Nobel Snub

Now, I know that the US has "lost its standing in the world" and all, but this is fairly preposterous. Europe may have its great writers (and I'm sure it does), but I hardly think that their existence and productivity negates the potential for great writers in the United States (and for writers in the rest of the world, for that matter). Even if there are no potential US candidates for the prize this year, the statement is uncalled for and below someone holding this position. I think US writers and the literature they have produced has proven itself worthy of admiration and study--at least, I (selfishly) hope so.

It's still a great prize, and those who receive it should be honored, but it my opinion literature is about so much more than this, especially snide comments from judges.

The best line from the article: "You would think that the permanent secretary of an academy that pretends to wisdom but has historically overlooked Proust, Joyce, and Nabokov, to name just a few non-Nobelists, would spare us the categorical lectures," said David Remnick, editor of The New Yorker.

What do others think?