Read this extract ( source: internet…Google Articles….2008)
Unlike with the other Nobel prizes, Americans have in recent years rarely landed the prestigious Literature Prize. The last US citizen to take the honors was Toni Morrison in 1993.

The vast majority of the literature laureates have been Europeans, with last year's prize going to British novelist Doris Lessing.

In order to second-guess the committee, some observers point to continents, countries or languages, as well as genres that have not been awarded for a while.

South America and Africa are continents that have not had a literature laureate in a while, so if the Academy is thinking along those lines possible winners could be Mexico's Carlos Fuentes, Peru's Mario Vargas Llosa or Assia Djebar of Algeria.

Italy's Antonio Tabucchi, Israeli Amos Oz, Haruki Murakami of Japan, Australian Les Murray and Syrian poet Adonis are other names making the rounds

Annoyed ?

But it seems to be a fact of life !

Major International awards are given on considerations other than individual brilliance/deservability!
If one looks closely….there is a geographical/political bias…almost always…
…be it beauty pageants, literary prizes or even movie/entertainment prizes !

Take this:

“My wife thought I deserved it, but I always thought the Nobel a Western prize.”
”I thought they would never select an Eastern writer for the Nobel. I was surprised.”

Naguib Mahfouz(An Egyptian novelist who won the 1988 Nobel Prize for Literature.)

Le Duc Tho , Vietnamese General and Politician, declined the 1973 Peace Prize—jointly awarded to him and Henry Kissinger—because it was awarded to them even though Vietnam was not yet at peace.
 
Al Gore and the IPCC 2007 winners of Nobel for Peace….have had the validity of their winning of the prize disputed , being stated that why they won it…..as it  was a "rebuke to President Bush"

So …what do you think ? Are the Prizes Fixed ???