Course:LIBR548F/2009WT1/Literary prizes

From UBC Wiki

A literary prize is a prize awarded to a writer in recognition of work that is considered to be a very strong example of writing within the criteria of the award. Most prizes are awarded annually.

The Nobel Prize

The first major modern literary prize was the Nobel Prize for Literature,[1] established at the bequest of Alfred Nobel and first awarded in 1901. The guidelines for awarding the prize are set out in Nobel's will, which states that the prize should be awarded to "the person who shall have produced in the field of literature the most outstanding work in an ideal direction" and that "in awarding the prizes no consideration [should] be given to the nationality of the candidates."[2] Although the will specifies that the prize should be awarded to an individual for accomplishments "during the preceding year,"[2] this requirement is not strictly adhered to and the prize is typically given to an author for his or her overall contribution to literature.

In his will, Nobel gave the members of the Swedish Academy the responsibility for awarding the prize. The Academy accepts nominations from a select group of people including academics and the presidents of writers' organizations.[3]

Evolution

Most subsequent literary awards follow the basic template established by the Nobel Prize, but many differ from the Nobel in significant ways.

Narrower focus

Rather than rewarding an author's entire oeuvre, later prizes have often focused on recognizing the year's best books. Additionally, while the Nobel Prize is international in scope, the majority of awards focus on a single nationality or language. Other awards retain the international nature of the Nobel Prize, but deal only with a specific literary genre or format.

This narrowing of focus has led to the development of a multitude of prizes in a range of areas. For example:

  • Prix Goncourt: One of the earliest post-Nobel prizes, established in 1903 to honour the best French novel of each year.
  • Pulitzer Prizes: First awarded in 1917, these honour each year's best American writing in several categories.
  • Hugo Awards: Established in 1953 to honour the year's best in science fiction.
  • Hans Christian Andersen Award: Awarded bi-annually since 1956 by the International Board on Books For Young People (IBBY) to a living author in recognition of a body of work in children's literature.
  • Man Booker Prize: Awarded each year since 1969 to a novel in English by a citizen of the Commonwealth or the Republic of Ireland.
  • Eisner Awards: Established in 1988 to honour the year's achievement in American comic books.
  • Scotiabank Giller Prize: Founded in 1994, the Giller honours the best in Canadian fiction each year.

There are also numerous examples of smaller awards founded to recognize books on a local, provincial, or state level.

Nominations and juries

Submission and nomination policies vary between awarding bodies. Some, including the Pulitzer Prize committee, allow authors to submit their own work. Others, like the Scotiabank Giller Prize, call on publishers to enter titles. Candidates for the Hans Christian Andersen award must be nominated by the national IBBY chapters in their home countries.

The methods used to select awards juries also vary. Some prizes are awarded by expert panels whose membership may include critics, authors, librarians, booksellers, academics, and editors, among others. The Man Booker Prize jury, for example, consists of "a literary critic, an academic, a literary editor, a novelist and a major figure."[4] Other awards are voted on by readers. The Hugo Awards have a notably open process: nominees and winners are selected by members of a fan organization, the World Science Fiction Society. It is common for at least 1000 people vote for the winners.[5]

Impact

Receiving a well-known literary prize can have a tremendous impact on a book's sales. Statistics show that sales of books winning the Man Booker Prize increase dramatically in the United States and Britain.[1][6] Sales of the 2003 Booker winner, for example, jumped 677% in the United States.[6] The high profile of the Giller Prize in Canada also leads to an increase in sales for its winner.[7]

Controversies

There have been several controversies regarding literary prizes throughout their history. For example:

  • The first time the Nobel Prize for Literature was awarded in 1901, it went to French poet Sully Prudhomme instead of Leo Tolstoy -- a choice which was regarded as an oversight at the time and continues to be seen as such.[8][9]
  • The Giller Prize has been said to favour books published by companies owned by Bertelsmann and authors who live in Toronto.[10]
  • In 2009, Booker Prize judges were accused of ignoring science fiction books out of disdain for the genre.[11] Conversely, when a thriller was included on the Booker longlist in 2008, the choice was criticized as not "literary" enough.[12]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Chatfield, Tom. "The art of prize-fighting." Prospect 154 (January 17, 2009). http://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/2009/01/theartofprizefighting/ (accessed September 25, 2009).
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Nobelprize.org. Excerpt from the Will of Alfred Nobel. http://nobelprize.org/alfred_nobel/will/short_testamente.html (accessed September 25, 2009).
  3. ↑ The Swedish Academy. The Nobel Prize in Literature. http://www.svenskaakademien.se/web/Nobel_Prize_in_Literature.aspx (accessed September 25, 2009).
  4. ↑ The Booker Prize Foundation. FAQs. http://www.themanbookerprize.com/prize/about/faqs (accessed September 25, 2009).
  5. ↑ World Science Fiction Society. The Hugo Awards: Introduction. http://www.thehugoawards.org/about/ (accessed September 25, 2009).
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Datskovsky, Miriam. "Winner Does Not Take All." Portfolio.com. http://www.portfolio.com/culture-lifestyle/culture-inc/arts/2008/03/17/Pulitzer-Prize-Effect-on-Book-Sales/ (accessed September 25, 2009).
  7. ↑ Wagner, Vit. "Munro still up for other honours." TheStar.com. http://www.thestar.com/article/689099 (accessed September 25, 2009).
  8. ↑ Menand, Louis. "All That Glitters: Literature's Global Economy." The New Yorker 81, no. 42 (Dec. 26, 2005 - Jan. 2, 2006): 36.
  9. ↑ Espmark, Kjell. "The Nobel Prize in Literature." Nobelprize.org. http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/articles/espmark/index.html (accessed September 25, 2009).
  10. ↑ Henighan, Stephen. "Kingmakers." Geist. http://www.geist.com/opinion/kingmakers (accessed September 25, 2009).
  11. ↑ Flood, Alison. "Science fiction author hits out at Booker judges." guardian.co.uk. http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2009/sep/18/science-fiction-booker-prize (accessed September 25, 2009).
  12. ↑ Weinman, Sarah. "Crime thriller 'Child 44' makes Man Booker Prize list." Los Angeles Times. http://articles.latimes.com/2008/aug/01/entertainment/et-bookerlonglist1 (accessed September 25, 2009).

Recommended Resources

Award Annals. http://www.awardannals.com/wiki/Main_Page (accessed September 25, 2009).

This wiki allows users to search for the nominees and winners for major literary prizes. Searchable by prize, author, or book title, it is an excellent resource for finding what was nominated for what, when. Also noteworthy are the "honor rolls," developed by cross-referencing between different awards to determine which are the most frequently honoured books.

Chatfield, Tom. "The art of prize-fighting." Prospect 154 (January 17, 2009). http://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/2009/01/theartofprizefighting/ (accessed September 25, 2009).

This article looks at what literary prizes mean for literature. Chatfield traces the origin of literary prizes back to Ancient Greek poetical competitions and outlines the evolution of the intense, sports-like atmosphere of modern awards culture.

Espmark, Kjell. "The Nobel Prize in Literature." Nobelprize.org. http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/articles/espmark/index.html (accessed September 25, 2009).

Espmark provides a very interesting examination of the history of the original literary prize, taking an extended look at the way various interpretations of Alfred Nobel's instructions have translated into different evaluative criteria for the Academy. He also examines some of the issues and controversies surrounding the Nobel Prize over the years.
Retrieved from "https://wiki.ubc.ca/index.php?title=Course:LIBR548F/2009WT1/Literary_prizes&oldid=34820"