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Pamela Moberg

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Posts posted by Pamela Moberg

  1. Kathleen, thank you so much for that magnificent article! I really enjoyed reading it. For myself, I am a bit doubtful if I will bother to read Handke (I have unfortunately much stress and strain in my life at the moment) but I will definitely read Tokarczuk whom I have read about but not by up to now. Also, which appeals a lot to me, she is a great defender of animal rights.

  2. So sorry about the mishap with spelling! It is Olga Tokarczuk, a Polish novelist who has written about Polish history and the history of the Jews.

    Peter Handke has also written from a historic perspective.

    So far I think that this was well received, at least by the literary panel on television who gave their views after the announcement.

     

  3. In less than twelve hours the Nobel Prize will be announced and as usual you will be the first ones to know.

    This year there will be two laureates! Yes, quite so because you may remember that last year there were no awards. Those with a long memory may recall that there was an enormous scandal surrounding the Swedish Academy - there were accusations of fraud, rape, general improper handling of just about everything so it was decided that no literary prize be awarded. The event took place as usual, physics, medicine and economy prizes were awarded, only the literature was put on hold.

    So, who will it be? One male and one female writer, not any Scandinavians because it would look bad, most probably from the English-speaking world. Not controversial people, no, there have been enough scandals already. I am absolutely clueless myself, but rest assured, your faithful Nobel reporter will let you know the minute it is announced.

  4. Very sorry to hear this - another one who is no longer with us. I met her in the early sixties, she used to come to Madame Nordi to take class, not on a very regular basis. But she was very kind and chatty "must keep the technique". I miss her and have fond memories of her. We were all youngsters in those days and looked in awe at those former dancers who had moved on to other types of dancing, like choreography.

    RIP Dame Gillian Lynne.

  5. Sandik - "Yikes indeed". Well, I agree, this is way beyond what one is supposed to stomach.  Anyway, now it has been decided that no Nobel prize for literature will be awarded in December.

    The other prizes, physics and so on, have nothing to do with the Swedish Academy and will be awarded as usual.

    Must say, as a Swedish citizen, I find the whole thing a tad ridiculous - a guy patting the bum of the Crown Princess!  Now, really!!!  Is not that totally outrageous, but there was not a need for the total scandal that ensued. Well, we  will see what will happen - for myself I fear for the worst.

  6. Of course I remember Mel - I do miss him so much. It is so sad to hear these kinds of news -I think it is inevitable - I have now reached an age  when  it is  almost normal to learn of a friend passing. Well, that is what you can call life - but still one feels the pain. RIP my dear Mel.

  7. The news are not good - no, this is what I called it at first - a turmoil (which is pretty serious). Now it has grown into a full blown scandal - heavens only know what will happen now. Odd things  happen - Ms. Sara Danius has favored blouses with a bow at the neck - now suddenly there are demonstrations in major cities where women appear with bows. To be quite honest I have rummaged through my drawers and next time I venture out I will wear a bow. Though I must say that I find the whole thing somewhat ridiculous  and infantile - but I understand that if there really has been harassment of women that must be stopped .  Well, one can only wait and see. but I do think it is rather tragic for an old institution which had a venerable reputation for so many years to come to this sad end. Tragic! (Sorry folks if this sounds like a Trump tweet) I did not mean it that way.

     

  8. Not really important to the current goings on, but there is actually something ballet related here. A previous permanent secretary of the Swedish Academy, Horace Engdahl, is actually very interested in ballet and has written a book: "Swedish ballet and dance: a contemporary view". At one time Mr. Engdahl and I both wrote articles and book reviews for a Swedish dance magazine.

    His seat in the Academy is very rickety at the moment, probably he will have to leave. Well, if so, he is a professor of literature so he can always fall back on that and as a ballet critic! 

  9. You might have read in the press that the Swedish Academy - an institution founded towards the end of the 18th century - is on the brink of collapse. There are economic issues, members departing (they are actually elected for life), a bit of #metoo stuff, permanent secretary asked to resign, etc.etc.  I really do fear for this venerated institution - when six members already gone, who is there left to choose the laureate for the upcoming prize in literature? The situation is so serious so if they do not get their house in order soon, there might not be a prize in December. It is regarded as a monumental scandal here - I will keep you updated.

