Orange Fiction Prize Goes to...

[neonlyte]

The Orange Literary Prize (£30,000) for Female Writers goes to Zadie Smith for her novel 'On Beauty' set on East Coast USA.

Anyone read Zadie Smith? I've only read 'Autograph Man' - and struggled, she seems to be in every single literary award competition.

 

[Guest]

She uses long words.

And confuses the fuck out of the reader and makes reading feel like wading through treacle, thus making them think: "Wow, so this is literary writing!"

Happy for her, though; she was very humble upon receiving her award and even cried.

 

[neonlyte]

She uses long words.

And confuses the fuck out of the reader and makes reading feel like wading through treacle, thus making them think: "Wow, so this is literary writing!"

Happy for her, though; she was very humble upon receiving her award and even cried.

She practices! I agree with the rest.

 

[Guest]

I've not heard of her, which isn't surprising, as there are a lot of writers of whom I've never heard.

So, would you say she's a contender for the Joseph Conrad Prize for Obscurity in Literary Fiction?

 

[neonlyte]

I've not heard of her, which isn't surprising, as there are a lot of writers of whom I've never heard.

So, would you say she's a contender for the Joseph Conrad Prize for Obscurity in Literary Fiction?

Thou Jest...eth
Extremely well known in UK, married to someone famous, a writer, actor or playwright, she's managed to pummel (?) him into obscurity.

Her crowning achievement was to be nominated for the Booker Prize (another £20k UK prize) with an unpublished novel - the one she just received the Orange Prize for.

That some balls for a lass...

 

[scheherazade_79]

It goes to....


ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Line up to the left for autographs and to the right for pictures! Don't listen to Zadie Smith - she's lying!

 

[Guest]

Thou Jest...eth
Extremely well known in UK, married to someone famous, a writer, actor or playwright, she's managed to pummel (?) him into obscurity.

Her crowning achievement was to be nominated for the Booker Prize (another £20k UK prize) with an unpublished novel - the one she just received the Orange Prize for.

That some balls for a lass...

Since I'm unlikely to ever win a prize for my writing, I feel perfectly safe poking fun at her from my position of ignorance and obscurity.

I always get a little queasy when handed a prize-winning book to read (unless the prize was a Nebula or Hugo -- I've had good luck with those) as the requirements of Literary Fiction seem many times NOT to include things like readability or room for the reader. Then again, I am a very pedestrian sort of reader and any book that makes me think too much will only be read twice.

 

[elfin_odalisque]

It's not fair. 'White Teeth' and 'On Beauty' were great novels.

I totally accept she is a child of cyberspace, ever seeking new ways to thrust her aura in front of us, but she can write.

She may have some character defects - so did Shakespeare - but she does write a good novel.

Sorry, that sounds too shrill. Honest, Zadie is worth a browse.

 

[neonlyte]

It's not fair. 'White Teeth' and 'On Beauty' were great novels.

I totally accept she is a child of cyberspace, ever seeking new ways to thrust her aura in front of us, but she can write.

She may have some character defects - so did Shakespeare - but she does write a good novel.

Sorry, that sounds too shrill. Honest, Zadie is worth a browse.

Didn't mean to sound churlish, probably the influence of Autograph Man and the bending of the Booker rules that allowed an unread novel to be considered by the judges. Surely the reading public should have an opportunity to see the work before it is judged in competition? I will search out On Beauty.

 

[neonlyte]

The writer, Zadie Smith, is being interviewed on BBC Radio this afternoon (Thursday - at approx 14.30 BST). To listen in go to : www.bbc.co.uk, select RADIO from top menu, select Radio Five Live. The normal afternoon interview starts after the 14.30 news.