LITERATURE


Literature 1901
SULLY  PRUDHOMME  (pen-name  of  PRUDHOMME,  REN  FRANOIS  ARMAND),
France,  * 1839,  - 1907:   

"in special recognition of his poetic  composition, which gives
evidence of lofty idealism, artistic perfection and a rare combination
of the qualitites of both heart and intellect"  


Literature 1902
MOMMSEN,  CHRISTIAN  MATTHIAS  THEODOR,  Germany,  * 1817  (in 
Garding,  Sleswick,  then  Denmark), - 1903:   

"the greatest living master of the art of historical writing, with
special reference to his monumental work, A history of Rome"  


Literature 1903
BJRNSON,  BJRNSTJERNE  MARTINUS,  Norway, * 1832,  - 1910:   

"as a tribute to his noble, magnificent and versatile poetry, which
has always been distinguished  by both the freshness of its inspiration
and the rare purity of its spirit"  


Literature 1904
The  prize  was  divided  equally  between: 
  
MISTRAL,  FRDRIC,  France,  * 1830,  - 1914:   
  
"in recognition of the fresh originality and true inspiration of
his  poetic production, which faithfully reflects the natural scenery
and native spirit of his people, and, in addition, his significant
work as a Provenal  philologist";  and 
  
ECHEGARAY  Y  EIZAGUIRRE,  JOS,  Spain,  * 1832,  - 1916:   
  
"in recognition of the numerous and  brilliant compositions which,
in an individual and original manner, have revived the great traditions
of the Spanish drama"  
  

Literature 1905
SIENKIEWICZ,  HENRYK,  Poland,  * 1846,  - 1916:   
  
"because of his outstanding  merits as an epic writer"  
  

Literature 1906
CARDUCCI,  GIOSU,  Italy,  * 1835,  - 1907:   
  
"not only in consideration of his deep learning and critical research,
but above all as a tribute to the  creative energy, freshness of
style, and lyrical force which characterize his poetic masterpieces"


Literature 1907
KIPLING,  RUDYARD,  Great  Britain,  * 1865  ( in  Bombay,  Br.
India),  - 1936:   
  
"in consideration  of the power of observation, originality of imagination,
virility of ideas and remarkable talent for narration which characterize
the creations of this world-famous author"  
  

Literature 1908
EUCKEN,  RUDOLF  CHRISTOPH,  Germany,  * 1846,  - 1926:   
  
"in recognition of his earnest search for truth, his penetrating
power of  thought, his wide range of vision, and the warmth and strength
in presentation with which in his numerous works he has vindicated
and developed an idealistic philosophy of life"  
  

Literature 1909
LAGERLF,  SELMA  OTTILIA  LOVISA,  Sweden, * 1858,  - 1940:   
  
"in  appreciation of the lofty idealism, vivid imagination and spiritual
perception that characterize her writings"  
  

Literature 1910
HEYSE,  PAUL  JOHANN  LUDWIG,  Germany,  * 1830,  - 1914:   
  
"as a tribute to the consummate artistry, permeated with  idealism,
which he has demonstrated during his long productive career as a
lyric poet, dramatist, novelist and writer of world-renowned short
stories"  
  

Literature 1911
MAETERLINCK,  Count,  MAURICE  (MOORIS)  POLIDORE  MARIE  BERNHARD,
Belgium,  * 1862, - 1949:   
  
"in appreciation of his many-sided literary activities, and especially
of his dramatic works, which are distinguished by a wealth of imagination
and by a poetic fancy, which reveals, sometimes in the guise of a
fairy tale, a deep inspiration, while in a mysterious way they appeal
to the readers' own feelings and stimulate their imaginations"  
  

Literature 1912
HAUPTMANN,  GERHART  JOHANN  ROBERT,  Germany,  * 1862,  - 1946:

"primarily in recognition of his fruitful, varied and outstanding
production in the realm of dramatic art"  
  

Literature 1913
TAGORE,  RABINDRANATH,  India,  * 1861,  - 1941:   
  
"because of his profoundly sensitive,  fresh and beautiful verse,
by which, with comsummate skill, he has made his poetic thought,
expressed in his own English words, a part of the  literature of
the West"  
  

Literature 1914
The  prize  money  was  allocated  to  the  Special  Fund  of  this
prize  section. 
  

