How can 5 judges decide the best book of the year without reading every book of the year? While some lucky authors can enter the contest, others may never get the chance to do so due to the tough nomination and selection processes. And how can the judges’ decision be right when we know that submitting the same books to different panels will result in different winners?” M. Benzadi
By Mouloud Benzadi, author, researcher and translator based in the UK
In 2021, there were approximately85.3 thousand writers and authors working in the UK, and over 49.4 thousand working in the United States,astudy finds.
Who among them and among all writers of our time will stand the test of time and remain popular in 2123?How would a writer achieve eternal fame? And canliterary fame be predicted?
Literary fame is unpredictable
In 1929, The Manchester Guardian (known currently as The Guardian) ran a poll to find out from its readers the “novelists who may be read in 2029.” Sitting at the top of the summit of popularity was novelist and playwright John Galsworthy with 1,180 votes, followed by H. G. Wells (933), then Arnold Bennett (654), Rudyard Kipling (455) and J. M. Barrie (286). John Galsworthy, an Englishman, received world-wide recognition for his writings and was awarded the 1932 Nobel Prize in Literature.
Nearly a century later, itturned out that the predictionwas wrong. Today all these novelists are relatively unknownorunpopular despite achieving universal renown just like John Galsworthy whowon the most prestigious award in the world: Nobel Prize. The Manchester Guardian Poll raises questions:Why would some writers achieve eternal fame and not others? Why wouldwriters who are very popular in their time lose their fame? And does the 1929 Poll mean that unlike theeconomy,science, politics and the weather, literary fame is unpredictable?
To answer the questions, we certainly have to look to wayswriters get fame and to history for clues.
Literary awards
Literary awards are certainly crucial in today’s publishing world. Prestigiousliterary prizes make news headlines,stimulate public interest, increase the sales of books. They provide valuable publicityfor the authors. But forall positivesassociated with them, therehave also been negatives.History teaches us that Literary Book Awards have always been the quickest and easiest way to achieve global fame. They have helped countless authors to shoot to stardom. But this fame usually fades away after their death, unlike William Shakespeare, Jane Austen or Charles Dickens who never won any awards, yet they continue to be read, quoted and remembered as the greatest writers of all time.
Anotherdisadvantage of literary prizes is the fact that the authors are writing to please a Book Award Committee,ratherthan to spread the message of love, tolerance and peace, and serve humanity. Literary prizes have always sparkedcontroversy. Their validity has always been questioned as the criteria to determine books merits are subjective. All of which raisesquestions: Howcan 5 judges decide the best book of the yearwithoutreading every book of the year?While some lucky authors can enter the contest, others may never get the chance todo so due to the tough nomination and selection processes.And how can thejudges’ decision be right when weknow that submitting the same books to different panels willresult indifferent winners? In addition to all that, literaryawards offerno guaranteethat thefame theycreate will last.Today, not many readers knowtheauthors who won the Nobel prize in literature in the thirties,forties, fifties or even nineties. But, who doesn’t know William Shakespeare, Charles Dickens, Victor Hugo or Jean-Paul Sartre who stood the test of time without winning a prestigious prize? The proliferation of awards and the negatives mentioned above raise questions: Forhow long will literary awards survive before their inevitable death? And whenwillthe world start searching formorecredible and more realistic alternatives to replace them?
Social networks
Internet fame is making the front page. New authors findfame online, attracting followers andengagement. Social media platforms help for new writers is almost unlimited. Theygivethe writers the opportunity to reach audiences and expandtheir global readership.They createanengaging space, helping them to interact with their readers who become “their friends”.Theyhelp them promote their books. They are also a lucrative way to gain access to international markets and sell their books.
With the emergence of social media, literature is no longer controlled by the elites. Anybody and everyone can write, contributeto world literature and reach audiences around the world.
A newstudyreveals that social networks are a more reliable predictor of fame. The study, published by Columbia Business School and reported by Artsy, the research paper ‘The Art of Fame’, found that “those individuals who possessed a diverse set of personal friends and professional contacts from different industrieswere statistically more likely to become famous.”
