Discussion»Questions»Books and Literature» John Paul Sartre turned down the 1964 Nobel Prize for Literature. Reason below. Would you ever turn down such an honor? Why?
He felt honors and distinguishing awards cheapened and influenced a writer and it forced them to align with the institutions granting them. He saw them as cultural authorities in his own words and that they become indicators of what is right/wrong, good/bad. Even when he agreed with the ethos of an authority granting awards he felt they in effect created an authority on what to think. That it puts pressure on the reader and the writer to interpret and represent a certain thought. That the thoughts of the writer becomes part of and represented by an institution.
Agree or disgree with his writings, Sartre was undeniably a kooky guy.
I like a lot of his work on existentialism even though he contradicted himself quite often. Nature of the beast though and we all do at some point. not so much though when he was praising murderous tyrants like Stalin and groups like the FLN because he was blindly faithful Marxist and thought it was noble theory regardless of how it was forced.
They are both self-centered egomaniacs of the tyrant sort. That is their nature. What lies beneath their stupid politics is just fodder for their mission of POWER at all costs. I know Marxism is the exact opposite of Donny's right-wing diatribes, but it is all the same in the end. ME ME ME.
Of course. Remember when Marlon Brando turned down the award to focus on the plight of the American Indian? We tend to remember these gestures longer than we remember who won what.
You would turn down the Nobel Prize? I thought Brando sending a Native American female to turn down the Oscar was grandstanding pure and simple. It did nothing to help Native Americans who are still getting screwed by the government. Thank you for your reply Sharonna. It was theatrical and dramatic and toothless.
The Nobel Prize for literature is very different from the Nobel Peace prize TomT. I don't know what your area of expertise might be if you have one but if you were awarded a Nobel Prize for it would you really turn it down? What does Obama have to do with anything? You keep dragging him everywhere as if you carry him around your neck like an albatross. Why? You also despise Hillary Clinton and Harry Reid. You said so. How long are you going to continue to do this? To what end? For what purpose? I notice a pattern there. Do you? Thank you for your reply.
I don't hate anybody, but let's face it Obama,Reid, and Hillary contributed to a lot of problems we have today and are part of the swamp people. Be honest Rosie, you also have a pattern with Trump & republicans . The Spin Stops Here Rosie.
Benedict Arnold 