Certainly is all about marketing and Marketing More. And who really wants to read, anyway? It is often about Book 'talk' rather than thought. Aust lit is tiny in the scale of world lit so we don't need to be outraged when we're outdone. As delighted as I am Stoneyard D is on the Booker longlist I am outraged (yes) that Caledonian Road is not. O'Hagan has obviously displeased some of the judges? On the other hand I could not be happier that Ferrante shone on the NYT list. So something worked there. Who knows? And really no one cares except the very few people who inhabit this extreme world.
Yes, it's a triumph of marketing, and I contend that the content of the NYT list far less important than its form. Yes, Ferrante and Mantel, two wonderful authors, were the stars of the list - but would anyone have been surprised, would the responses have been any different, had it been, say Knausgaard and Ernaux up the top? It's depressing to countenance how little the books matter to an exercise like this, with hundreds of arbiters. At least with prizes it's possible to speculate, at least a little, about the motivations of the judges! I do wish Australians, supposedly irreverant, were more able to scoff at this silliness.
I find it seriously deflating that it still happens - that we can't just cackle irreverently about the very concept of ranking books like this, shrug, and get on with things.
Deep agreeance at this workstation, Digger! I’m also deeply taken by your hint about ABC RN’s self-appointed role as leading verbomotor for the vapid self-reflections of an always-already anxious nation. I think CBC does this even worse, tbh—but the bigger point is that both have been brilliant at curated programming within living memory.
Agreed, the reinstallation of Overseas as source of ultimate cultural approbation is yet another melancholy consequence of the filleting of the ABC and cultural journalism generally. B-listed by the NYT or the BBC? Who cares?
Thank you, Charlotte. I think we desperately need to find ways to value and nurture our literary culture - and this kind of external validation is absolutely the wrong path...
Certainly is all about marketing and Marketing More. And who really wants to read, anyway? It is often about Book 'talk' rather than thought. Aust lit is tiny in the scale of world lit so we don't need to be outraged when we're outdone. As delighted as I am Stoneyard D is on the Booker longlist I am outraged (yes) that Caledonian Road is not. O'Hagan has obviously displeased some of the judges? On the other hand I could not be happier that Ferrante shone on the NYT list. So something worked there. Who knows? And really no one cares except the very few people who inhabit this extreme world.
Yes, it's a triumph of marketing, and I contend that the content of the NYT list far less important than its form. Yes, Ferrante and Mantel, two wonderful authors, were the stars of the list - but would anyone have been surprised, would the responses have been any different, had it been, say Knausgaard and Ernaux up the top? It's depressing to countenance how little the books matter to an exercise like this, with hundreds of arbiters. At least with prizes it's possible to speculate, at least a little, about the motivations of the judges! I do wish Australians, supposedly irreverant, were more able to scoff at this silliness.
Agree, a few on that Readings Top 30 list over-hyped, but I remain curious as to why this happens. Publicity machine + something.
I find it seriously deflating that it still happens - that we can't just cackle irreverently about the very concept of ranking books like this, shrug, and get on with things.
Deep agreeance at this workstation, Digger! I’m also deeply taken by your hint about ABC RN’s self-appointed role as leading verbomotor for the vapid self-reflections of an always-already anxious nation. I think CBC does this even worse, tbh—but the bigger point is that both have been brilliant at curated programming within living memory.
Oh, fear not, CBC quickly blasted its FIVE listed authors into the spotlight - https://www.cbc.ca/books/5-canadian-titles-make-the-new-york-times-best-books-of-the-21st-century-list-1.7266329
Agreed, the reinstallation of Overseas as source of ultimate cultural approbation is yet another melancholy consequence of the filleting of the ABC and cultural journalism generally. B-listed by the NYT or the BBC? Who cares?
One hundred thousand per cent with you.
Thank you, Charlotte. I think we desperately need to find ways to value and nurture our literary culture - and this kind of external validation is absolutely the wrong path...