http://blogs.jta.org/ENTRY_PERMALINK_HERE/nobels-politics-and-parochialism/ Ron Kampeas explains why Alfred Nobel would be happy with his eponymous peace prize being awarded to Barack Obama. And another thing: Herta Müller is a better choice than Philip Roth for the literature prize. en-us rkampeas@jta.org Copyright 2009 2009-10-11T;23:11:00-05:00 operafan101@hotmail.com But at the time the Locarno Pact seemed that it might contribute to European peace.  No one then expected Hitler to come to power.  So in retrospect and hindsight Austen Chamberlain did do what Nobel’s will asked for.  A goodly number of the Peace laureates were men and women of courage and idealism who worked to make the World a better place.  To name a few:  Bertha von Suttner; Fridtjof Nansen; Jane Addams; Aristide Briand and Gustav Stresemann (who died much too prematurely); Carl von Ossietzky (a brave German); John Boyd Orr; Ralph Bunche; Linus Pauling; and the recently deceased Norman Borlaug.  Cordell Hull probably deserved his prize.  Barack Obama is in good company.  Mazel Tov Mr. President! As for Herta Mueller, I never heard of her.  But then there are a lot of writers that I’ve never heard of.  But so what.  I wish the English literary critic Martin Seymour-Smith were still alive and writing.  He would have known about Herta Mueller and most likely would have read some works by her.  Relatively foreign literature is translated and published in the United States.  And we all know the star names.  Philip Roth, Don DeLillo, Cynthia Ozick are fine writers and maybe their Nobel will eventually come their way.  But it doesn’t, they’re in good company. But at the time the Locarno Pact seemed that it might contribute to European
peace.  No one then expected Hitler to come to power.  So in retrospect and
hindsight Austen Chamberlain did do what Nobel’s will asked for.  A goodly
number of the Peace laureates were men and women of courage and idealism
who worked to make the World a better place.  To name a few:  Bertha von
Suttner; Fridtjof Nansen; Jane Addams; Aristide Briand and Gustav Stresemann
(who died much too prematurely); Carl von Ossietzky (a brave German); John
Boyd Orr; Ralph Bunche; Linus Pauling; and the recently deceased Norman
Borlaug.  Cordell Hull probably deserved his prize.  Barack Obama is in good
company.  Mazel Tov Mr. President!
As for Herta Mueller, I never heard of her.  But then there are a lot of writers
that I’ve never heard of.  But so what.  I wish the English literary critic Martin
Seymour-Smith were still alive and writing.  He would have known about Herta
Mueller and most likely would have read some works by her.  Relatively foreign literature is translated and published in the United States.  And we all
know the star names.  Philip Roth, Don DeLillo, Cynthia Ozick are fine writers
and maybe their Nobel will eventually come their way.  But it doesn’t, they’re
in good company.

]]> 2012-02-10T;00:53:00-05:00 rkampeas@jta.org Not at all. Arafat was in, until I remembered Chamberlain, who seemed to me even more catastrophic. Not at all. Arafat was in, until I remembered Chamberlain, who seemed to me even more catastrophic.

]]> 2012-02-10T;00:53:00-05:00 lgarb@netvision.net.il Am I being parochial if I ask why Kampeas omitted Arafat from the prize winners “better left buried”? Am I being parochial if I ask why Kampeas omitted Arafat from the prize winners “better left buried”?

]]> 2012-02-10T;00:53:00-05:00