It seems to me, at least based on the track record of recipients, that the
Mark Twain Prize, with few exceptions, honors the "mere humorist"
characterization that he despised, reinforcing the public image of the
avuncular, cigar-smoking elderly jokester with a backlog of ready
one-liners.  Most of the past recipients fit the "mere humorist" image,
with nothing more. Offhand, the only prior recipients that I can think of
with an "edge" with respect to cultural, political and racial issues that
Twain would have appreciated are Richard Pryor and George Carlin, and
possibly Eddie Murphy.  On the other hand, if the prize was awarded to
individuals with the power, wit and scope of Twain's humor, it would likely
be awarded on a decade-by-decade basis, if that.

Martin Zehr
Kansas City, Missouri

On Mon, Nov 23, 2015 at 11:23 AM, Kevin Mac Donnell <
[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> The recipient must agree to accept the prize and appear at the event. How
> do
> you know that Kurt Vonnegut was never asked? I once tried to talk Mr
> Vonnegut into appearing at Elmira, staying at Quarry Farm, etc., but he
> declined due to his health, although he was a big fan of MT.
>
>
> Kevin
> @
> Mac Donnell Rare Books
> 9307 Glenlake Drive
> Austin TX 78730
> 512-345-4139
> Member: ABAA, ILAB
> *************************
> You may browse our books at:
> www.macdonnellrarebooks.com
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Terry Ballard
> Sent: Monday, November 23, 2015 10:40 AM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: Twain Prize
>
> Since somebody asked, I'll state my views one more time. The organizers
> have passed on the man who came the closest to exemplifying Twain (Kurt
> Vonnegut) in exchange for giving it, year-by-year to the trendiest cast
> member of Saturday Night Live. Twain was not shy about explaining the
> difference between himself and the other humorists of the time, but all of
> this is completely lost on the people who honor the comedians who make us
> laugh and dress up the award with a familiar name from literature.
>
> I know when Arizona became a state - easy because I grew up in Arizona.
> When you read things like the War Prayer and Letters from the Earth, it is
> easy to see what he is satirizing. Just look around. Then look through the
> writings of past award winners and see who comes close.
>
> On Mon, Nov 23, 2015 at 10:22 AM, Susan Bailey <[log in to unmask]>
> wrote:
>
> > I believe the Twain prize is a good fund raiser for the Kennedy Center.
> > That's why it was created and it surely fulfills that purpose.
> >
> > As far as when New Mexico and Arizona became states, I had to look that
> > up.  It's like those history test I took in school.  I learned all the
> > facts for the test, aced it, and then promptly forgot it all the next
> day.
> > I haven't used algebra in a while either.
> >
> > I've read Twain's books since I was a child.  It's only since I learned a
> > lot about his childhood and adult life that I could even begin to take a
> > guess as to what motivated his humor.  I believe the average person in
> > America may just be trying to get along and, while they surely know Mark
> > Twain's name and that he was an author, they aren't into deep
> > psychological
> > evaluation of his motives.
> >
> > That's why this group is such a treasure!
> >
> > Best regards,
> > Susan
> >
> > Susan Bailey
> > Co author
> > The Twain Shall Meet
> > <
> >
> http://www.amazon.com/Twain-Shall-Meet-Granddaughter-Gabrilowitsch/dp/1499799497/ref=sr_1_1/191-7847938-3534132?ie=UTF8&qid=1415889321&sr=8-1&keywords=the+twain+shall+meet+susan+bailey
> > >
> > Twain Page <https://www.facebook.com/marktwainsgranddaughter>
> > www.marktwainonline.com
> > Greenville, SC
> >
> > On Mon, Nov 23, 2015 at 5:42 AM, DMD1937 <[log in to unmask]>
> wrote:
> >
> > > I'm curious to know how list members view the Twain Prize.
> > >
> > > Most Americans couldn't tell you when New Mexico and Arizona became =
> > > states, let alone what motivated Twain's humor over many decades.
> > >
> > > DMD
> > >
> > >
> > > Denis M. Donovan, M.D., M.Ed., F.A.P.S.
> > > Director, EOCT Institute
> > >
> > > Medical Director, 1983 - 2006
> > > The Children's Center for Developmental Psychiatry
> > > St. Petersburg, Florida
> > >
> > > P.O Box 47576
> > > St. Petersburg, FL 33743-7576
> > > Phone:  727-641-8905
> > > [log in to unmask]
> > > [log in to unmask]
> > >
> > > Please reply to: [log in to unmask]
> > >
> > > - - -
> > > =D0=92=D1=80=D0=B5=D0=BC=D0=B5=D0=BD=D0=B0
> > > =D1=81=D0=BB=D0=BE=D0=B6=D0=BD=D1=
> > > =8B=D0=B5, =D0=B4=D1=83=D1=80=D0=B0=D0=BA=D0=BE=D0=B2
> > > =D0=BC=D0=BD=D0=BE=D0=
> > > =B3=D0=BE.
> > > =E2=80=94  =D0=90=D0=BB=D0=B5=D0=BA=D1=81a=D0=BD=D0=B4=D1=80 =
> > > =D0=A0=D0=BE=D0=BC=D0=B0=D0=BD=D0=BE=D0=B2=D0=B8=D1=87
> > > =D0=9B=D1=83=D1=80=D0=
> > > =B8=D1=8F
> > >
> > > These are complex times, many fools around.
> > >
> > > Alexandr Romanovich Luria in:
> > > Goldberg, Elkhonon (2001). The Executive Brain: Frontal Lobes and the =
> > > Civilized Mind.
> > > New York: Oxford University Press, p. 16.
> > >
> > > Perhaps Goldberg should have listened to Luria . . .
> > >
> >
>
>
>
> --
>
>
> Terry Ballard
> Author and Leisure Studies Manager
> http://www.terryballard.org
> Author of the book "Google this" http://googlethis.com
> <http://googlethisforlibraries.com/>
>
> "My memory has a mind of its own."
>