September 2011
Who are the odds on favorites for this year's Nobel Prize for Literature? The Guardian weighs in on likely winners... →
guardian.co.uk
After winning Germany’s major award the Goethe prize earlier this year, Syrian poet Adonis has emerged as the frontrunner to be crowned Nobel literature laureate next month.
Ladbrokes has made the 81-year-old, described as “the most important Arab poet of our time” by the Goethe jury, its 4/1 favourite to win this year’s Nobel prize for literature, ahead of another octogenarian poet, the 80-year-old Swede Tomas Tranströmer, at 9/2. “Adonis has been a permanent fixture on the shortlist in the past and the odds suggest this could be his year,” said spokesman Alex Donohue.
Last year the betting firm backed Tranströmer to win the Nobel, but the 18-member Nobel Academy plumped for Peruvian Mario Vargas Llosa instead. “After hitting the woodwork last year we think Tranströmer has a superb chance of atoning for defeat,” said Donohue.
The reclusive American writer Thomas Pynchon is at 10/1 at Ladbrokes, with perennial contenders the Algerian novelist Assia Djebar (12/1), Korean poet Ko Un (14/1), Australian poet Les Murray (16/1) and Japanese novelist Haruki Murakami (16/1) also frontrunners for the betting firm. The top 10 is completed by three new names in the running: Hungarian writer Peter Nadas at 12/1, Nepali poet Rajendra Bhandari and Indian poet K Satchidanandan, both at 20/1, with Romanian author Mircea Cărtărescu another new entry in 11th place.
Read the whole article: http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2011/sep/27/adonis-nobel-prize-literature-favourite?newsfeed=true
Jimmy-Jack-John by Shel Silverstein
“Oh, where are you goin’, my Jimmy-Jack-John,
With only the moon for your light?”
“I’m goin’ ‘round in search of the dawn,
And I’ll prob’ly be gone most the night.”
“Oh, why are you cryin’, my Jimmy-Jack-John,
And why do you stare out to sea?”
“I’m thinkin’ that over the waves of the pond
The dawn lies a-waitin’ for me.”
“But why do you wander, my Jimmy-Jack-John,
A-roamin’ in search of the blue?
Just wrap yourself tight in this blanket of night
And the dawn will come to you.”
Yesees and Noees by Shel Silverstein
The Yesees said yes to anything
That anyone suggested.
The Noees said no to everything
Unless it was proven and tested.
So the Yesees all died of much too much
and the Noees all died of fright,
But somehow I think the Thinkforyourselfees
All came out all right.