Literature 1915
ROLLAND,  ROMAIN,  France,  * 1866,  - 1944:   
  
"as a tribute to the lofty idealism of his literary production and
to the sympathy and love of  truth with which he has described different
types of human beings"  
  

Literature 1916
VON  HEIDENSTAM,  CARL  GUSTAF  VERNER,  Sweden,  * 1859,  - 1940:
 
"in recognition of his significance as the leading representative
of a new era in our  literature"  
  

Literature 1917
The  prize  was  divided  equally  between: 
  
GJELLERUP,  KARL  ADOLPH,  Denmark,  * 1857,  - 1919:   
  
"for his varied and rich poetry, which is inspired by lofty ideals"

PONTOPPIDAN,  HENRIK,  Denmark,  * 1857,  - 1943:   
  
"for his authentic descriptions of present-day life in Denmark"
  

Literature 1918
The  prize  money  was  allocated  to  the  Special  Fund  of  this
prize  section. 
  

Literature 1919
SPITTELER,  CARL  FRIEDRICH  GEORG,  Switzerland, * 1845,  - 1924:
  
"in special appreciation of his epic, Olympian Spring"  
  

Literature 1920
HAMSUN,  KNUT  PEDERSEN,  Norway,  * 1859,  - 1952:   
  
"for his monumental work, Growth of the Soil"  
  

Literature 1921
ANATOLE  FRANCE  (pen-name  of  THIBAULT,  JACQUES  ANATOLE),  France,
* 1844,  - 1924:   
  
"in recognition of his brilliant literary achievements, characterized
as they  are by a nobility of style, a profound human sympathy, grace,
and a true Gallic temperament"  
  

Literature 1922
BENAVENTE,  JACINTO,  Spain,  * 1866,  - 1954:   
  
"for the  happy manner in which he has continued the illustrious
traditions of the Spanish drama"  
  

Literature 1923
YEATS,  WILLIAM  BUTLER,  Ireland,  * 1865,  - 1939:   
  
"for his  always inspired poetry, which in a highly artistic form
gives expression to the spirit of a whole nation"  
  

Literature 1924
REYMONT,  (pen-name  of  REYMENT),  WLADYSLAW  STANISLAW,  Poland,
* 1867,  - 1925:   
  
"for his  great national epic, The Peasants"  
  

Literature 1925
SHAW,  GEORGE  BERNARD,  Great  Britain,  * 1856  (in  Dublin, 
Ireland),  - 1950:   
  
"for his work which is marked by both idealism and humanity, its
stimulating  satire often being infused with a singular poetic beauty"

  
Literature 1926
GRAZIA  DELEDDA  (pen-name  of  MADESANI,  GRAZIA,  ne  DELEDDA),
Italy,  * 1871  (in  Nuoro,  Sardinia),  - 1936:   
  
"for her idealistically inspired writings which with plastic clarity
picture the life on her native island and with depth and sympathy
deal  with human problems in general"  
  

Literature 1927
BERGSON,  HENRI,  France,  * 1859,  - 1941:   
  
"in recognition of his rich and vitalizing ideas and the brillant
skill with which they have been presented"  
  

Literature 1928
UNDSET,  SIGRID,  Norway,  * 1882  (in  Kalundborg,  Denmark), 
- 1949:   
  
"principially for her powerful descriptions of Northern life during
the Middle Ages"  
  

Literature 1929
MANN,  THOMAS,  Germany,  * 1875,  - 1955:   
  
"principally for his great novel, Buddenbrooks, which has won steadily
increased recognition as one of the classic works of contemporary
literature"  
  

Literature 1930
LEWIS,  SINCLAIR,  U.S.A.,  * 1885,  - 1951:   
  
"for his vigorous and graphic art of description and his ability
to create, with wit and humour, new types of characters"  
  

