was called one of the best books of the decade, but in addition to that he wrote the powerful Border trilogy that included All the Pretty Horses, and the stand-alone thriller No Country for Old Men.
Admittedly I have a soft spot for Michael Chabon. His epic novel The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay is one of my favorite books, and he's certainly put out an impressive and diverse body of work, including books for young adults and children. Perhaps it's the fact that he IS so diverse that keeps him from seeming as austere as some of the other authors.
As I look at the list of winners, even more names jump out at me: E.L. Doctorow, T.C. Boyle, Joyce Carol Oates, etc.
Then I start thinking about authors who have passed away without ever having received the award: John Updike, Raymond Carver, Flannery O'Connor, etc.
When President Obama won the Nobel Prize for Peace last year, I remember feeling oddly patriotic. It felt good to have that sort of recognition bestowed upon the President, not just because he's our Commander-in-Chief, but because he's a fellow American.
I'd love to see one of our wonderful writers achieve that honor again before another thirteen years goes by.
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