10.09.2007

Place your bets

Update: Doris Lessing -- whose formal education ended at age 13 and once wrote a book called The Making of the Representative for Planet 8 -- has won the 2007 Nobel Prize for Literature. Somebody could have made a lot of money!

You can bet on the Nobel Prize in Literature (TBA Oct. 15) and the Booker Prize (TBA Oct. 16) online at Ladbroke's. Never heard of many if not most of the nominees. How sad that is.

Nobel current leader is Philip Roth at 5:1. Murakami is fairly strong at 8:1, Joyce Carol Oates a bit further behind at 10:1, and Margaret Atwood and Thomas Pynchon just now rounding the final turn with 20:1 odds each. I think they should pick Pynchon just to see if he shows up.

Booker: Lloyd Jones is sitting pretty at 2:1, with Ian McEwan nipping at his heels with 5:2.

Last year Ladbroke's was correct in predicting Orhan Pamuk's prize.

7 comments:

PJKM said...

When I was in London this summer, I bet ten pounds on Mister Pip by Lloyd Jones at William Hill. The odds were eight-to-one then.

By the way, Grendel, I had a terrible dream last night that Traca de Broon had left you and moved to Peckham in South London to live with some other man. Please watch her like a hawk!

traca de broon said...

And for foiling my plans, PKJM, I thank you ever so much.

Do they wear tracksuit bottoms in Peckham?

the plunge said...

Story setup: hyper-literate woman, down on her luck, decides to sell her home and all her belongings, and let it all ride on her longshot pick for the Booker. She couldn't be more sure the author is going to take it...but will fate cooperate?

Tune in next week same Bat time...

Grendel said...

Jeez. I guess my wife sure knows how to Peckham. BA-DUMP-BUMP! Thank you very much, ladies and gentlemen!

No, but seriously, baby, don't do me like that.

Brando said...

Plunge, one other wrinkle--it turns out the author has plagiarized his book, and now she has to help him cover this up so she doesn't lose it all! Starring Hugh Grant, Minnie Driver, and Rowan Atkinson as "Sir Howard Davies."

kclou said...

lessing. if given a list of writers who work in english, she would not be near the top. all the more disappointing since munro and roth, to name two, are still producing excellent work.

the plunge said...
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