On Book Award Lists
It’s the time of the year when various book prize lists are announced. Of course, authors, publishers, and booksellers pay attention. But my sense is that the majority of avid readers do not. I’ve been thinking why that is and of what significance that is.
One reason may be that most of us don’t even hear of these books until awards are announced, if that. If you are not in the circle of elite critics or booksellers and librarians, you don’t hear of them ahead of time. And aside from bestsellers that generate a lot of buzz among readers, like Perceval Everett’s James this year, many may never hear of them.
Another reason may be that readers may not read in the “niche” of the awards, generally headier literary fiction or nonfiction. Only if the award is in that niche, say the Agatha awards for mysteries or the Hugos for science fiction, may you recognize some of the books.
But I also think there is a gap between the world of literary critics and the reading public in terms of what makes a great book. This was underscored earlier this year when the New York Times published its list of the top 100 books of the current century (so far). I only read 17 of them. But to their credit, they let readers vote and many of the books I thought should be there were in the readers picks.
There’s a stereotype that writers on these lists are products of MFA programs writing for MFAs while the more popular writers write for readers–they understand that readers want something that holds their interest, makes them turn the page, has compelling characters and tells a compelling story. At the same time, there are those writers of imagination and originality who manage to communicate something of their vision on the page and aren’t paying attention to anything else, and the critics may be the ones to bring them to our awareness.
How do you bridge the gap? I’m not sure but I wonder if book bloggers and BookTokkers can help. They sometimes have a wider reach than the critics. It seems that intermediaries between the world of book awards and the world of readers are needed. I suspect there are great books few will hear of otherwise.
Five Articles Worth Reading
What sparked my thoughts was the release of the National Book Awards longlist this week. Publishers Weekly posted an article with all the books in each category. There are a few I will be looking for on my next trip to the bookstore.
Alexander Manshel, writing for The Nation has noticed a trend away from contemporary to historical fiction in the books making the fiction lists for such awards. He writes about it in “How Historical Fiction Redefined the Literary Canon.”
Robert Caro is familiar to many of us for his multi-volume biography of Lyndon Johnson, still in process. But before that project, he wrote a massive biography of Robert Moses, a never-elected New York bureaucrat who shaped the city in ways that affect it to this day. The Powerbroker was published 50 years ago, in 1974. Caro sat down for a podcast interview with the New York Times for a retrospective on that book and his writing life. Listen to it here.
Anna Johnston observes the relative dearth of aging characters in fiction. She explores how to write such characters in “Why We Need More (and Better) Depictions of Old People in Literature.”
You may have proclaimed that the book is better than the movie. Or maybe you’ve said reading is watching a movie in your mind. Danika Ellis contends in “Books Aren’t Mental Movies: You’re Missing the Best Part of Reading” that books are about far more than visual imagery. They are about the use of language.
Quote of the Week
I have one thing in common with the poet Mary Oliver. I lived for nine years in the city of her birth, Maple Heights, Ohio. She was born there September 10, 1935. I found this quote by her that is axiomatic for life.
“To pay attention, this is our endless and proper work.”
Miscellaneous Musings
One cue for me to explore a new writer is when their name continues to be mentioned by other writers. The latest, for me is Teilhard de Chardin. a French Jesuit priest, scientist, theologian, and philosopher. I found a couple of his books that I hope to read soon.
I’ve been reading about constitutionalism. I’ve realized afresh how important upholding constitutions are to just government. In particular, there are laws to which our leaders must be subject or things can go badly awry.
Finally, a pet peeve. I like writing about books. I love telling people about books worth reading. I’m grateful when publishers provide copies of books to review. And some publicists are great and are real partners in the enterprise. What I don’t like is when I reach out, in some cases repeatedly, requesting review copies. And I hear nothing. I don’t understand why they provide emails or contact forms and don’t respond. It’s just rude, especially when you want to help connect their book with your audience. End of rant!
Well, that’s The Weekly Wrap for this week!
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