Literature 1931
KARLFELDT,  ERIK  AXEL,  Sweden,  * 1864,  - 1931:   
  
"The poetry of Erik Axel Karlfeldt"  
  

Literature 1932
GALSWORTHY,  JOHN,  Great  Britain,  * 1867,  - 1933:   
  
"for his distinguished art of narration which takes its highest
form in The Forsyte Saga"  
  

Literature 1933
BUNIN,  IVAN  ALEKSEYEVICH,  stateless  domicile  in  France,  *
1870,  (in  Voronezh,  Russia),  - 1953:   
  
"for the strict artistry with which he has carried on the classical
Russian traditions in prose writing"  
  

Literature 1934
PIRANDELLO,  LUIGI,  Italy,  * 1867,  - 1936:   
  
"for his bold and ingenious revival of dramatic and scenic art"


Literature 1935
The  prize  money  was  with  1/3  allocated  to  the  Main  Fund
and  with  2/3  to  the  Special  Fund  of  this  prize  section.

  
Literature 1936
O'NEILL,  EUGENE  GLADSTONE,  U.S.A.,  * 1888, - 1953:   
  
"for the power, honesty and deep-felt  emotions of his dramatic
works, which embody an original concept of tragedy"  
  

Literature 1937
MARTIN  DU  GARD,  ROGER,  France,  * 1881,  - 1958:   
  
"for the artistic power and truth with which he has depicted human
conflict as well as some fundamental aspects of contemporary life
in his novel-cycle Les Thibault"  
  

Literature 1938
PEARL  BUCK  (pen-name  of  WALSH,  PEARL,  ne SYDENSTRICKER),
U.S.A.,  * 1892,  - 1973:   
  
"for her  rich and truly epic descriptions of peasant life in China
and for her biographical masterpieces"  
  

Literature 1939
SILLANP,  FRANS  EEMIL,  Finland,  * 1888,  - 1964:   
  
"for his  deep understanding of his country's peasantry and the
exquisite art with which he has portrayed their way of life and their
relationship with Nature"  
  

Literature 1940
The  prize  money  was  with  1/3  allocated  to  the  Main  Fund
and with  2/3  to  the  Special  Fund  of  this  prize  section.

  
Literature 1941
The  prize  money  was  with  1/3  allocated  to  the  Main  Fund
and with  2/3  to  the  Special  Fund  of  this  prize  section.

  
Literature 1942
The  prize  money  was  with  1/3  allocated  to  the  Main  Fund
and with  2/3  to  the  Special  Fund  of  this  prize  section.

  
Literature 1943
The  prize  money  was  with  1/3  allocated  to  the  Main  Fund
and with  2/3  to  the  Special  Fund  of  this  prize  section.

  
Literature 1944
JENSEN,  JOHANNES  VILHELM,  Denmark,  * 1873,  - 1950:   
  
"for the rare strength and fertility of his poetic imagination
with which is combined an intellectual curiosity of wide scope and
a bold, freshly  creative style"  
  

Literature 1945
GABRIELA  MISTRAL  (pen-name  of  GODOY  Y  ALCAYAGA,  LUCILA),
Chile,  * 1889,  - 1957:   
  
"for her lyric poetry which, inspired by powerful  emotions, has
made her name a symbol of the idealistic aspirations of the entire
Latin American world"  
  

Literature 1946
HESSE,  HERMANN,  Switzerland,  * 1877  ( in  Calw,  Wurttenberg,
Germany),  - 1962:   
  
"for his inspired writings which, while growing in boldness and
penetration, exemplify the classical humanitarian ideals and high
qualities of style"  
  

Literature 1947
GIDE,  ANDR  PAUL  GUILLAUME,  France,  * 1869,  - 1951:   
  
"for his comprehensive and artistically significant writings, in
which human problems and conditions  have been presented with a fearless
love of truth and keen psychological insight"  
  

Literature 1948
ELIOT,  THOMAS  STEARNS,  Great  Britain,  * 1888  (in  S:t  Louis,
MO.,  U.S.A.),  - 1965:   
  
"for his outstanding, pioneer contribution to present-day  poetry"

