Do literary awards (Hugo, Pulitzer, etc.) influence your reading habits?

[Dr. Drib]

Do literary awards - in genre fiction and in literary fiction - influence your buying and reading decisions?

If so, how?

We can also consider nominated books in this discussion.

Consider awards such as these (and other awards not named here):

National Book Award
Nebula Award
Man Booker Prize
National Book Critics Circle Award
World Fantasy Award
William Faulkner Foundation Award
Hugo Award
Nobel Prize in Literature


For me, personally, I like to read nominated and award-winning novels in Literature. For genre fiction, the desire is much less, but I still like to be an "informed" reader in all that I read.


Don

[HarryT]

For SF and Fantasy, yes, because the award nominations frequently make me aware of books that I may have otherwise overlooked. The "arty" ones, like the Booker prize - no.

[JSWolf]

I find a lot of the short story SF that gets nominated aren't all that wonderful.

[Sparrow]

Not for me, I think 'must reads' come to your attention in other ways.

Often the books that win awards are only fleetingly fashionable, and get forgotten after the initial buzz.

(The Nobel Prize for Literature has been politically motivated for so long, it's virtually lost all credibility imho.)

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by Sparrow

(The Nobel Prize for Literature has been politically motivated for so long, it's virtually lost all credibility imho.)

In what way was Doris Lessing's Nobel prize "politically motivated"?

[am_mread]

Not really, maybe every once in a while, but perhaps I may keep a closer eye on them for good reads.

[Sparrow]

Originally Posted by HarryT

In what way was Doris Lessing's Nobel prize "politically motivated"?

I'm not saying all Laureates are decided on the basis of 'political' considerations, just enough over the years to cast a shadow over their credibility - in Lessing's case I think being female helped her cause, since there's a lot of lobbying to close the gender gap.

And also, it isn't just about who got the award - but also who didn't.
The list of lesser writers who've won, and the great writers who haven't, is bewildering.

[HarryT]

Gosh - criticising an award on the basis of who hasn't won it is terribly cynical . I'd certainly like to think that everybody who has won it has been a worthy winner, and that to me is the important thing.

[Sparrow]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Gosh - criticising an award on the basis of who hasn't won it is terribly cynical . I'd certainly like to think that everybody who has won it has been a worthy winner, and that to me is the important thing.

I thought you weren't impressed by the 'arty' awards anyway.

Also, maybe we should distinguish between awards for particular books, and awards for a particular writer.

[HarryT]

Generally speaking, I'm not, but the Nobel Prize for Literature I think of as more of a sort of "Lifetime Achievement" award. I think it's one of the highest "honours" that a writer can achieve.

[Andybaby]

I look at all the awards for all current and past books, to find new books to read.

but if I come across a book and it has an award. I really don't pay attention to it.

[Sparrow]

Thinking about it a bit more - if a book has won multiple awards I probably would be more inclined to go for it.

[wayspooled]

Originally Posted by Dr. Drib

Do literary awards - in genre fiction and in literary fiction - influence your buying and reading decisions?

If so, how?

We can also consider nominated books in this discussion.

I guess I'd say they mildly do in the sense that I'll take a look at the nominees and consider reading them and I have gone back and checked out past awards and nominees when looking for something to read. This is true more for non-fiction and biography than for fiction. With fiction I go where the wind blows me. That said, I've found a few great books this way from the Pulitzer fiction list and Hugo's, notably Independence Day and Lonesome Dove and some very good books. I don't think I've ever selected a book because it was nominated or won an award.

The Nobel literature awards? I agree with the comment that they are more lifetime achievement awards (to me). I've read some, found some good ones but few that I've considered great works.

The only ones I pay attention to before the award ceremony are the Hugo, Locus and Nebula. I don't read all the nominees but I almost always have read a couple.

[ProfJulie]

I've read many Pulitzer Prize winning novels as well as National Book Award and National Book Critics Circle Award nominees and winners. While I have not enjoyed all of the books I have read that fall in these categories, I can say that they were all well written and worthy contenders for a writing award.

If I am looking for something to read and don't know much about a selection of books, I will be more inclined to get a book that has been nominated or won one of those awards because I believe that at the very least, the book will be well written and will have a well developed storyline.

[Sweetpea]

Those prices you mention don't come to our attention here (much). We have our own prize list. And most of the books that do win those prizes are horribly boring (or at least, I think so...)

So, yes, they do affect my reading habbits, I tend to stay away from those...