We all know that awards are important to authors (or, at least, to most authors). But today, we're considering the other side of the equation: How important are literary awards to readers like you? Does the number of honors, prizes, and all else that a book has won determine whether you will pick that book up? I'd love to know your thoughts. And this isn't just because I've spent a lot of time profiling everything from the Kafka Prize to the Goncourt Prize to the Cervantes Prize. Though yes, it did take a lot of time.
Just keep in mind that awards aren't everything. For instance, if you're interested in reading winners of the Nobel Prize in Literature, you'll read some intriguing Existentialists (Jean-Paul Sartre, Albert Camus) and some richly imaginative political novelists (José Saramago, Gabriel García Márquez). But you'll miss out on Jorge Luis Borges, whose quirky, thought-provoking short stories are world famous. And Kafka. And Nabokov. And a lot of other fine writers.
But keep in mind, too, that awards are given out for a reason An award-winner can almost automatically merit a close look, no matter what the critics say. Consider Brazilian novelist Paulo Coelho, whose inspirational writings were recently lambasted in the New Criterion. This isn't Coelho's first lambasting, yet Coelho has been honored by Brazilian institutions and by the UN. When an honored novelist provokes fiery debate, he or she just might be worth your time.
So, do awards have any bearing on your reading habits? Or do you pick your authors based on other criteria, awards or no awards? Choosing books shouldn't be a simple matter of who has the most medals, but a medal or two never hurt anybody.