Pulitzer (oops, I mean Nobel) Prize Winners (take 2)

I wrote this post yesterday and when I was about to finish it up, the browser crashed and I was so disheartened that I couldn't bear to re-write it.  Today I will give it another try.  Wish me luck.

Lately I have been reading books by some Pulitzer Nobel Prize winning authors -- not by design, but rather by chance.  First up was Blindness by Jose Saramago -- a novel I would liken to Cormac McCarthy's The Road.  In fact, I would go so far as to say that McCarthy must surely have read Blindness before writing The Road.  The post apocalyptic vision in both are eerily similar in their feeling of hopelessness and violence -- however, while I found The Road more emotionally moving, Blindness gave me more to think about.

The novel is about a pandemic which leaves all humanity blind -- leading to a total break down in society.  Only one woman retains her sight and through her we experience the depth of horror that only she can see. 

The writing style is a bit strange with dialog written out in paragraphs with commas separating different speakers' words.  It seemed a bit awkward at first (which could also be owing to the fact that it is translated from Portuguese) but after only a handful of pages it became easier to read.

Yesterday I went to the library and picked up Seeing -- the follow up to Blindness and I'm looking forward to revisiting these characters in a new setting.

Pan by Knut Hamsun -- another Pulitzer Nobel Prize winner and one of Pete's favorite writers was up next.  I enjoyed this book even more than his novel Hunger -- perhaps because there was more sex and less starvation. 

Pan is the story of Lieutenant Glahn -- a man who has opted out of society to a certain extent and has taken up living in a hut near the forest -- hunting wild game for food and communing with nature.  However, he feels the pull of society and often finds himself looking for companionship (with which he is quickly disillusioned).  The main action of the story centers around the romance -- if you can call it that -- between Glahn and Edvarda who seem to delight in tormenting one another.

I just found that you can read Pan online at Project Gutenberg.

In keeping with the Pulitzer Prize (okay, this one really did win the Pulitzer!) theme -- I started The Yiddish Policemen's Union by Michael Chabon last night and am enjoying it so far.

I also read Sherman Alexie's The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, and while he hasn't won the Pulitzer Prize (or Nobel), this book did win the the National Book Award. 

I haven't read many books about American Indians, so I found this book quite educational.  While it is fiction and directed at young adults -- I would highly recommend it to adults wanting to learn a little more about the struggles of American Indians and specifically American Indian teens who can be caught between two worlds. 

I've also been reading more Philip Pullman -- surprise, surprise.  Recently I finished Clockwork, Count Karlstein and Spring-Heeled Jack and I brought home I Was a Rat! from the library yesterday which should be a very quick little read.  I find that I'm enjoying reading these "young adult" books between novels and so many good authors are writing for this age group these days.  I just can't resist.

Comments

[Pete]

Actually, Hamsun won the Nobel Prize for Literature, not the Pulitzer.

[Vicki]

I live for your book posts. And I seem to remember a podcast...

More books on my to read list. Boy, when I start reading again I'm going to be busy :)

[Tsoniki Crazy Bull]

I love Sherman Alexie but haven't read that one! I think I have every other one. LOL