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Anne Carson’s dry humour shines in first interview after Nobel win: ‘I have no answers’
Anne Carson learned she had won the Nobel Prize while in windy Iceland. In a wry interview, she said she was surprised and joked that the committee was crazy
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Canadian-Icelandic writer Anne Carson won the Nobel Prize in literature on Thursday. The Toronto-born poet, essayist and translator, 76, was awarded the top honour “for her bold and inventive oeuvre that, in playful dialogue with the classical tradition, has created new forms for contemporary literature.”
In her first interview after winning the Nobel Prize in literature, Carson told Iceland’s national broadcaster RÚV that she thought the Nobel Committee was "crazy", wryly noting that the main change to her life would be getting a sticker on the front of her books.
The whole interview, in fact, was a masterclass on how to do dry humour right.
Anne Carson after winning the Nobel
In the interview that appears to have taken place immediately after Carson received news of winning the Nobel, the Iceland-based poet was seen trying to hold on to her cap amid strong winds while standing outdoors.
Carson’s responses, delivered with a razor-dry wit, cut through the solemnity that is typically associated with winning a Nobel Prize.
For example, when asked how she felt after receiving the news, the 76-year-old poet replied: “Crazy. I think they're all crazy.”
“And, um, uh, you were, uh, stated that you were, uh, listening to the wind while, uh, while they announced this?” the interviewer asked.
“You can't help but listen to the wind here. We live on the wind. Yes, that's what I was doing,” Carson deadpanned.
The permanent secretary of the Swedish Academy, which awards the prize, confirmed that Carson was in Iceland “listening to the wind” when the panel reached her to notify her of the honor. “She was very taken by surprise,” Ingrid Carlberg said, according to AFP.
(Also read: How an Indian professor's research helped pave way for the Nobel-winning discovery in medicine)
A ‘rather halting’ conversation
The interview proceeded with the RÚV journalist asking conventional questions, to which Carson offered delightfully blunt responses. When asked about her call with the Nobel Committee, she described the exchange as “same as this, rather halting,” adding, “They have, yeah, the usual questions, and I have no answers.”
“Uh, did you know beforehand, or when did you receive the news yourself?” the interviewer asked the Icelandic-Canadian writer, who replied: “Just now. I mean, yeah, right now.”
“What was the conversation like?” the interviewer then asked.
“Same as this, rather halting. They have, yeah, the usual questions, and I have no answers,” Carson responded.
(Also read: Anne Carson, winner of Nobel Prize in Literature, has a little-known India connection)
Asked if winning the Nobel would impact her readership, the poet was again refreshingly candid.
“I don't understand how people hear things or read things,” she admitted, calling public reception “a bit of a mystery” before offering a pragmatic take on the real-world impact of the Nobel: “Well, I guess the publisher hopes so... I'll get a sticker on the front of my book”.
Anne Carson’s works
Carson combines themes from classical Greek and Roman literature with modern influences.
Her best-known works include Eros the Bittersweet from 1986, Plainwater from 1995, and Autobiography of Red from 1998.
Autobiography of Red, which reimagined the myth of Hercules and the monster Geryon as a love story, is likely her best known work. It has sold nearly 100,000 copies in the U.S. alone, according to a spokesman for Alfred A. Knopf, which published the book in 1998.
(With inputs from AP)
