The winner of this year's prize is Peruvian author Mario Vargas Llosa, "for his cartography of structures of power and his trenchant images of the individual's resistance, revolt, and defeat." He is published in the US by Farrar, Straus and Picador, which published his novel The Bad Girl in hardcover in 2006 and in paperback in 2008, and Harvard University Press, which released the essay collection Wellsprings in 2008.
Picador Publisher Frances Coady said in a statement that as of this morning, all 10 of the author's books they publish are being reprinted: "we already have in place major bookseller promotions and no doubt we will be reprinting any more times in the months to come."
Vargas Llosa's win managed to be both a surprise, since he was not among the favorites and only reached 25-1 odds in Ladbrokes' listing, and expected, since he's been discussed as a possible candidate for the prize for years. "We're breathing an enormous sigh of relief," said Ladbrokes spokesperson David Williams in a statement. "Yet again, the judges have confounded the punters and plucked a relative outsider out of the mix. The gambles on Ngugi wa Thiong'o and Cormac McCarthy were nothing short of staggering and we saw more money bet on the contest this year than in its entire history. We'll send a crate of champagne to the winner because he's helped us dodge a massive payout."
Alas this will not be the first mainstream Nobel winner in the age of the ebook; Vargas Llosa is only available in print, though an executive from his UK publisher Faber and Faber was said to be discussing the issue with agent Carmen Balcells at lunch in Frankfurt today.
Vargas Llosa is also 2010 Distinguished Visitor in Princeton University's Program in Latin American Studies, where he's due to give a lecture in Spanish on October 11. He'll also be at the Cervantes Institute at 1 PM today for a press conference.
Labels: literature, Mario Vargas Llosa, Nobel Prize, The Bad Girl