this post was submitted on 12 Aug 2023
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Restricting to Nobel Prizes, I think Hesse. He has such a sweet way with words that crosses language boundaries. Narcissus and Goldmund was the book I read of his, when I was still a teen. I loved it.
On the other hand, there is quite a list of authors that, in my very personal opinion, should have won but didn’t.
Non-controversial: David Foster Wallace. A representation of the void of contemporary society.
Very controversial: d’Annunzio. Similar incredibly powerful words to Hesse, unfortunately he had to decide to support the fascist government. If you are able to distinguish form and content, his form is like nothing else I have met. But the content is often horrible: he is the hedonistic Übermensch, incredibly self-centered and misogynistic. I don’t know if that’s why he never won it, honestly, but seems likely.
I know nothing about nobel prize people, as I primarily stick to picture books. Nor do I follow European politics, as I'm a freedom loving American.
Who is David Wallace, and what fascist government did he support?
Sorry, my comment wasn’t clear, so I edited a couple of new lines in.
David Foster Wallace was an American writer that didn’t support any fascist government that I know of. His writing is apolitical, as far as I know.
D’Annunzio was an Italian writer and poet that explicitly supported Mussolini’s fascist government. D’Annunzio lead some really bold (and somewhat stupid) military undertaking during WWII.