Why a Journalist is awarded Nobel Prize in Literature 2015

Journalism in Literature

Svetlana Alexievich

Svetlana Alexievich 67 years old Journalist from Belarus is now the first female Non-Fiction writer to win Nobel Prize in Literature, 2015.

In  Last Witnesses: The Book of Unchildlike Stories she compiles stories of second world war survivors, who were children at that time. Journalists always know how to create a sensational story out of a human tragedy.

In Zinky Boys (the title refers to zinc coffins in which bodies of dead soldiers were sent), war widows, soldiers, doctors and children narrate their stories of suffering caused by Russian occupation of Afghanistan.

In Voices from Chernobyl stories are of victims and eyewitnesses of one of the biggest tragedies in the history of mankind.

All the three books are the chronicles of failure of the Russian Government. In a way they are anti-Russian. The Journalists are often trained in the skill of anti-government reporting.

While Journalism is the art of creating 'monument of suffering', Literature is 'creating a monumental masterpiece by undergoing that suffering'. What is more vital is not important, they are just two different disciplines.

The Literature lovers of the whole world are stunned. Who Svetlana? A journalist? Is world short of good authors? Why don't you stop writing fiction? It's no more required. Join some Newspaper, do some reporting, collect some stories and aspire for more fame.

Sara Danius permanent Secretary of Swedish Academy is defensive, even while making the announcement. "It's not really about a history of events. It's a history of emotions." She says. "She's (Svetlana Alexievich) devised a new kind of literary genre. It's a true achievement, not only material but also in form."    

The form is Polyphonic.

In reference to music it is "having two or more harmonized voices", and in reference to Phonetics it is "voiced and unvoiced phonetic values".

The later definition is more suitable here. Some voices you read in the book, but many voices remain unheard. The unheard voices serves the ulterior objectives of benefactors, who are creators and appreciators.

According to Svetlana "Art has failed to understand many things about literature."

If Non-Fiction can represent human emotions in a better way than Fiction, it is doomsday of human civilization.

The journalist may deserve applause by Noble Committee, but not at the cost of Literature.

May be we all need a paradigm shift so far as spectrum of literature is concerned.

© Vipin Behari Goyal

Advocate, Rajasthan High Court, Jodhpur, India 

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