History teaches us that Literary Book Awards have always been the quickest and easiest way to achieve global fame. They have helped countless authors to shoot to stardom. But this fame usually fades away after their death, unlike William Shakespeare, Jane Austen or Charles Dickens who never won any awards, yet they continue to be read, quoted and remembered as the greatest writers of all time.
In 2021, there were approximately 85.3 thousand writers and authors working in the UK, and over 49.4 thousand working in the United States, a study finds.
Who among them and among all writers of our time will stand the test of time and remain popular in 2123? How would a writer achieve eternal fame? And can literary fame be predicted?
Literary fame is unpredictable
In 1929, The Manchester Guardian (known currently as The Guardian) ran a poll to find out from its readers the “novelists who may be read in 2029.” Sitting at the top of the summit of popularity was novelist and playwright John Galsworthy with 1,180 votes, followed by H. G. Wells (933), then Arnold Bennett (654), Rudyard Kipling (455) and J. M. Barrie (286). John Galsworthy, an Englishman, received world-wide recognition for his writings and was awarded the 1932 Nobel Prize in Literature.
Nearly a century later, it turned out that the prediction was wrong. Today all these novelists are relatively unknown or unpopular despite achieving universal renown just like John Galsworthy who won the most prestigious award in the world: Nobel Prize. The Manchester Guardian Poll raises questions: Why would some writers achieve eternal fame and not others? Why would writers who are very popular in their time lose their fame? And does the 1929 Poll mean that unlike the economy, science, politics and the weather, literary fame is unpredictable?
To answer the questions, we certainly have to look to ways writers get fame and to history for clues.
Literary awards
Literary awards are certainly crucial in today’s publishing world. Prestigious literary prizes make news headlines, stimulate public interest, increase the sales of books. They provide valuable publicity for the authors. But for all positives associated with them, there have also been negatives. History teaches us that Literary Book Awards have always been the quickest and easiest way to achieve global fame. They have helped countless authors to shoot to stardom. But this fame usually fades away after their death, unlike William Shakespeare, Jane Austen or Charles Dickens who never won any awards, yet they continue to be read, quoted and remembered as the greatest writers of all time.
Another disadvantage of literary prizes is the fact that the authors are writing to please a Book Award Committee, rather than to spread the message of love, tolerance and peace, and serve humanity. Literary prizes have always sparked controversy. Their validity has always been questioned as the criteria to determine books merits are subjective. All of which raises questions: How can 5 judges decide the best book of the year without reading every book of the year? While some lucky authors can enter the contest, others may never get the chance to do so due to the tough nomination and selection processes. And how can the judges’ decision be right when we know that submitting the same books to different panels will result in different winners? In addition to all that, literary awards offer no guarantee that the fame they create will last. Today, not many readers know the authors who won the Nobel prize in literature in the thirties, forties, fifties or even nineties. But, who doesn’t know William Shakespeare, Charles Dickens, Victor Hugo or Jean-Paul Sartre who stood the test of time without winning a prestigious prize? The proliferation of awards and the negatives mentioned above raise questions: For how long will literary awards survive before their inevitable death? And when will the world start searching for more credible and more realistic alternatives to replace them?
Social networks
Internet fame is making the front page. New authors find fame online, attracting followers and engagement. Social media platforms help for new writers is almost unlimited. They give the writers the opportunity to reach audiences and expand their global readership. They create an engaging space, helping them to interact with their readers who become “their friends”. They help them promote their books. They are also a lucrative way to gain access to international markets and sell their books.
With the emergence of social media, literature is no longer controlled by the elites. Anybody and everyone can write, contribute to world literature and reach audiences around the world.
A new study reveals that social networks are a more reliable predictor of fame. The study, published by Columbia Business School and reported by Artsy, the research paper ‘The Art of Fame’, found that “those individuals who possessed a diverse set of personal friends and professional contacts from different industries were statistically more likely to become famous.”
Universal Appeal
Authors can write about anything in the universe. They can write stories inspired by true events or imaginative fiction. However, judging by history, great works of literature are focus on universal topics that are of interest to more people in the world than others. Themes of death, life, war, peace, hate, love, pain, lust and revenge can all catch readers’ attentions. They touch readers from a wide range of backgrounds. They appeal to multiple age groups. Today, the works of Charles Dickens still grab the attention of modern-day readers because his themes are all present in their lives. Times change, the language evolves, but the situations, emotions and essence survive centuries. They travel from generation to generation, reflecting people’s lives. This is “why the world still loves Charles Dickens” says the BBC, adding, “Of all the famous Victorian authors, Charles Dickens retains a place in public affections throughout the world, and Americans adore him as if he were their own. Perhaps this is because Dickens wrote from the heart; he wrote about emotions and situations that people still identify with today. Although the English language has changed since Dickens’ time, the essence of his storytelling remains as relevant as it was in the 19th Century.”
The ability to inspire
Likewise, history teaches us that great works of literature are the ones that can inspire others. Great writers are those who can inspire other writers, not just in their own time but also the ones who come afterwards. Their influence can last for decades or even centuries. This influence increases their chances of becoming eternal.
Authors do not necessarily achieve eternal fame through famous books. They can also inspire generations through their power of words and thoughts. Powerful literary quotes can survive centuries reminding every generation of their authors. Hamlets quote “to be or not to be” has been used for centuries. Unlike books that can contain hundreds of pages, quotations are a simple way to convey an idea. They are concise, interesting, intriguing and above all memorable. They are used to support arguments.
Books, including those written by famous authors, may sit unread on forgotten shelves, attracting dust rather than readers’ attention. Memorable literature quotes can stand the test of time, fascinating and inspiring people generation after generation.
As pace of life accelerates, people are more likely to know authors through short, inspiring quotes than long, time-consuming books.
The Guardian’s poll shows that unlike economic forecasts, literary fame can be hard to predict. But this prediction is not entirely impossible. Noted Howard Marks pens, “the key to dealing with the future lies in knowing where you are, even if you can’t know precisely where you’re going.” i
History taught us that writers can pass the test of time without winning any awards as evidenced by Shakespeare, Jane Austin and Charles Dickens, to name a few. History also taught us through the 1929 Guardian’s poll experience that being very popular in a particular period does not guarantee eternal fame. And we now know through John Galsworthy’s experience that winning a prestigious prize does not guarantee eternal fame.
By knowing where the writers stand, the themes they integrate in their works and the level of influence they have on others, we certainly stand a good chance of predicting who are more likely to stand the test of time. And in the end, the question remains: Who among the writers of our time will still be read, quoted and remembered in 2123?
