LIVE: Nobel Prize For Literature 2011 Announcement
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We're off to do a write up on how to say Tranströmer. Same time next year? Who knows, 2012 may just be Bob Dylan's big year...
British betting company Ladbrokes, who had made Tranströmer a late favorite, says in a tweet that Dylan was "the main liability, followed by Murakami and Roth."
In other words, this was a good result for them. Big payouts would only have happened if Bob Dylan had won. Which he didn't. Wonder what he's singing now?
If you use a PC: ALT-0252 on your numeric keypad.
Tranströöööömer.
Our associate editor, Zoë, has been trying to teach umlauts to everyone around her for years. Perhaps this is her moment.
Apparently today is the annual National Poetry Day in the UK. What did they know?
"It's just been so long since a poet of [Tranströmer's] calibre has been recognised that we think the wheel has turned," said a Ladbrokes spokesman recently. Not sure they'll be so excited that enough people listened to make him the favorite.
That said, betting companies also like it when the favorite wins occasionally. That encourages people to keep betting. The house always wins, ladies and gentlemen.
The last poet to win was Wislawa Szymborska in 1996, so perhaps it's overdue. The previous year was Ted Hughes, of course.
He had a stroke a few years ago apparently, and can't speak. That might make things tricky for his speech. However, there are precedents for not delivering the speech, but only publishing it. Doris Lessing did so in 2007, as she was too ill to travel.
"You could fit all of [his work] into a not-too-large pocket book."
The first Swede since 1974. Here's the list of other Swedish winners.
If the cover of his book is anything to go by, Tranströmer is very small.
Though the betting odds from UK betting company Ladbrokes have been notoriously useless at predicting winners, Tomas Transtromer did suddenly become the hot favorite last night, having been in the top three of their betting lists in the last few years. Does somebody know something?
Here's more about him. He doesn't seem to be a well man - which might have an impact on the judges, who knows?
In case you were wondering about this Adonis guy, we have a roundup of who he is and why right here.
People tweeting @HuffPostBooks seem to be split between Adonis and Les Murray...
So the current favorite is now Swedish poet Tomas Traströmer.
Though the prizes are Norwegian, the people who award it are Swedish. What chance the first Swedish winner since 1974?
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First Posted: 10/06/11 07:31 AM ET Updated: 12/06/11 05:12 AM ET