Inspired by the unexpected sun this morning, I took an impromptu walk through a neighborhood I didn’t know. Among the cozy, pre-war buildings near Nöldnerplatz in Lichtenberg, I noticed this bookstore window. It was the pleasing array of colorful mushroom and berry field guides that first caught my eye. Then I saw the two paperbacks by Alice Munro, a favorite writer of mine, and did a double take. Each had been emblazoned with a sticker reading “Nobelpreis für Literatur 2013.”
I’m going to out myself as living under a rock, now: I did not realize that Munro was awarded the Nobel last month! My only excuse is that I was traveling, and thus not plugged into the news, at the time the announcements were made. I am sheepishly exposing my ignorance here because now that I know, I’m delighted. Finding out so late, I feel all the more amazed and happy.
Now I’m curious about the German editions, which I’ve never read. How are the translations? And are more people in Germany buying her books because of the prize, and the red stickers on each book cover that announce it?
