Irish writer wins Man Booker prize

Irish author Anne Enright won the Man Booker prize for her novel The Gathering. I haven't yet read this, but according to Booker judge Howard Davies, the novel is “powerful, uncomfortable and, at times, angry." Enright was a longshot for the prize, and it's certainly encouraging to see a long-shot win a major award.

Kundera on Translation

I finally read Milan Kundera's fascinating essay on the novel--The Curtain--and he makes the following comment on translation:

"... ever since Europe added rhyme to rhythm in its poetry, the full beauty of a verse can no longer be transplanted from one language into another; by contrast, faithful translation of a prose work, while difficult, is possible; in the world of novels there are no state borders."

Nobel Prize in Literature

Doris Lessing has been awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature for 2007.