  
Literature 1949
FAULKNER,  WILLIAM,  U.S.A.,  * 1897,  - 1962:   
  
"for his powerful and artistically unique contribution to the  modern
American novel"  
  

Literature 1950
RUSSELL,  Earl  (BERTRAND  ARTHUR  WILLIAM), Great  Britain,  *
1872,  - 1970:   
  
"in recognition of his varied and significant writings in which
he champions humanitarian ideals and freedom of thought"  
  

Literature 1951
LAGERKVIST,  PR  FABIAN,  Sweden,  * 1891,  - 1974:   
  
"for the artistic vigour and true independence of mind with which
he endeavours in his poetry to find answers to the eternal questions
confronting mankind"  
  

Literature 1952
MAURIAC,  FRANOIS,  France,  * 1885,  - 1970:   
  
"for the deep spiritual insight and the artistic intensity with
which he has in his novels penetrated the drama of  human life" 


Literature 1953
CHURCHILL,  Sir  WINSTON  LEONARD  SPENCER,  Great  Britain,  *
1874,  - 1965:   
  
"for his  mastery of historical and biographical description as
well as for brilliant oratory in defending exalted human values"


Literature 1954
HEMINGWAY,  ERNEST  MILLER,  U.S.A.,  * 1899,  - 1961:   
  
"for his mastery of the art of narrative, most recently demonstrated
in The Old Man and the Sea, and for the influence that he has exerted
on contemporary style"  
  

Literature 1955
LAXNESS,  HALLDR  KILJAN,  Iceland,  * 1902:   
  
"for his vivid epic  power which has renewed the great narrative
art of Iceland"  
  

Literature 1956
JIMNEZ,  JUAN  RAMN,  Spain  (domicile  in  Puerto  Rico,   U.S.A.),
* 1881,  - 1958:   
  
"for his lyrical poetry, which in Spanish language constitutes an
example of high spirit and artistical purity"  
  

Literature 1957
CAMUS,  ALBERT,  France,  * 1913  (in  Mondovi,  Algeria), - 1960:

"for his important literary  production, which with clear-sighted
earnestness illuminates the problems of the human conscience in our
times"  
  

Literature 1958
PASTERNAK,  BORIS  LEONIDOVICH,  USSR,  * 1890,  - 1960:   
  
"for his important achievement both in contemporary lyrical poetry
and in the field of  the great Russian epic tradition"  (Accepted
first,  later  caused  by  the  authorities  of  his  country to
decline  the  prize.) 
  

Literature 1959
QUASIMODO,  SALVATORE,  Italy,  * 1901,  - 1968:   
  
"for  his lyrical poetry, which with classical fire expresses the
tragic experience of life in our own times"  
  

Literature 1960
SAINT-JOHN  PERSE  (pen-name  of  LGER,  ALEXIS),  France,  * 1887,
(on  Guadelope  Island),  - 1975:   
  
"for the soaring flight and the evocative imagery of his poetry
which in a  visionary fashion reflects the conditions of our time"

  
Literature 1961
ANDRC,  IVO,  Yugoslavia,  * 1892  (in  Travnik,  Bosnia), - 1975:

"for the epic force with which he has traced themes and  depicted
human destinies drawn from the history of his country"  
  

Literature 1962
STEINBECK,  JOHN,  U.S.A.,  * 1902,  - 1968:   
  
"for his realistic and imaginative writings,  combining as they
do sympathetic humour and keen social perception"  
  

Literature 1963
SEFERIS,  GIORGOS  (pen-name  of  SEFERIADIS,  GIORGOS),  Greece,
* 1900  (in  Smyrna,  Turkey),  - 1971:   
  
"for his eminent lyrical writing, inspired by a deep  feeling for
the Hellenic world of culture"  
  

Literature 1964
SARTRE,  JEAN-PAUL,  France,  * 1905,  - 1980:   
  
"for his work which, rich in ideas and filled with the spirit of
freedom and the quest for truth, has exerted a far-reaching influence
on our age"  (Declined  the  prize.) 
  

