"that epicist of the female experience, who with scepticism, fire and visionary power has subjected a divided civilisation to scrutiny".As always there are critics: "American literary critic Harold Bloom called this week's academy decision "pure political correctness."
"Although Ms. Lessing at the beginning of her writing career had a few admirable qualities, I find her work for the past 15 years quite unreadable ...fourth-rate science fiction,"He (Bloom) told The Associated Press....not called a critic for nothing then! [Link]
The year I was born saw what was probably her defining work (perhaps that's what Bloom meant with his 'PC' comment): in 1962 "The Golden Notebook," became, and still is, a feminist classic. That theme continues today, Lessing's The Cleft (2007) is sci-fi fiction revolving around the result of the introduction of men to a mythical world of only women...What use are men?...She said men were a "haphazard species" who always have to be looked after and died "much too easy". [BBC Link] She said, from the same link, when asked if she thought it was men who waged war,
"We like to think we are motherly and kind and that we are not going to go to war, but it's not true, is it?"On the war point, Nobel himself surprised everyone when, at his death, his Will revealed what we all know today re the Nobel Foundation and the various prizes.
"When Alfred Nobel's will was made known after his death in San Remo on 10 December 1896, and when it was disclosed that he had established a special peace prize, this immediately created a great international sensation. The name Nobel was connected with explosives and with inventions useful to the art of making war, but certainly not with questions related to peace."" [He] had a clear view of what was happening in international politics during the second half of the 19th century. His own activity as an industrialist was to the utmost degree, international and it was vitally necessary for him to follow this development carefully. Important portions of his inventions and business activity were connected with conditions which affected war and peace." Philanthropy on a massive scale, not common in that day and age. "Nobel's will was hardly longer than one ordinary page. After listing bequests to relatives and other people close to him, Nobel declared that his entire remaining estate should be used to endow 'prizes to those who, during the preceding year, shall have conferred the greatest benefit to mankind.' His will attracted attention throughout the world. It was unusual at that time to donate large sums of money for scientific and charitable purposes.' From Nobel's Life and Philosophy.
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objurgation n. - an earnest denunciation, rebuke, or scolding; harsh criticism
oblatrate n. - to snarl at, inveigh against
oblectation n. - delight, pleasure
12 comments:
Span – 1962? Good Vintage!
Still need the bed advice - you are not teaching me though!
http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/physics/laureates/2007/info.pdf
This is what Nobel is and always has been about.
And as for peace I will email you under separate cover my personal votes!
Happy Eid
Kenji
Doris hated (don't know whether she still does) being referred to as a feminist writer. Judging by her performance on the news this evening she doesn't appear too excited by becoming a Nobel prize winner in fact she seemed down right surly. I am not going to put it down to her age because as someone who has read a few of her books, I can say that if her writing is anything like her personality, she must be bloody miserable.
Kenji's link ...Ok, I'm showing off now...
You may be right but if you followed the "Will" link from the post he put it all on paper: "The said interest shall be divided into five equal parts, which shall be apportioned as follows: one part to the person who shall have made the most important discovery or invention within the field of physics; one part to the person who shall have made the most important chemical discovery or improvement; one part to the person who shall have made the most important discovery within the domain of physiology or medicine; one part to the person who shall have produced in the field of literature the most outstanding work in an ideal direction; and one part to the person who shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses."...
Mags, I can't say I've read her but I've read about her...and my sister may be what you could call a feminist...ish...not on the wild side but definitely not a housewife type! I thought the actual comments that DL made at the Hay Festival (BBC link in post) were fairly tame and atypical of her rep!
Mags is right about Doris, as I posted on the 5Live board she's always hated the idea of being described as a feminist writer, she's hardly Angela Carter or Joan Smith in that respect.
I hate the fact that she's been referred to everywhere as a British writer, art doesn't have arbitary boundaries it reaches out beyond the political and takes us places beyond constraints of fools.
Your second paragraph is certainly true Paul - (I saw your comment on her roots...being castigated by David!) he Feminist tag is just what stands out - she was equally vocal re racism etc (having witnessed a lot first hand)
Span I have never felt so bad about a post as I did when I saw David's reaction, I wanted the ground to swallow me up!
I think he knew what I was getting at, David's not stupid and hopefully he knows I'm not a closet racist. It just seemed so typical that Doris is ignored, you know the prophet in her own land type of thing, and then she wins an award and all of a sudden it's not "Doris Lessing the 87 year old feminist novelist," it's "Doris Lessing, the British novelist."
Paul, it was clear what you meant and I believe David COTW knew exactly that but he's not one to let a good chance to make you sweat go begging! :-)
"Doris Lessing, the British novelist"
What? Is she Scottish then?
I can't say I've ever read a word of hers. I don't know why really.
I have (had) preconceptions (prejudices) about her writing boring, dismal chick lit.
I can only imagine my (almost exclusively) female lecturers at university (where I read English) aided and abbetted in filling my mind with such thoughts.
So should I trot down to Waterstones ant first light to try and reconstruct my bigotry? Or isn't she worth it?
She isn't worth it Gav. It isn't chick lit in the sense that we now know chick lit because it isn't bright, fluffy and with a happy ending. It's well written if thoughts and description rather dialogue and action are your scene, it isn't feminist although there are leanings in that direction but it is remorselessly dull and sooooo depressing. After finishing The Good Terrorist and The Fifth Child, I was ready to commit suicide. I canot think of one of her characters in the books that I have read that had a positive outlook on life or wasn't being used and manipulated by others.
Gavin...I wouldn't know about all of Lessings work but I think the The Good Terrorist would be worth it, sort of Le Carre on LSD. All that 80's anti-Thatcher psuedo radical-socialist twaddle comes off rather poorly (as it should)
stir stir
:-)
(sorry Mags...not pooh-poohing your advice) Gavin...look here...may convince you to dip your toe into the water:
The review may be 22 years old but:
"The Good Terrorist is bound to give comfort to the middle classes, if only because their enemies, Alice and her friends, are so ludicrously inept."
"It's a novel about a certain kind of political person, a kind of self-styled revolutionary that can only be produced by affluent societies. There's a great deal of playacting that I don't think you'd find in extreme left revolutionaries in societies where they have an immediate challenge."
couldn't have put it better! ;-)
Span, Alice was a doormat and it was that I found so depressing. It's been a very long time since I read the book but I do remember being very disappointed with Alice because the people she got in with were so inept. The problem with the book is not the anti-Thatcher type stuff, although I would argue that it wasn't anti-Thatcher at all, it's more that Alice's character is firmly stuck in the 1950's. It's like the 70's never happened.
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