Alice Munro, Nobel Prize in Literature

The Nobel Prize in Literature 2013 was awarded to 82 year-old Canadian Alice Munro, "master of the contemporary short story." Earlier this year she had announced her intention to retire. Munro, however, did not attend the ceremony, which took place earlier this month (Dec 10), due to health reasons. Her acceptance speech was substituted with the video interview below. Watch the first five minutes to learn about the significance of The Little Mermaid in her career.

Transcript

For basic information about the writer, read the top 10 things you need to know about her, according to The Guardian. You can also see this New York Times slide show. If you want more, read this profile.

To get a taste of Munro's writing, here's a link to one of her stories published online:

Amundsen (The New Yorker, August 27, 2012)

These collections are available at our library:

• Lives of Girls and Women (1971)
• Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage (2001)

Best books of 2013

We're nearing the end of the year and lists of best everything are popping up like mushrooms. As for books, I'll refer to a couple.

The Guardian publishes different lists according to genre or subject matter (the best books about the English language, for example). Check out their choice for best fiction.

The New York Times publishes keeps track of the best-selling books all through the year, the reference list for the industry. Their list of best books of the year is shorter, as it combines fiction and non-fiction. You can read it here, complete with a video.

There are a few coincidences: Rachel Kushner's The Flamethrowers, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's Americanah, and Donna Tartt's The Goldfinch. 

Finally, I'll also mention NPR's list because of its originality. It also includes The Goldfinch and Americanah, so these two are sure bets. Take a look here.

PS.-  (22 December) Americanah and The Flame Throwers are also at the top of the BBC list. 

NIKOLAUSTAG

Der Nikolaus, der am 6. Dezember Geschenke verteilt, erinnert uns an den Bischof Nikolaus. Er lebte im 4. Jahrhundert in Myra in Kleinasien (heute Türkei).

Einmal, so erzählt die Legende, hatten die Menschen in Myra nichts zu essen. Als die Schiffe mit dem Getreide endlich ankamen, wurden sie von Piraten angegriffen. Die Seeräuber sagten den Leuten aus Myra: „Gebt uns ein Schiff voll mit Gold. Dann werdet ihr eure Schiffe mit dem Getreide bekommen." Die Leute gaben allen Schmuck. Es reichte nicht, um das Boot zu füllen. Jetzt wollte der Kapitän der Piraten für das fehlende Gold die Kinder als Sklaven mitnehmen. Da gab der Bischof Nikolaus den Piraten den ganzen Schatz der Kirche. Die Piraten waren zufrieden und segelten mit ihren Schiffen weg. Die Schiffe mit dem Getreide konnten in den Hafen fahren. Die Leute von Myra waren gerettet.

Deshalb gilt der Heilige Nikolaus als Freund der Kinder. Der Nikolaustag wird am 6. Dezember gefeiert. 

Tar

It's not very often that a film is made on the life of a poet, but here's one: 'Tar', based on poems by C K Williams, opens in the US on Dec 1. The movie is an independent production directed by 12 film students with an impressive lineup of stars: James Franco, Mila Kunis and Jessica Chastain, among them. Williams is considered one of the most distinguished poets of his generation. Born in 1936, he has won a long list of awards and honors, including the Pulitzer, the National Book Award and the National Book Critics Circle Award.

'Tar', the poem, gave title to the book published in 1983. These are the first lines:

The first morning of Three Mile Island: those first disquieting, uncertain, mystifying hours.
All morning a crew of workmen have been tearing the old decrepit roof off our building,
and all morning, trying to distract myself, I’ve been wandering out to watch them
as they hack away the leaden layers of asbestos paper and disassemble the disintegrating drains.

Read the whole poem at the Poetry Foundation.

Click here to learn more about C K Williams.

Click here to learn more about the movie in the Los Angeles Times.

The most expensive book ever

Last Tuesday 26 November a book became the most expensive ever sold at auction. The Bay Psalm Book, published in 1640, went for $14,165,000. Why is it so special? It was the first book to be printed in the US, and there are only 11 known copies. The book contains psalms translated by the Puritans directly from Hebrew, as they weren't satisfied with the existing edition at the time.

Watch this video by Sotheby's about the Bay Psalm Book.



Click here to read more at the New York Times.

You can see what The Whole Book of Psalmes looks like at the Word Digital Library.

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Doris Lessing dies at 94

Nobel-prize winning author Doris Lessing died today at the age of 94. Lessing had an impressive collection of literary awards. At 87, she was the oldest winner of the Nobel prize. She welcomed the news with a simple "Oh, Christ", as seen below. "I've won all the prizes in Europe, every bloody one, so I'm delighted to win them all. It's a royal flush." 

Best known for 'The Golden Notebook' (1962), she said this about what is considered her masterpiece:

(Visit Web of Stories for the transcript and more videos)

For an interesting video on her life and work, visit this BBC page.

30 great one-liners

Who said this?

I never forget a face, but in your case I'll make an exception.

Or this?

Life is full of mysery, loneliness, and suffering - and it's all over much too soon.

Click on the Remembrance Day poppy to check out other pearls of wisdom from The Telegraph.

(More on Remembrance Day: click here)