Literature 1965
SHOLOKHOV,  MICHAIL  ALEKSANDROVICH,  USSR,  * 1905,  - 1984:  

"for the  artistic power and integrity with which, in his epic of
the Don, he has given expression to a historic phase in the life
of the Russian people"  
  

Literature 1966
The  prize  was  divided  equally  between: 
  
AGNON,  SHMUEL  YOSEF,  Israel,  * 1888,  - 1970:   
  
"for his profoundly characteristic narrative art with motifs from
the life of the Jewish people";  and 
  
SACHS,  NELLY,  Sweden,  * 1891  (in  Germany),  - 1970:   
  
"for her outstanding lyrical and dramatic writing, which interprets
Israel's destiny with touching strength"  
  

Literature 1967
ASTURIAS,  MIGUEL  ANGEL,  Guatemala,  * 1899,  - 1974:   
  
"for his vivid literary achievement, deep-rooted in the national
traits and traditions of Indian peoples of Latin  America"  
  

Literature 1968
KAWABATA,  YASUNARI,  Japan,  * 1899,  - 1972:   
  
"for his narrative mastery, which with great sensibility expresses
the essence of the Japanese mind"  
  

Literature 1969
BECKETT,  SAMUEL,  Ireland,  * 1906,  - 1989:   
  
"for his writing, which - in new  forms for the novel and drama
- in the destitution of modern man acquires its elevation"  
  

Literature 1970
SOLZHENITSYN,  ALEKSANDR  ISAEVICH,  USSR,  * 1918   
  
"for the ethical force with which he has pursued the  indispensable
traditions of Russian literature"  
  

Literature 1971
NERUDA,  PABLO,  (pen-name  of BASOALTO,  NEFTAL  RICARDO  REYES),
Chile,  * 1904,  - 1973:   
  
"for a  poetry that with the action of an elemental force brings
alive a continent's destiny and dreams"  
  

Literature 1972
BLL,  HEINRICH,  Federal  Republic  of  Germany,  * 1917,  - 1985:
  
"for  his writing which through its combination of a broad perspective
on his time and a sensitive skill in characterization has contributed
to a renewal of  German literature"  
  

Literature 1973
WHITE,  PATRICK,  Australia,  * 1912  (in  London,  Great  Britain),
- 1990:   
  
"for an epic and psychological narrative art which has introduced
a new continent into literature"  
  

Literature 1974
The  prize  was  divided  equally  between: 
  
JOHNSON,  EYVIND,  Sweden,  * 1900,  - 1976:   
  
"for a narrative art, far-seeing in lands and ages, in the service
of freedom";  and   
  
MARTINSON,  HARRY,  Sweden,  * 1904,  - 1978:   
  
"for writings that catch the  dewdrop and reflect the cosmos"  
  

Literature 1975
MONTALE,  EUGENIO,  Italy,  * 1896,  - 1981:   
  
"for his distinctive poetry which, with great artistic sensitivity,
has  interpreted human values under the sign of an outlook on  life
with no illusions"  
  

Literature 1976
BELLOW,  SAUL,  U.S.A.,  * 1915:   
  
"for the human understanding  and subtle analysis of contemporary
culture that are combined in his work"  
  

Literature 1977
ALEIXANDRE,  VICENTE,  Spain,  * 1898,  - 1984:   
  
"for a creative poetic  writing which illuminates man's condition
in the cosmos and in present-day society, at the same time representing
the great renewal of the traditions  of Spanish poetry beween the
wars"  
  

Literature 1978
SINGER,  ISAAC  BASHEVIS,  U.S.A.,  * 1904  (in  Radzymin,  Poland),
- 1991:   
  
"for his impassioned narrative art which, with roots in a Polish-Jewish
cultural tradition,  brings universal human conditions to life" 

  
Literature 1979
ELYTIS  ODYSSEUS  (pen-name  of  ALEPOUDHELIS,  ODYSSEUS),  Greece,
* 1911,  - 1996;   
  
"for his poetry, which, against the  background of Greek tradition,
depicts with sensuous strength and intellectual  clear-sightedness
modern man's struggle for freedom and creativeness"  
  

