Nobel Judge says Americans caint write no good

[Strike For The South]

Meh Elitism

I consider this man a bigot.

[Banquo's Ghost]

It's not elitism - the man is simply not sufficiently well-read.

[gaelic cowboy]

We call a person like that a plank as in thick as two short planks. US is a vast melting pot of differing culture how can he seriously believe there are no good US writers.

He is taking the last few years of no nobel prizes for american writers and proclaiming that this proves americans cant write good books. If someone wins next year does that mean the entire culture of US changed overnight cos of him.

I think he should be burned at the stake using every Tom Clancy novel ever published

[Fragony]

Absolute rubbish America is packed with great writers.

[Ser Clegane]

Perhaps the thread title should be changed from "Europeans say..." to (clueless) "European says"

What an ignorant fool - such a statement puts a stain on the prize as such

[Ironside]

The correct title would be "Europeans say Americans cant write well"´

I see that you have gotten aquainted with Horace Engdahl.

[KukriKhan]

(I took the liberty of making the topic title more specific, while trying to retain SFTS' ironic intent. ~Kukri)

Bigot? Maybe. More likely though, he's so busy poring through the stuff he's given to judge that he has little time for recreational reading, so misses some real gems out there - including American ones.

[Sasaki Kojiro]

The correct title would be "Europeans say Americans cant write well"´

I see that you have gotten aquainted with Horace Engdahl.

"can't"

"acquainted"

[Tribesman]

The correct title would be "Europeans say Americans cant write well"´

No , the correct title would be " a Swedish bloke talking bollox"

[HoreTore]

Colour, honour.....

And anyway, this just proves how superior we norwegians are to the barbaric swedes. I say we loot and enslave them, I need some new furniture when I'm moving to a new apartment...

[Ironside]

"can't"

"acquainted"

That's what you get when being a smartass while being to tired to spell correctly.
Cant was from STFS though.

(I took the liberty of making the topic title more specific, while trying to retain SFTS' ironic intent. ~Kukri)

Bigot? Maybe. More likely though, he's so busy poring through the stuff he's given to judge that he has little time for recreational reading, so misses some real gems out there - including American ones.

If I understood him correctly (with this interview and a correction he made) it's more of an observation on why the Noble Price has ended up mostly in Europe or to writers connected to Europe in the last years. And yes he's very elitistic and arrogant.

Edit: Horetore, the Peace prize commitée. Need I say more?

[Rhyfelwyr]

I think it is obvious Americans are ethnically inferior at writing.

[Martok]

I think it is obvious Americans are ethnically inferior at writing.

Indeed; it's a complex. At the very least, I know my recurring nightmare of Dickens and Dumas laughing in my face cause *me* to wake up screaming....

[Tristuskhan]

My dear friends, I must warn you, since at least two of you got it wrong, Doris Lessing is a woman!

[Louis VI the Fat]

Meh, too many Europeans let themselves be blinded by American popular culture. And hence overlook that there is genuine quality and sophistication in American literature, culture, the arts and public debate.

Making this up as I'm writing, could it be that the worst of American culture is globally exported and consumed, while from smaller countries only the best of its culture is exported? If you think Houellebecq, Édith Piaf, Amélie Poulain and Derrida are representative of French culture, you're in for a shock.
From France, this is what is exported, and not Tecktonik. While from America, for every Springsteen ten Snoop Doggy Dogs cross the ocean.


However, Engdahl is right on several accounts:
American literature really is too sensitive to trends. Engdahl didn't need to add 'to trends of American mass culture'. The constant urge to cater to trends of American High culture is as tiresome and uncreative.
American readers are too reluctant to read translated work. (And to see dubbed or subtitled movies)

My dear friends, I must warn you, since at least two of you got it wrong, Doris Lessing is a woman!

The picture is of Dorris Lessing. But the quotes are from Horace Engdahl, a man.

This proves the Frecnh caint read no good and

I think he should be burned at the stake using every Tom Clancy novel ever published

I say shoot all green politicians and then recycle them on a compost heap of there choosing.

A man of drastic measures is a man of my liking.

[Viking]

I think he should be burned at the stake using every Tom Clancy novel ever published

There is, undeniably, a bit or irony in that post...

[Louis VI the Fat]

There is, undeniably, a bit or irony in that post...

What irony? He's proposing burning Engdahl with the works of the greatest American author who isn't dead or past the age of seventy.

[Tristuskhan]

This proves the Frecnh caint read no good and

today's lesson: when coming back from a hard day's work, first have tea and then, post.

[Kadagar_AV]

From the article

Speaking generally about American literature, however, he said U.S. writers are "too sensitive to trends in their own mass culture," dragging down the quality of their work.

"The U.S. is too isolated, too insular.

I can't say he is wrong...

Note that he also said:

Of course there is powerful literature in all big cultures

I guess his point is that there of course are quaklity litterature written in the US, BUT you could be better if you had a broader perspective.

[Fragony]

litterature=

I can only hope that was intentional

[Viking]

What irony? He's proposing burning Engdahl with the works of the greatest American author who isn't dead or past the age of seventy.

Oh, yeah. I often use to burn books of my favourite author when it gets cold in the winter; that's the ultimate respect I can show him.

[Don Corleone]

Edit: oops, would appear others have already made a couple of grammatical points.

I cannot disagree with the judge, we are overly insular. The French, who have their own literature and their own movies and television, know far more of American culture than we of theirs. Heck, they probably know more of our culture than we do of our own.

