Murakami ‘favoured’ to pick Nobel Prize in Literature 2012

The Japanese novelist, Haruki Murakami, according to sources has been made the favourite to receive the prestigious prize this year when the Swedish Academy announces winner in October.

A revered U.K-based gambling company, Ladbrokes, says Murakami, the acclaimed author of titles including Norwegian Wood, The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle and, most recently, IQ84, has the “odds of 10/1 to win the Nobel.”

Last year, Ladbrokes’ second favourite, the Swedish poet Tomas Tranströmer, became the eventual winner of the award after he given initial odds of 9/2 behind the Syrian poet Adonis, at 4/1. But this year Adonis has slipped down the list, given odds of 14/1 alongside the Korean poet Ko Un and the Albanian writer Ismail Kadare.

Observers note that Murakami has long been considered a key contributor to postmodern literature. Critics say he uses much of Western themes, allowing such to influence his writing.



Other frontrunners include the controversial Chinese author Mo Yan, 12/1; a perennial contender and 79 years old Dutch writer Cees Nooteboom, 12/1; South Korean ex-prisoner and poet Ko Un, 14/1.