Will Alice Munro's 2013 Nobel Prize For Literature Cause A Rebirth Of The Short Story?

Alice Munro, a "master of the contemporary short story" won the Nobel Prize for Literature, 2013. She is the first woman of Canadian origin, and 13th woman in the history to win the coveted prize for literature.

The 82 year old author, known for her keen insight into the human nature reflects brilliantly in her characters, was surprised to know that she has won the prize.

But the literary community and her cronies said that it was high time her expertise as short story writer was honored, acknowledged and rewarded.

The Nobel Committee appreciated the “depth, wisdom and precision” that Munro adds to her every story “as most novelists bring to a lifetime of novels.”

Canadians fondly regard her as ‘our Chekov’. Her Nobel win, it is hoped, will galvanize and infuse new life and creativity into the short story genre. The Nobel prize trend was titled in the favor of novelists and poets. Alice Munro’s Nobel Prize for literature will encourage people to regard short stories and their writers in high literary regard.

In her response to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, “It just seems impossible. It seems just so splendid a thing to happen, I can’t describe it. It’s more than I can say.”

She also said, “I would really hope this would make people see the short story as an important art, not just something you played around with until you got a novel.”

Alice Munro has written 14 short story collections. Her first collection “Dance of the Happy Shades” was published 45 years ago in 1967-68. Her autobiographical short story collection ‘Dear Life’ was published in 2013. A

In the days following her Nobel Prize win, three to five of her bestselling books have seen a surge in their sales and are featuring in Amazon’s Top 30.
Vintage publishers, which own the contract for her books, have decided to reprint selected titles with new covers celebrating her status as a Nobel Laureate.