Doris Lessing wins Nobel Prize for Literature

Apparently Doris Lessing has won the 2007 Nobel Prize for Literature.

Lessing is only the 11th Woman to pick up the prize and she did this despite having spent a large chunk of her career not only actually writing SF but doing so completely openly unlike the likes of Margaret Atwood.  Indeed, the award citation even praised her "visionary power".  Today is a good day for genre.

Comments

[A.R.Yngve]

Of course, Doris Lessing's visionary power beats the visionary power of Alfred Bester, Philip K. Dick, Geoff Ryman, Alice Sheldon (a.k.a. James Tiptree Jr) and Bruce Sterling combined.

[*SARCASM*]

[Jonathan McCalmont]

Apparently so...

[Liam Hemmings]

As a person who thinks this genre is the only proper way to understand "stuff" I am glad Lessig is getting some recognition.

[Liam]

At least she is deeply unmoved by the accolade. What I do enjoy about her is her love of writing: the just getting it down on paper. That, will do for me, the urge to narrate, what could ever be wrong with that as a first principle? Not to make money or boost an ego but to tell you, the other and maybe the author, something. Lovely.

[A.R.Yngve]

I apologize for the acid tone of my previous post... the more I hear what she says and read what she writes, the more Lessing comes off as a real mensch and a good writer. I don't resent her winning the prize.

My reaction was to the statement by the Nobel Committee itself. Would it be too much of a stretch to demand of them: "Spit it out, people -- say 'science fiction' or at least 'speculative literatue'!" --?

[Jonathan McCalmont]

The way it seems to have been towards the end was that she considered herself an SF writer but the SF crowd had a lot less interest in her than the mainstream crowd did. Which is a weird reversal.

I think Lessing was undeniably one of the good guys so to speak. I saw her on TV a few times and always thought she seemed approachable.