Seriously, even European blockbuster films, like "My Life as a Dog", "Faraway, So Close" "The Girl on the Bridge" and "La Reine Margot" are relatively obscure arthouse films over here.

But I also think that in some ways, being insular might improve your literature, as you'd be more focused and sharper on constructs that play to your own culture well such as wit, humor and sarcasm, which don't translate well.

And I also believe the judge only said it to be a elitist git.

[Fragony]

I cannot disagree with the judge, we are overly insular. The French, who have their own literature and their own movies and television, know far more of American culture than we of theirs.

Oh, no. Really they don't, most frenchies are amazed there is such a thing as a world beyond France. They are probably more american then the americans stereotype-technically speaking. Americans shouldn't be so insecure about all that, it's quite telling that all the top universities are in the US. The constant bickering or outright battles between scholars in magazines, not here. We made all that up, America is the intellectual battlefield

edit, you might want to keep an eye on us cloggies, we are better in english then the english hehe

[Husar]

I can only hope that was intentional

You overlooked the

quaklity

right in front of what you quoted.

[Koga No Goshi]

Oh, no. Really they don't, most frenchies are amazed there is such a thing as a world beyond France. They are probably more american then the americans stereotype-technically speaking. Americans shouldn't be so insecure about all that, it's quite telling that all the top universities are in the US. The constant bickering or outright battles between scholars in magazines, not here. We made all that up, America is the intellectual battlefield

edit, you might want to keep an eye on us cloggies, we are better in english then the english hehe

In a world of terrorism, hijackings, hurricanes, foreign policy debacles and collapsing economies...

there stands, alone, one foreigner unapologetically in complete awe of all things Status Quoian American.

That man is Fragony.

[Fragony]

In a world of terrorism, hijackings, hurricanes, foreign policy debacles and collapsing economies...

there stands, alone, one foreigner unapologetically in complete awe of all things Status Quoian American.

That man is Fragony.

Yep. I consider America to be the hight of civilization. Such a huge country with so little internal turmoil, and the most gentle superpower that ever was. It has the right idea and the right spirit, if you want to feel bad about yourselve ask why a black man can actually run for president. Do you really think that would be possible in an european country? You would be way off if you do.

Oh, and kill them, build dikes, carry on, you'll be fine.

[Kadagar_AV]

Fragony, nope, it was an error...

However, I speak 3 languages fluidly and I can bluff me through 3 more...

How many languages do you speak? English is in fact my third language, I am more fluid in german and swedish.

Before you judge peoples spelling, make sure it doesnt make you look stupid. Fair enough?

Husar, my fingers are sometimes to big for the keyboard:)

What is the point of pointing out spelling errors anyway?

Or, do you claim that my argument is less valid cause my English is not perfect? If so, I invite you to further the conversation in a language I am more fluid in... Det borde väl inte vara några problem, eller hur?

[Koga No Goshi]

Yep. I consider America to be the hight of civilization. Such a huge country with so little internal turmoil, and the most gentle superpower that ever was. It has the right idea and the right spirit, if you want to feel bad about yourselve ask why a black man can actually run for president. Do you really think that would be possible in an european country? You would be way off if you do.

Oh, and kill them, build dikes, carry on, you'll be fine.

On the macro level, if you think America has done a great job in the world, and could have been a hell of a lot worse, that's your perogative.

In most other regards, though, I think someone who doesn't live here, doesn't worry that a sudden illness is going to absolutely wreck a lifetime of "responsibility" and "saving", doesn't worry that their kid will wind up in a horrible, ghetto public school if they can't afford an expensive, nice-enough house in an expensive, nice-enough neighborhood, and basically just doesn't have the experience of life in America as an American, having nothing but wholehearted admiration for all things America does and opposes change or criticism of anything America does, is engaging in idle fanboyism in important issues issues (to us) when, as others have stated, you have no real skin in the game.

Completely off topic. My apologies to OP.

[Strike For The South]

On the macro level, if you think America has done a great job in the world, and could have been a hell of a lot worse, that's your perogative.

In most other regards, though, I think someone who doesn't live here, doesn't worry that a sudden illness is going to absolutely wreck a lifetime of "responsibility" and "saving", doesn't worry that their kid will wind up in a horrible, ghetto public school if they can't afford an expensive, nice-enough house in an expensive, nice-enough neighborhood, and basically just doesn't have the experience of life in America as an American, having nothing but wholehearted admiration for all things America does and opposes change or criticism of anything America does, is engaging in idle fanboyism in important issues issues (to us) when, as others have stated, you have no real skin in the game.

Completely off topic. My apologies to OP.

China
India
USA
Indonesia
Brazil

These countries are the top 5 in something

[Fragony]

Fragony, nope, it was an error...

However, I speak 3 languages fluidly and I can bluff me through 3 more...

How many languages do you speak? English is in fact my third language, I am more fluid in german and swedish.

Before you judge peoples spelling, make sure it doesnt make you look stupid. Fair enough?

Husar, my fingers are sometimes to big for the keyboard:)

What is the point of pointing out spelling errors anyway?

Or, do you claim that my argument is less valid cause my English is not perfect? If so, I invite you to further the conversation in a language I am more fluid in... Det borde väl inte vara några problem, eller hur?

Didn't mean any harm, sorry if it appeared that way. That really wasn't my intention.

@Koga No Goshi

It is no different here. Are you starving? Many are, these people that don't live 'here'. I find it quite distastefull to consider our problems to be problems. It's like searching for the highest building you can find and demanding another floor.