As a writer honing the art of short-story writing, I was very pleased to hear that Alice Munro was selected as the winner of the 2013 Nobel Prize for Literature. In the past, the prize has generally been awarded to authors of novels and very often to authors of novels with a political slant. In Ms. Munro’s words, “I would really hope this would make people see the short story as an important art, not just something you played around with until you got a novel.”
While Ms. Munro was getting her news I received some news of my own. The nominations for the 2014 Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award were presented yesterday at the Frankfurt Book Fair. I scrolled down the list and found my name on the list;
Ottley-Mitchell, Carol
Author
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Four entries below Joyce Carol Oates and in the company of Eric Carle and Beverly Cleary.
So often one hears award hopefuls say “It is an honour just to be nominated.” Now I know that it is.
