As the 2011 Nobel Prize announcement nears, the U.K. betting site Ladbrokes has posted odds for the prize–putting Thomas Pynchon at 10/1 odds to win the prize for literature.

According to Ladbrokes, the Syrian poet Adonis has the best odds (4/1) to win the award. Swedish author Tomas Transtromer has 9/2 odds and Japanese novelist Haruki Murakami trails at 16/1.

Here is a brief excerpt from “The Edge of the World” by Adonis: “I release the earth and I imprison the skies. I fall down in order to stay faithful to the light, in order to make the world ambiguous, fascinating, changeable, dangerous, in order to announce the steps beyond.” (Via Guardian Books)