You wouldn´t believe this - but today I got an e-mail from the secretary of the Swedish Academy in Stockholm! Hi Horace! Do you read my blog? Anyway, he responded to my congratulations on the Academy´s choice of Doris Lessing as this year´s Nobel laureate of literature! (oh THAT academy? Yes that academy! World famous during some wonderful days of the year!) You know - the man who steps out from The Door and announces the winner in 5 languages! Horace Engdahl!

Do you know my reaction when he announced Doris Lessing? "At last!" (sorry I wasn´t there. I should have replaced Gert Fylking haha.) (only Swedes understood that.) My second reaction was (this is embarrasing) :"Is she still ALIVE??" (my God I´m illiterate. How could I not know that she is "alive and kicking"??)

That´s what happens when you pass 80. People begin to think you´r e dead. Last year I heard Nicolai Gedda on the radio. What a wonderful tenor! The best one we´ve had since Jussi Björling! (in Sweden I mean.) Is HE alive?? I didn´t know! I had to call a music critic on a big Swedish paper (no names) and this person said "I don´t know either!" (my God. We were 2 MUSICALLY illiterate ones. Best not tell anyone...)

Anyway - he was FOUND. In Switzerland where he lived and had celebrated his 80th birthday!

Sorry - I won´t tell the world any secrets about Horace! Just that the word "secretary" is better than it sounds. The secretary of the Swedish Academy is the "outward face" so to speak of the Academy. The PUBLIC face would perhaps be a better description. A sort of embodiment of the Academy - who is supposed to be able to speak on its behalf! The rest of the 18 members are most of them well-known authors - and they can´t be sacked! I mean even if they should resign they are still considered members - until they die! (wow. That´s not bad is it? In these days when people get sacked all the time. A job that you simply cannot lose!)

Did you that people BET on the winner of this price? In betting bureaus? I didn´t know! Well - here is the top 10 list of the betting bureau Ladbroke this year (Doris was NOT on the list.)
1. Claudio Magris
2. Les Murray
3. Philip Roth
Tomas Tranströmer (hooray! People abroad want him to win!)
5. Adonis
6. Amos Oz
Haruki Murakami
Hugo Claus
Joyce Carol Oates
Ko Un

Ko Un I have to read. His new novel sounds irresistible! (about a buddhist monk and his pilgrimage.)

These are MY favourites (whom I would like to win. Aside from Tomas of course.)

Don DeLillo
Jaan Kaplinski
Arundhati Roy
Nawal el Sadawi
Li Po (no - sorry. He was a Chinese poet during the Tang dynasti. I sometimes pretend that I am he...)

The Expert has spoken!

By the way - have you eaten any Swedes lately? (this is SO funny. Till er svenskar: visste ni att kålrot heter Swede på engelska? I think the other name for this vegetable is turnip.)