Literary Prize Winners

Anne Carson's Autobiography of Red is a rare red-winged monster in the world of poetry today.

The fall prize season has unearthed some surprises. Hungary gains a Nobel Laureate for the very first time, and Yann Martel from Canada wins the Booker Prize.

The Story of Lucy Gault is a strong contender for the Man Booker Prize 2002. This book deals with the actions and consequences of a child. What is the message that Trevor imparts to the reader about the result of foolishness?

The Canadian content this year amounts to a whopping 20 pct; four books out of a long list of twenty. But Canada is up against an impressive stable of writers; In the words of the Iron Chef, "who will take the prize, whose cuisine will reign supreme?"

Should there be prizes in literature, or do prizes contradict what literature truly stands for? One man wasn't afraid to say what he thinks: John Berger criticized prizes in front of the judges, right in his Booker Prize acceptance speech.

What do you think about Literary Prizes?

Ian McEwan may have answered many of The Booker Prize criticisms that arose from his book Amsterdam with his latest novel Atonement, but I hope he returns to his shorter novels that read like tightly crafted puzzles that never cease to delight his readers.

In order to solve the puzzle of the authentic parrot used by Gustave Flaubert, Julian Barnes takes us on an interesting journey that transcends the trappings of ordinary fiction.

Literary non-fiction is a territory that requires "an uncommon commmand of the English language, an elegance of style, and a subtlety of thought and perception." This is a tall order, and who better than a novelist to do it?

Breaking news in Prizes this week: The IMPAC Dublin Literary Award short list has been announced, and the great master W.G. Sebald who passed away this December, earns the National Book Critics Circle fiction prize.

Elaborate and witty, Philip Roth is not afraid to tackle the tougher topics that shape America. At turns unerving and hilarious, Roth is a master craftsman of an indefinable form: the novel.