Canada's Nobel Lit Laureate

I must admit this one caught me completely by surprise, at least when I started reading the speculation on the leading candidates. Canadian short story writer Alice Munro has won this year's Nobel Prize for Literature.  She wasn't my Canadian candidate, but the one who was--Margaret Atwood--explains why Munro deserves this recognition.

Atwood among others has that combination of distinguished writing in several literary forms plus an active involvement in issues of the day that would seem to qualify her.  But the Literature prize is also given to writers whose accomplishments are in a single literary form, with little regard for geopolitics or nationality.

At the age of 80, Munro has announced that she's published her last book of stories.  So this is recognition of a career.

I also must admit that I don't know her work.  Here's a suggestion from Slate on where to start.