Tag Archives: Nobel Prize in Literature

I don’t need anything from here

Posted on October 17, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

“I would leave everything here: the valleys, the hills, the paths, and the jaybirds from the gardens, I would leave here the petcocks and the padres, heaven and earth, spring and fall, I would leave here the exit routes, the … Continue reading →

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The 2025 Nobel Prize in Literature Goes to László Krasznahorkai

Posted on October 15, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

There Goes Valzer László Krasznahorkai, translated by George Szirtes My name​ is Róbert Valzer and I like walking, not that I have anything to do with the famous Robert Walser, nor do I think it strange that walking should be my … Continue reading →

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There is no love of life without despair of life.

Posted on January 4, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

Albert Camus died on this day in 1960. Many have wondered over the last 65 years at an odd bit of trivia about that day when he was killed in a car accident. Why did he have an unused train … Continue reading →

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Pangur Bán

Posted on February 21, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

Over the years, I have seen a few different translations of this ninth century poem written by an unknown monk in Old Irish at or near Reichenau Abbey in what is now Germany. This version was translated by the Nobel … Continue reading →

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What illusions can do to us

Posted on October 8, 2022 by Brian D. Butler

“The Nobel Prize” by Robert Walser translated by Tom Whalen Today, thank God, I’m back in the pink again, which I definitely deserve because I’m a nice person. How was it for me yesterday? I was emotionally ill. Full of … Continue reading →

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Summer Reading List

Posted on July 13, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

Once again Barack Obama has released his summer reading list. On Facebook, he wrote, “Whether you’re camped out on the beach or curled up on the couch on a rainy day, there’s nothing quite like sitting down with a great book … Continue reading →

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Murder At Full Moon

Posted on May 28, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

I don’t remember which book that I read first, Of Mice and Men or The Grapes of Wrath, but both had a lasting effect on me and made me a John Steinbeck fan. Over the years, I think that I’ve read every novel and … Continue reading →

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Autumn, The Smell of Leaves Burning

Posted on October 14, 2020 by Brian D. Butler

Autumn By Louise Gluck The part of life devoted to contemplation was at odds with the part committed to action. * Fall was approaching. But I remember it was always approaching once school ended. * Life, my sister said, is like … Continue reading →

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A Village After Dark

Posted on October 6, 2017 by Brian D. Butler

This year’s Nobel prize for literature was announced yesterday. I don’t usually pay much attention to these types of awards, but I really thought that this would be Margaret Atwood’s year. Still, even though I was surprised by the selection … Continue reading →

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without books there would be no history

Posted on December 8, 2016 by Brian D. Butler

“Without words, without writing and without books there would be no history, there could be no concept of humanity.” Hermann Hesse Hermann Hesse, the 1946 Nobel Prize laureate for Literature, worked as a bookseller in the J.J. Heckenhaurer Antiquariat in Tübingen, … Continue reading →

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