Who won the 2025 Nobel Prize in Literature? Despite belonging to the publishing industry, I had to check how to spell Laszlo Krasznahorkai, so I wouldn't have to pretend it was a typo later. And the fact remains that I hadn't heard of Krasznahorkai before 2025, which has been the case with many other Nobel Laureates too.
Some of them I have subsequently become huge fans of, like Annie Ernaux, whose slim gorgeous memoirs I have devoured madly in the last few years. It's true that many obscure authors - in terms of fame accompanied by trifling financial success - have been discovered and revered after they won the Nobel. We depend on prizes to unearth, often enough, little-known struggling authors. Which raises deeper questions about fame, awards, genius, and talent. But that's for another day.
