With the Swedish Academy's annual literature prize announcement days away, Stockholm's literary circles were weighing whether a woman might finally end a long stretch of male laureates. Industry observers said the discussion had been growing louder throughout the year.
The Academy has recognized only nine women since the prize was first awarded in 1901. The most recent was Polish poet Wislawa Szymborska in 1996; before her came Toni Morrison in 1993 and Nadine Gordimer in 1991, with the laureate before them going back to Nelly Sachs in 1966.
Three women drew the most attention from observers: Algerian novelist and filmmaker Assia Djebar, American author Joyce Carol Oates, and Danish poet Inger Christensen. Familiar male candidates included Philip Roth, Milan Kundera, Syrian-Lebanese poet Adonis, and Swedish poet Tomas Transtroemer. French philosopher Jacques Derrida was also cited as a contender.
Stockholm's largest bookstore, Akademibokhandeln, said its staff were pulling for Oates. Ladbrokes listed Adonis as the betting favorite at 6-to-4, with Oates at 9-to-4 and Transtroemer at 4-to-1. The prize is valued at 10 million Swedish kronor, roughly $1.37 million.
Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this AFP wire report, first published in October 2004, in its own words.