Lessing

[poliphilo]

The only opinion that really matters is the opinion of posterity, and the Nobel committee have got it wrong as much as they've got it right. They kicked off badly by giving the first ever prize to a minor French poet called Sully Prudhomme when they could have given it to Tolstoy or Ibsen . A list of literary greats that includes Galsworthy but not Woolf is a list one might have reservations about joining.

Doris Lessing found out she'd won from the journalists camped outside her garden gate waiting for her to return from a hospital appointment. She's a very small woman with no demned nonsense about her. 

"Have you heard the news?"

"No"

"You've won the Nobel prize for literature"

"Oh Christ."

But it's the way she says it- with the utmost weariness and disdain. Well, go see for yourself

Comments

[momof2girls.livejournal.com]

That's kind of funny. Imagine being so blasé about winning the Nobel Prize!

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I love her attitude.

[momof2girls.livejournal.com]

What time is it in England? It's about 6:45 AM here.

[algabal.livejournal.com]

They seem to be quite a political organization, and react to the temperament of the time very explicitly with their choices.

I make it a habit of looking at lesser-known writers, but many of those prize-winners are too obscure/boring for even my taste.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

It's just turned 12 noon.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

There are rather too many Scandanavian writers whom no-one outside Scandanavia has ever heard of.

And what were they thinking awarding the prize to Winston Churchill?

[pondhopper.livejournal.com]

I love her reaction.

[arielstarshadow.livejournal.com]

laughter

That's so beautiful!

[shullie.livejournal.com]

she looks like a wild woman on the news... wonderful... makes me like her even more!

[kishenehn.livejournal.com]

That was just adorable.

[sculptruth.livejournal.com]

That was unbearably endearing-- "it's a Royal Flush, ok?"

I laughed. She's my new hero.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

She's quite something, isn't she?

And now I'm feeling bad that I haven't read more of her books.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

At 88 I think she's won the right to be unimpressed.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Now I need to read The Golden Notebook

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

It's been 20 years or more since I read anything of hers. Time to do some catching up, maybe.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Not only a great writer but a great human being.

[frumiousb.livejournal.com]

you do. it's really wonderful.

[huskyteer.livejournal.com]

I haven't read any of her books, but that was a brilliant interview. (I liked the random shot of the man with his arm in a sling cradling a Jerusalem artichoke.) She reminds me of my prep school Latin teacher.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I love it when people in the public eye don't give a damn. I love the naturalness of her reaction.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I must get hold of a copy.

[solar-diablo.livejournal.com]

I posted about her in my own blog. She's the kind of elderly I aspire to, if I live that long.

[veronica-milvus.livejournal.com]

LOL

Lessing is more-ish

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Oh yeah. If I make 88 I want to be just like that.

Interesting. If you get to be very old you can be as rude and abrasive and curmudgeonly as you like and people just go, "Oh isn't that sweet!"