     

      

  10. Not having the book handy, but having a DVD of "The remains of the day",  I watched it again. If you havent seen it, I urge you to - the acting is simply out of this world. Somewhere I read an interview with Ishiguru, where he explained that not being a native of England had helped him to understand and perceive things that the English themselves are not aware of.  It is now many years since I lived in England and of course the country has changed and so have I naturally, but yet there were the small nuances, the tiny gestures, the little details in the manner of speaking that rang absolutely true and memories came back to me - I was quite overwhelmed. In fact, I think it needs an outsider to make these observations - having lived away from Sweden for most of my youth and young adult life I often find myself making the same kind of observations about Sweden.

    Just read in the Swedish press that he will be very happy to come here and receive his prize. The Academy must be heaving a sigh of relief - no repeat of last years debacle...

     

  11. Well, who would have thought of this! Kazue Ishiguro was not on any list so this was a complete surprise. Judging from the champagne celebrations on TV and the Swedish Academy it was a popular choice. Everybody is happy, so am I. His English is beatiful so I really pity the people who have to read him in translation - much is always lost in translation, however good it might be.
     

  12. The Nobel Prize for literature will be announced on Thursday at 1 p.m. (Swedish time). I will post immediately.

     

    As usual I am clueless - even more so now after what happened last year.

     

    Anybody has any ideas? According to a betting site I have seen - Murakami is top - Trump is bottom!

  13. Not long to go now - it seems certain that he will not attend at any rate. Must admit that I am rather sick of the whole affair, first I think that the Academy made a totally ridiculous choice, there are so many other very worthy candidates around, and secondly I think that Dylan is ill mannered and rude.

     

    Nevertheless, I have invited a good friend, we are going to have a good dinner and some good wine and I will report. 

  14. It is really too sad for words, cannot write anything coherent. I havent been able to take out all his records to play, that will have to wait until I get some perspective on the fact that a singer-

    songwriter I admired to much is no longer with us. Now it is definitely too late for the Nobel Prize...

     

    (There is still much talk in the press here about that Dylan thing - not sure yet it seems if he will attend or not. We will see what happens, I will report). 

  15. Indeed Olga, indeed, I will be back to you shortly, but first to Quiggin. Yes, the delay might have something to do with this most unusual choice; the Swedish Academy is normally a very secretive body and as yet, nothing has leaked to the press - but who knows, there might have been loud voices and attempts at fisticuffs under the chandeliers...

    Olga, yes, the times they are a changing. Maybe the Academy is only trying to reinvent itself - there has been critical voices to the effect that it is extraordinarily stuffy and only good at digging up some unheard of poet in some obscure Eastern country - a poet who is forgotten again as soon as the festivities are over. By the same token, the prize should not be awarded to a writer who is very prolific and selling books by the truckload. (There goes Joyce Carol Oates).  Which Dylan is, if not books but records. I heard one snide comment, Dylan is already a millionaire, he doesnt need that hefty sum of prize money...

    Well, arguments for and against, and as Dirac pointed out, there are already plenty of prizes for singer-songwriters. There is another important Swedish prize, the Polar Prize, awarded to one  classical musician and to one popular music artist - that might have been a better idea.

     

    Finally, this is just my own personal opinion - if the Swedish Academy has branched out into this particular field, I have a suggestion: Leonard Cohen.

  16. Yes, Kathleen, you are so right! I am sorry I expressed myself in a clumsy way, I just flew from the live television broadcast in Oslo to the keyboard to report. I take it as a kind of sport to report at once I hear something - not more than 30 seconds delay!

     

    There is an opinion here that the prize should have been given collectively to the people of some Greek islands who really went out of their way to help refugees from traffickers who had just dumped them, wet, freezing and starving and with small babies in their arms on the shores of these islands.

     

    Well, I think Santos deserved it anyway, the civil war has been going on for 50 years, hundreds of thousands have died in the process and if there will be calm now, all to the good.

  17. The Nobel Peace Prize has just been awarded. The recipient is the president of Colombia Juan Manuel Santos, he is given the prize for his struggle againt the Farc guerilla.

     

    It already seems that this is enormously controversial and it will be most interesting to follow the the very heated debate which will no doubt ensue.

     

    (I have explained this before but just to refresh the memory: The Nobel Peace Prize is awarded by Norway because in those days Sweden and Norway were one country, the partition took place in 1905). 

  18. 1 hour ago, sandik said:

    A mystery...

    Indeed, indeed...

    This is the week of announcements, one every day - it has always been like that. This is unprecedented - there was one year when there was a bit of a fracas over Salman Rushdie and a couple of members resigned. In due course we will no doubt learn the reason - as far as I know there are no scandals. The Academy is from 1700 something and it is a most serious institution, so there might be something really earth shaking going on behind the scenes.

     

    But trust me, I will keep you posted!

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