Haruki Murakami Declines Award Nomination

Category: Lifestyle/Entertainment

Listening

Unlocking Word Meanings

Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article.

  1. world-renowned / ˈwɚld rɪˈnaʊnd / (adj) – known throughout the world
    Example:

    The world-renowned author received a prestigious award.


  2. short-list / ˈʃoɚt lɪst / (v) – to choose a small group of people from a long list for a job, award, or prize
    Example:

    Among the 50 nominees, three contestants were short-listed to win the Author of the Year award.


  3. accolade / ˈækəˌleɪd / (n) – an award or recognition
    Example:

    The actress has won several accolades for her outstanding performance in the movie.


  4. vie / vaɪ / (v) – to eagerly compete to win something
    Example:

    The publishers are vying for the highest readership this year.


  5. elusive / iˈluːsɪv / (adj) – hard or impossible to achieve
    Example:

    The promotion remains elusive to him despite the effort he puts in his tasks.


Article

Read the text below.

World-renowned Japanese author Haruki Murakami declined a nomination for a literature award.


Earlier this year, Murakami was short-listed for The New Academy Prize in Literature 2018. The accolade was created in lieu of the postponed Nobel Prize in Literature, a Swedish prize presented yearly. Nobel’s literature award was suspended this year due to the resignation of some committee members.


Although Murakami considers the nomination a huge honor, he politely refused it. The Japanese author said he prefers focusing on writing than being in the spotlight.


Murakami informed The New Academy, the organizer of the award, of his request to withdraw his nomination through an e-mail. In response, the organization respectfully accepted his decision.


The nominees of The New Academy Prize in Literature were decided via a public vote. Shortly after over 32,000 participants casted their votes, Murakami was named one of the four finalists for the award. But because Murakami rejected the nomination, only three candidates were left to vie for the title.


Murakami has always been considered a strong candidate for literary awards, including the Nobel Prize. Almost every year, his fans called Harukists would gather to watch the Nobel awarding ceremony. Much to the fans’ dismay, the award remained elusive for Murakami.


Nevertheless, winning an award is the least of Murakami’s concerns. In Murakami’s blog published a few years back, the author clarified that he is not after the Nobel Prize. In a different interview, Murakami said that he does not need prizes and that having readers is all that matters to him.


Viewpoint Discussion

Enjoy a discussion with your tutor.

Discussion A

• Do you think Murakami made the right decision to reject the nomination? Why or why not?
• According to Murakami, having readers is all that matters to him. What do you think this means?

Discussion B

• What do you think are the advantages of receiving an award? Discuss.
• Given the chance, what kind of award would you give yourself?