Nobel Prize in Literature 2014

So, once again, it seems that the Nobel Prize in Literature comes as a total surprise. It went to French writer Patrick Modiano. He has already won several prestigious prizes around Europe. I have never heard of him before, but the funny things was, that Lena from the Book club, the other day suggested a book by a French author. Just checked with her...and, yes, it is him. She found a review of L'Herbe des Nuits and a recommendation to read.

I don't know anything about his books, so here is what it says on Wikipedia:

Modiano's novels all delve into the puzzle of identity, of how one can track evidence of one's existence through the traces of the past. Obsessed with the troubled and shameful period of the Occupation—during which his father had allegedly engaged in some shady dealings—Modiano returns to this theme in all of his novels, book after book building a remarkably homogeneous work. "After each novel, I have the impression that I have cleared it all away," he says. "But I know I'll come back over and over again to tiny details, little things that are part of what I am. In the end, we are all determined by the place and the time in which we were born." He writes constantly about the city of Paris, describing the evolution of its streets, its habits and its people.

Should be interesting to read. It seems though that there are very few of his books translated into English. I am sure this will change now. Looking forward to read his books.