Nobel Prize for Literature
This year’s Nobel Prize for Literature has been awarded to Peruvian novelist Mario Vargas Llosa, and I confess I am pleased. It is good that the prize goes to someone from Latin America, which, I believe, has been rather neglected by the Nobel committee, given the large number of really excellent writers from the continent. I also rather like his rather varied background: not only is he a noted writer, he also stood for President in Peru, losing to Alberto Fujimori (whose political career ended in disgrace).
Vargas Llosa is often described as being of the centre-right with neoliberal views; but he is no simple conservative, not least because some of his most effective writing is about the legacy of colonialism. As for myself, I have to declare a special admiration for his wonderful and rather absurd (in the literary sense) comedy, Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter.
This award is a good choice, I feel.
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University Blog 
October 8, 2010 at 5:18 am
In the eyes of the Nobel Committees both North and South America have much the same problem, one that we avoid because of the continuing existence of Irish.
They identify the self same solution that manifest itself in Rome 2000 years ago where writers from the provinces and the further the better produced sublime prose, poetry and plays, if there is contact with the indigenous or other languages.
I’m waiting for a Navaho or Sioux writer, I think that will be really special.