Chinese author Can Xue is favourite to win 2024 Nobel prize in literature

As we approach the announcement of the 2024 Nobel Prize in Literature, Can Xue, the celebrated author of “Love in the New Millennium,” is leading the betting charts with odds of 10/1. Interestingly, she was also the frontrunner last year before the prize was awarded to Norwegian author Jon Fosse. Competing with her are distinguished literary figures such as Haruki Murakami and Margaret Atwood.

According to bookmakers, the current lineup of top contenders includes Can Xue, Haruki Murakami, César Aira, Gerald Murnane, and Thomas Pynchon. Alex Apati from Ladbrokes shared insights on the competitive landscape, noting, “This year’s Nobel prize race is still wide open. While we’ve seen strong interest in Gerald Murnane and César Aira, it’s Can Xue who remains the most popular pick with punters, keeping her lead in betting.”

Born Deng Xiaohua in 1953 in Changsha, Hunan province, Can Xue’s literary journey is as fascinating as her narratives. She encountered considerable obstacles during the Cultural Revolution, which confined her formal education to elementary school. Remarkably, she has been longlisted twice for the International Booker Prize—first for “Love in the New Millennium,” translated by Annelise Finegan Wasmoen, and later for her short story collection “I Live in the Slums,” translated by Karen Gernant and Chen Zeping. Should she win, Can Xue would make history as the 18th woman and the third Chinese author to receive the Nobel Prize, following in the footsteps of Mo Yan, who won in 2012.

Trailing Can Xue in the betting odds at 14/1 is the renowned Japanese author Haruki Murakami, famous for his bestselling novels like “Norwegian Wood,” “Kafka on the Shore,” and “1Q84.” Both Margaret Atwood and Thomas Pynchon are currently listed at 16/1. Atwood, celebrated for her iconic works such as “The Handmaid’s Tale” and the Booker Prize-winning “The Testaments,” has long been seen as a strong candidate for the Nobel Prize. In fact, Kazuo Ishiguro, who won the award in 2017, once indicated his belief that Atwood was due for a win soon.

Ladbrokes also highlights additional authors like César Aira, Gerald Murnane, and Ersi Sotiropoulos, all with odds of 16/1. Other noteworthy mentions include Anne Carson at 20/1, Don DeLillo at 25/1, Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o at 25/1, Salman Rushdie at 25/1, Karl Ove Knausgård at 28/1, and Han Kang at 33/1.

Since its establishment in 1901, the Nobel Prize in Literature has been awarded 116 times, with recent laureates including Annie Ernaux, Abdulrazak Gurnah, Louise Glück, Peter Handke, and Olga Tokarczuk. The announcement of this year’s recipient is set to take place on Thursday at noon BST, alongside a monetary award of 11 million Swedish kronor (approximately £811,780).