Universal Appeal
Authorscan write about anything in the universe. They can write stories inspired by true events or imaginative fiction. However, judging by history, great works of literature arefocus on universal topics thatare of interest to more people in the world than others. Themes of death, life, war, peace, hate, love, pain, lust and revenge can all catch readers’ attentions.They touch readers from a wide range of backgrounds.Theyappeal to multiple age groups.Today,the works of Charles Dickensstillgrab the attention of modern-day readersbecausehisthemes are all present intheirlives. Times change, the language evolves, but the situations, emotions and essencesurvive centuries. They travel from generation to generation,reflecting people’s lives.This is “why the world still loves Charles Dickens” says the BBC, adding, “Of all the famous Victorian authors, Charles Dickens retains a place in public affections throughout the world, and Americans adore him as if he were their own. Perhaps this is because Dickens wrote from the heart; he wrote about emotions and situations that people still identify with today. Although the English language has changed since Dickens’ time, the essence of his storytelling remains as relevant as it was in the 19th Century.”
The ability to inspire
Likewise, historyteaches us that great works of literature are theones that can inspire others.Great writers are those who can inspire other writers,not just in their own time but also the ones who come afterwards. Theirinfluence can last for decades or even centuries. Thisinfluence increases their chances of becoming eternal.
Authors do not necessarily achieve eternal fame through famous books. They can also inspire generations through their power of words and thoughts. Powerful literary quotes can survive centuries reminding every generation of their authors. Hamlets quote “to be or not to be” has been used for centuries. Unlike books that can contain hundreds of pages, quotations are a simple way to convey an idea. They are concise, interesting, intriguing and above all memorable. They are used to support arguments.
Books, including those written by famous authors, may sit unread on forgotten shelves, attracting dust rather than readers’attention.Memorable literature quotes can stand the test of time, fascinating and inspiring people generation after generation.
As pace of life accelerates, people are more likely to know authors throughshort, inspiring quotes than long, time-consumingbooks.
TheGuardian’s poll shows that unlike economic forecasts, literary fame can be hard to predict.But thispredictionis not entirely impossible. Noted Howard Marks pens, “the key to dealing with the future lies in knowing where you are, even if you can’t know precisely where you’re going.”i
History taught us that writers can pass the test of time without winning any awards as evidencedby Shakespeare,JaneAustin and Charles Dickens, to name a few. History also taught us through the 1929 Guardian’s pollexperience that being very popular in a particular period does not guarantee eternal fame. And we now know through John Galsworthy’sexperience that winning a prestigious prize does not guarantee eternal fame.
By knowing where thewriters stand, thethemes theyintegrate in their works and thelevel of influencethey have on others, we certainly stand a good chance of predicting who are more likely to stand the test of time. Andin the end, the question remains: Who among the writers of our time will still be read,quoted and remembered in 2123?
By Mouloud Benzadi, author, researcher and translator based in the UK
In 2021, there were approximately85.3 thousand writers and authors working in the UK, and over 49.4 thousand working in the United States,astudy finds.
Who among them and among all writers of our time will stand the test of time and remain popular in 2123?How would a writer achieve eternal fame? And canliterary fame be predicted?
Literary fame is unpredictable
In 1929, The Manchester Guardian (known currently as The Guardian) ran a poll to find out from its readers the “novelists who may be read in 2029.” Sitting at the top of the summit of popularity was novelist and playwright John Galsworthy with 1,180 votes, followed by H. G. Wells (933), then Arnold Bennett (654), Rudyard Kipling (455) and J. M. Barrie (286). John Galsworthy, an Englishman, received world-wide recognition for his writings and was awarded the 1932 Nobel Prize in Literature.
Nearly a century later, itturned out that the predictionwas wrong. Today all these novelists are relatively unknownorunpopular despite achieving universal renown just like John Galsworthy whowon the most prestigious award in the world: Nobel Prize. The Manchester Guardian Poll raises questions:Why would some writers achieve eternal fame and not others? Why wouldwriters who are very popular in their time lose their fame? And does the 1929 Poll mean that unlike theeconomy,science, politics and the weather, literary fame is unpredictable?
To answer the questions, we certainly have to look to wayswriters get fame and to history for clues.
Literary awards
Literary awards are certainly crucial in today’s publishing world. Prestigiousliterary prizes make news headlines,stimulate public interest, increase the sales of books. They provide valuable publicityfor the authors. But forall positivesassociated with them, therehave also been negatives.History teaches us that Literary Book Awards have always been the quickest and easiest way to achieve global fame. They have helped countless authors to shoot to stardom. But this fame usually fades away after their death, unlike William Shakespeare, Jane Austen or Charles Dickens who never won any awards, yet they continue to be read, quoted and remembered as the greatest writers of all time.
