…Doris Lessing. Finally. She has already won all prizes imaginable, but still she was rather taken back when the Swedish media interviewed her after the Nobel Academy had made its announcement about the Nobel 2007 Litterature price. She explained that she never expected the price, not because of some pretended humility, but simply because she was told by the Academy members forty-five years ago that she would never get the price. Their reasons? It was put to her: “We don’t like you!”
As I Swede, I am glad to say that my countrymen have adopted a better taste for diplomacy. Now we’ve learned how to talk to people. So hopefully she’ll forgive us and accept the price. After all… it’s a pretty nice price.