The longform patriarchs, and their accomplices
Typically when I think about the start of storytelling, I think of tribal communities. I’m not sure why this is where my mind gravitates, but I often think of tribal leaders and their role within their community to pass down stories and tribal legends for centuries. These stories are meant to guide, inspire and instill values within the tribe members. After reading Bernardine Evaristo’s essay, it’s clear that this may not actually be where storytelling originated but these same ideas are still true. Evaristo suggests that storytelling originated in African griots with the same goal: guide, inspire and instill values within the community. He also suggests that the audience (reader, viewer, listener, etc.) should consider the background and circumstances surrounding the author to better understand the significance of the story. Evaristo continues to say that the significance of a story is constantly changing depending on the reader; meaning that a story could be significant to one demographic while not holding much meaning to another. Because of this, he is starting to challenge the idea of what makes one story or novel “better” or “more significant” than another. It seems his goal is to shift the idea of a great literary novel to be more inclusive of other cultures and eradicate the pressure on author’s to feel their work is good enough.
Barack Obama to take part in 2020 Booker prize ceremony
Before this class, I had never actually heard of the Booker Prize (although, I am ashamed to admit it!). Knowing that President Obama felt it important enough to attend, even with his busy schedule, is super cool!
On the 2020 Booker prize – Menon
First, I love how she starts off her piece prefacing that there were no white-male authors in the running for the 2020 year. Second, I never realized how difficult it is as a non-American author to gain publicity. Menon mentions a few other prizes given out to authors who were not American and hardly anyone had heard of them, yet the Booker prize is greatly known (although I’m a little late to the game) and the winners are typically American or British authors. Reading that honestly upset me.
“Charges that big, powerful Americans are crowding out more deserving, unappreciated British writers ring particularly false in the case of Brandon Taylor, a young gay Black man born to illiterate parents in rural Alabama”
I loved that quote because she really starts to challenge – much like Evaristo – the background surrounding the author and how no piece of writing is or should be more or less significant than another.
She moves on to give short backgrounds on the six different novels that were in the running for the prize.
Should a prior arrest stop someone from winning the Booker prize? Sorry, I’m jumping around and no longer make sense – just writing my thoughts!
It seems that “everyone” deems literary merit to be the main criteria for winning the Booker prize.. but what even is that? Couldn’t literary merit be subject to change depending on the audience?
