Background

The first winner of the Nobel Prize in literature lived his whole life in Paris, where he spent time studying to be an engineer, working in a steel foundry, and writing poetry. He struggled with his eye sight after serving in the war and had to turn his career goals to arts and philosophy. Good news, that sure look like it worked out.

Well…up to a point. Prudhomme’s inaugural win has remained a controversial one as he suffers from the incurable case of not being Leo Tolstoy, a case that infuriated a wide range of Swedish intellectuals and prompted accusations that the Swedish Academy just wanted to butter up the French one. Yes, Leo Tolstoy is a master of novels and an absolute game changer of a writer…but he also wasn’t officially nominated, which makes winning tricky. So, Prudhomme has the distinction of being the first winner because his work has “evidence of lofty idealism, artistic perfection and a rare combination of the qualities of both heart and intellect.”

Works

The vase where this verbena is dying
was cracked by a blow from a fan.
It must have barely brushed it,
for it made no sound.

But the slight wound,
biting into the crystal day by day,
surely, invisibly crept
slowly all around it.

The clear water leaked out drop by drop.
The flowers’ sap was exhausted.
Still no one suspected anything.
Don’t touch! It’s broken.

Thus often does the hand we love,
barely touching the heart, wound it.
Then the heart cracks by itself
and the flower of its love dies.

–Broken Vase

Ma premiere lecon d’histoire
mon premier pas vers l’infini

My first history lesson
My first step towards infinity

–The Alphabet (Prudhomme’s thoughts about an old Alphabet reader…we found that reader! (not really))

Songez que nous chantions les fleurs et les amours
Dans un age plien d’ombre, au mortel bruit des armes,
Pour des coeurs anxieux que ce bruit rendait sourds;

Lors plaignez nos chansons, ou tremblaient tant d’alarmes
Vous qui, mieux ecoutes, ferez en d’heureux jours
Sur de plus haut objet des poemes sans larmes.

–Aux poetes futurs (To future poets)

Message

Alright, it’s gotta be said: Prudhomme is not Leo Tolstoy. His writing isn’t as good as Tolstoy’s, but the fact that nobody remembers him and there are still full careers built off studying Tolstoy, suggests that maybe winning a Nobel isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Still, Prudhomme is the one who won, so Prudhomme gets a write up and Tolstoy doesn’t.

As such, Prudhomme provides pretty simple and direct lesson: what we write thrives on what we love.

Position: #4 Center Back

Prudhomme is clearly a pretty traditional poet. His writing is simple and genuine. He thrives on emotion and romance, while doing all the traditional things you’d expect of a poet. While many have said that he is not worthy in contrast to Tolstoy, you’d be hard pressed to find someone who was. He sure looks plenty worthy in comparison with some other writers I’ve put in the defensive line…well enough that just being a standard Ligue 2 Center Back (a Loic Nestor, if you will) he automatically becomes a starter for our 4-4-2 formation.

Next Time, we gear up for this year’s award winner with our annual preview post! Like a mock draft…but somehow nerdier.