Literature 1980
MILOSZ,  CZESLAW,  U.S.A.,  and  Poland,  * 1911  (in  Seteiniai,
Lithuania):   
  
 "who with uncompromising clear-sightedness voices man's exposed
condition in a world of severe conflicts"  
  

Literature 1981
CANETTI,  ELIAS,  Great  Britain,  * 1905  (in  Rustschuk,  Bulgaria),
- 1994:   
  
"for writings marked by a broad outlook, a wealth of ideas and artistic
power"  
  

Literature 1982
GARCA  MRQUEZ,  GABRIEL,  Colombia,  * 1928:   
  
"for his novels and short stories, in which the fantastic and the
realistic are combined in a richly composed world of  imagination,
reflecting a continent's life and conflicts"  
  

Literature 1983
GOLDING,  Sir  WILLIAM,  Great  Britain,  * 1911,  - 1993:   
  
"for his novels which, with the perspicuity of realistic narrative
art and  the diversity and universality of myth, illuminate the human
condition in the world of today"  
  

Literature 1984
SEIFERT,  JAROSLAV,  Czechoslovakia,  * 1901,  - 1986:   
  
"for his poetry which endowed with freshness, sensuality and rich
inventiveness provides a liberating image  of the indomitable spirit
and versatility of man"  
  

Literature 1985
SIMON,  CLAUDE,  France,  * 1913:   
  
"who in his novel combines the poet's and the painter's creativeness
with  a deepened awareness of time in the depiction of the  human
condition"  
  

Literature 1986
SOYINKA,  WOLE,  Nigeria,  * 1934:   
  
"who in a wide  cultural perspective and with poetic overtones fashions
the drama of existence"  
  

Literature 1987
BRODSKY,  JOSEPH,  U.S.A.,  * 1940  (in  Leningrad,  USSR)  - 1996:
  
"for  an all-embracing authorship, imbued with clarity of thought
and poetic intensity"  
  

Literature 1988
MAHFOUZ,  NAGUIB,  Egypt,  * 1911:   
  
"who, through works rich in nuance - now clear-sightedly realistic,
now evocatively ambiguous - has formed an Arabian narrative art that
applies to all mankind"  
  

Literature 1989
CELA,  CAMILO  JOS,  Spain,  * 1916:   
  
"for a rich and intensive prose, which with restrained compassion
forms a challenging vision of man's vulnerability"  
  

Literature 1990
PAZ,  OCTAVIO,  Mexico,  * 1914:   
  
"for impassioned writing with wide horizons, characterized by sensuous
intelligence and humanistic integrity"  
  

Literature 1991
GORDIMER,  NADINE,  South  Africa,  * 1923:   
  
"who through her magnificent epic writing has - in the words of
Alfred Nobel - been of very great benefit to humanity"  
  

Literature 1992
WALCOTT,  DEREK,  Saint  Lucia,  * 1930:   
  
"for a poetic oeuvre of great luminosity, sustained by a historical
vision, the outcome of a multicultural commitment"  
  

Literature 1993
MORRISON,  TONI,  U.S.A.,  * 1931:   
  
"who in novels characterized by visionary force and poetic import,
gives life to an essential aspect of American reality"  
  

Literature 1994
OE,  KENZABURO,  Japan,  * 1935:   
  
"who with poetic force creates an imagined world, where life and
myth condense to form a disconcerting picture of the  human predicament
today"  
  

Literature 1995
HEANEY, SEAMUS, Ireland, Dublin, Ireland, * 1939: 
  
"for works of lyrical beauty and ethical depth, which exalt everyday
miracles and the living past"


Literature 1996
SZYMBORSKA, WISLAWA, Poland, Cracow, Poland, * 1923: 
  
"for poetry that with ironic precision allows the historical and
biological context to come to light in fragments of human reality"
  

Literature 1997
FO, DARIO, Italy,  
  
"who emulates the jesters of the Middle Ages in scourging authority
and upholding the dignity of the downtrodden" 
  
Copyright c 1997 The Nobel Foundation
