'Over my dead body': Booker prize archives reveal unknown judging battles

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2018/sep/06/over-my-dead-body-booker-prize-archives-reveal-unknown-judging-battles

27 9 8 years ago

Sayre’s Law: “In any dispute, the intensity of feeling is inversely proportional to the issues at stake. ... and this explains why academic politics are so bitter.”

coherentpony• 8 years ago

The implication being that academic politics arises out of basically non-issues? I should be able to infer Sayre never worked in academia; there are situations where a lot of money for research is at stake.

pc86• 8 years ago

While I've never worked in academia, I've been in the room while professors argued vehemently - as if their very livelihoods depended on it - about who was sitting in what chair around the conference table, and who was sitting in the chairs up against the wall.

majos2• 8 years ago

From the Man Booker Wikipedia page:

The winner of the Man Booker Prize is generally assured international renown and success; therefore, the prize is of great significance for the book trade.

Sure, the Sayre quote is pithy and funny, but there does seem to be a lot at stake in choosing the winner here.

rjsw• 8 years ago

There isn't very much at stake for the jury members.

gchadwick• 8 years ago

I'd say there's many many counter examples to this. For example Brexit, Climate Change, Trump 'making American Great Again' etc etc etc

'Over my dead body': Booker prize archives reveal unknown judging battles

Related Stories