Anotherdisadvantage of literary prizes is the fact that the authors are writing to please a Book Award Committee,ratherthan to spread the message of love, tolerance and peace, and serve humanity. Literary prizes have always sparkedcontroversy. Their validity has always been questioned as the criteria to determine books merits are subjective. All of which raisesquestions: Howcan 5 judges decide the best book of the yearwithoutreading every book of the year?While some lucky authors can enter the contest, others may never get the chance todo so due to the tough nomination and selection processes.And how can thejudges’ decision be right when weknow that submitting the same books to different panels willresult indifferent winners? In addition to all that, literaryawards offerno guaranteethat thefame theycreate will last.Today, not many readers knowtheauthors who won the Nobel prize in literature in the thirties,forties, fifties or even nineties. But, who doesn’t know William Shakespeare, Charles Dickens, Victor Hugo or Jean-Paul Sartre who stood the test of time without winning a prestigious prize? The proliferation of awards and the negatives mentioned above raise questions: Forhow long will literary awards survive before their inevitable death? And whenwillthe world start searching formorecredible and more realistic alternatives to replace them?
Social networks
Internet fame is making the front page. New authors findfame online, attracting followers andengagement. Social media platforms help for new writers is almost unlimited. Theygivethe writers the opportunity to reach audiences and expandtheir global readership.They createanengaging space, helping them to interact with their readers who become “their friends”.Theyhelp them promote their books. They are also a lucrative way to gain access to international markets and sell their books.
With the emergence of social media, literature is no longer controlled by the elites. Anybody and everyone can write, contributeto world literature and reach audiences around the world.
A newstudyreveals that social networks are a more reliable predictor of fame. The study, published by Columbia Business School and reported by Artsy, the research paper ‘The Art of Fame’, found that “those individuals who possessed a diverse set of personal friends and professional contacts from different industrieswere statistically more likely to become famous.”
Universal Appeal
Authorscan write about anything in the universe. They can write stories inspired by true events or imaginative fiction. However, judging by history, great works of literature arefocus on universal topics thatare of interest to more people in the world than others. Themes of death, life, war, peace, hate, love, pain, lust and revenge can all catch readers’ attentions.They touch readers from a wide range of backgrounds.Theyappeal to multiple age groups.Today,the works of Charles Dickensstillgrab the attention of modern-day readersbecausehisthemes are all present intheirlives. Times change, the language evolves, but the situations, emotions and essencesurvive centuries. They travel from generation to generation,reflecting people’s lives.This is “why the world still loves Charles Dickens” says the BBC, adding, “Of all the famous Victorian authors, Charles Dickens retains a place in public affections throughout the world, and Americans adore him as if he were their own. Perhaps this is because Dickens wrote from the heart; he wrote about emotions and situations that people still identify with today. Although the English language has changed since Dickens’ time, the essence of his storytelling remains as relevant as it was in the 19th Century.”
The ability to inspire
Likewise, historyteaches us that great works of literature are theones that can inspire others.Great writers are those who can inspire other writers,not just in their own time but also the ones who come afterwards. Theirinfluence can last for decades or even centuries. Thisinfluence increases their chances of becoming eternal.
Authors do not necessarily achieve eternal fame through famous books. They can also inspire generations through their power of words and thoughts. Powerful literary quotes can survive centuries reminding every generation of their authors. Hamlets quote “to be or not to be” has been used for centuries. Unlike books that can contain hundreds of pages, quotations are a simple way to convey an idea. They are concise, interesting, intriguing and above all memorable. They are used to support arguments.
Books, including those written by famous authors, may sit unread on forgotten shelves, attracting dust rather than readers’attention.Memorable literature quotes can stand the test of time, fascinating and inspiring people generation after generation.
As pace of life accelerates, people are more likely to know authors throughshort, inspiring quotes than long, time-consumingbooks.
TheGuardian’s poll shows that unlike economic forecasts, literary fame can be hard to predict.But thispredictionis not entirely impossible. Noted Howard Marks pens, “the key to dealing with the future lies in knowing where you are, even if you can’t know precisely where you’re going.”i
History taught us that writers can pass the test of time without winning any awards as evidencedby Shakespeare,JaneAustin and Charles Dickens, to name a few. History also taught us through the 1929 Guardian’s pollexperience that being very popular in a particular period does not guarantee eternal fame. And we now know through John Galsworthy’sexperience that winning a prestigious prize does not guarantee eternal fame.
By knowing where thewriters stand, thethemes theyintegrate in their works and thelevel of influencethey have on others, we certainly stand a good chance of predicting who are more likely to stand the test of time. Andin the end, the question remains: Who among the writers of our time will still be read,quoted and remembered in 2123?
