Last week, it came out that in 1961, C.S. Lewis nominated J.R.R. Tolkien for the Nobel Prize in Literature and that Tolkien was summarily dismissed by the committee. As far as I know, there has never been much public discussion of Tolkien’s merits as a Nobel laureate, but it was still interesting to see some behind-the-curtains commentary on his candidacy. Anders Osterling articulated the central objection to Tolkien, who he said “has not in any way measured up to storytelling of the highest quality.”

Anyone who follows the literature Nobel at all will not be surprised by this; they know that the Nobel is interested in writing that is decidedly literary (and increasingly that is under-appreciated and/or political). This makes sense, as the award is the ultimate arbiter of what literary excellence means.

But what does literary excellence mean? In his will that established the prizes, Alfred Nobel wanted the Literature award to go to “to the person who shall have produced in the field of literature the most outstanding work in an ideal direction.” This phrase is as ambiguous as it is telling; the “ideal direction” of literature is not stated, but the award clearly is intended for authors whose work strives toward some kind of literary ideal.

These days, we know better than to claim any central, unyielding quality that makes a written work literary, but we can get a sense of what literary means to the Nobel committee by looking at some recent commendations. The most recent winner, Swedish poet Tomas Tranströmer, received the award “because, through his condensed, translucent images, he gives us fresh access to reality.” 2009’s laureate, German writer Herta Müller, was cited for her “concentration of poetry and the frankness of prose” that “depicts the landscape of the dispossessed.”

The structure of these two commendations is repeated in most of the recent award descriptions, and shows how the committee imagines the highest achievement of literature–the combination of exemplary craft (concentration of poetry, condensed, translucent images) and important subjects (“the landscape of the dispossessed” and “fresh access to reality”). This formulation feels both reasonable and desirable, as it captures both the aesthetic and topical demands most readers of literature value.

But it is also a limited formulation of what the “ideal direction” of literature might be. There are other ways of thinking about what literature’s goals should be, and the one that jumps to mind for me is reading itself. Reading is an end in itself and therefore writing that inspires people to read does indeed work in “an ideal direction.” And what living author has inspired more people to read and more love of reading than J.K. Rowling?

Put the artistic imperative aside for the moment and consider this: she is the formative writer for millions and millions of children. She doesn’t write great sentences, and it would be hard to argue that the subject matter is hugely important. But the questions, characters, stories, and values in her work have resonated with the world.

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As promised, photos from the awards ceremony were added to the gallery! Doesn’t Jo look beautiful!

[x020]- Public Appearances > 2011 > Receiving An Award From Edinburgh University

As we said on our Twitter, Jo Rowling has received an award for her charity work for Edinburgh University.

Last year Ms Rowling donated £10m to fund the Anne Rowling Regenerative Neurology Clinic at the university, which will focus on developing treatments for multiple sclerosis and other degenerative neurological conditions.

Princess Anne succeeds the Duke of Edinburgh, who stepped down as chancellor in 2010. Prince Philip had held the role since 1953.

Party Against Privilege protesters campaigned outside the ceremony at the Old College on South Bridge.

During the ceremony, the princess, who is the university’s eighth chancellor, presented an award to Harry Potter author JK Rowling.

The author received a University Benefactor’s award, which is given to individuals or organisations that have made significant contributions to the life of the university.

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We’re currently working hard to bring you pictures and video of Jo receiving her award. The event was streamed live on the web but it was not announced until the event was starting that Jo would be present. Despite this, IHOR’s eyewitness has reported a “huge mob” of people outside the area where the ceremony took place (however, some of this mob may have been part of the protest aimed at the Princess Royal).

The first picture of Jo at the ceremony can be found below and here, courtesy of Twitter user @GeorginaGossip. Jo is standing up in her ceremonial robes.

The tally is in and the blue ribbon for the best loved book at 2011 county fairgoes to J.K. Rowling for the Harry Potter series.

More than 1213 unique votes were cast at the library booth during the four days of the county fair. Eight hundred twenty-eight titles were identified.

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Forbes’ latest “100 Most Powerful Women” list was released today. Jo was No. 61!

#61Joanne (J.K.) Rowling

Celebrity/Lifestyle

Age: 46

British author JK Rowling arrives in Trafalgar Square, in central London, for the World Premiere of Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows: Part 2, the last more »

View Joanne (J.K.) Rowling’s full profile »

J.K. Rowling has traced her family tree as part of the Who Do You Think You Are? television series. She discovered that she comes from a long line of single mothers.

But despite this, the author with a fortune valued at £530 million by the Sunday Times Rich List, was once voted the most influential woman in the UK.

The Harry Potter creator was voted top by leading magazine editors.

The writer, who recently donated £10 million to set up a new multiple sclerosis research clinic in Edinburgh, was chosen for her writing skills, tenacity to succeed and philanthropic nature, the National Magazine Company said.

The list was compiled to mark the centenary of the National Magazine Company which currently publishes 20 magazines including Good Housekeeping, Country Living, Harper’s Bazaar, Men’s Health, Esquire and Cosmopolitan.

The List:

• J.K. Rowling
• Victoria Beckham
• The Queen
• Shami Chakrabarti
• Cheryl Cole
• Samantha Cameron
• Cath Kidston, designer
• Kate Moss
• Dame Vivienne Westwood
• Dame Tanni Grey-Thompson

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A new report out by “leading magazine editors” finds that Harry Potter author JK Rowling is the most influential woman in her home country:

Rowling, who has won global fame with her series of popular children’s books about the boy wizard, topped the list compiled by editors from the National Magazine Company, which publishes 20 magazines in Britain.

They cited her writing skills, tenacity to succeed and philanthropic nature, said the company.

This comes as no surprise to us! Read the entire report by clicking here.

-MuggleNet

JK Rowling:
It is hard to think of a more powerful female figure to have emerged from Scotland in the past decade than JK Rowling. In 2000, Rowling was cementing her position as the world’s most popular children’s author with her fourth Harry Potter book, which broke all literary sales records in both the US and the UK. By 2007, Forbes magazine had ranked her the 48th most powerful celebrity in the world – not just for her enormous impact on child literacy but for her philanthropic work. Her Volant Charitable Trust funds disadvantaged children and MS research. She is a vocal president of One Parent Families, and successfully campaigned for a law change in Romania concerning caged beds for orphans. Whatever she turns her hand to, Rowling has proved she is capable of effecting real change on a global scale.

Source: here & here