Herta Müller, Romanian born German writer, won the 2009 Nobel Prize for literature. I watched the public announcement by the secretary of the Swedish Academy 15 minutes ago on TV. I have never read anything by her, has anyone else?
I've never heard of her, but being curious, I looked her up. This is what I found.
The Swedish Academy, which decides the winner of the 10 million Swedish crown (£900,000) prize, recognised Muller, 56, for her ability to depict "with the concentration of poetry and the frankness of prose ... the landscape of the dispossessed". She is best known for describing the harsh conditions suffered in Romania under the totalitarian rule of the late communist dictator Nicolae Ceaucescu.
Given this description, she sounds like the kind of writer I respect but do not enjoy reading. I wish her the wider audience she no doubt deserves.
Not all of her books have made it to the US, but they seems to be very well reviewed. Perhaps her publishers will seize this opportunity to make more available.
