http://www.nytimes.com/2003/09/15/books/15BOOK.htmlTold of Mr. (Stephen) King's selection (to receive a special National Book Award for "distinguished contribution" to American literature), some in the literary world responded with laughter and dismay. "He is a man who writes what used to be called penny dreadfuls," said Harold Bloom, the Yale professor, critic and self-appointed custodian of the literary canon. "That they could believe that there is any literary value there or any aesthetic accomplishment or signs of an inventive human intelligence is simply a testimony to their own idiocy."
I confess, I'm not a big Stephen King novel fan. I haven't read a single one of them. I do like King's essays, however, and I admire the man. I think he's got a heart of gold. That's not why I believe he deserves an award for distinguished contribution. Horror novels aren't my cup of tea, but I have read glowing prose from perfectly respectable critics about King--including John Leonard in The New York Review of Books. So if the NBA wants to honor King, it's no big deal to me. Maybe I'd be up in arms if the honoree was Ann Coulter...well, actually, there's no doubt I'd be up in arms over that. King at least is prolific, versatile, and a craftsperson if not a great artist.
Anyway, the point of this post is not to praise King but to wonder why an alleged genius like Harold Bloom is such a knee-jerk snob. Who finally gives a shit about awards like this?