Nobel Prize in
Literature Winners 1998-1901
1998
JOSE SARAMAGO who with parables sustained by imagination,
compassion and irony continually enables us once again to apprehend an elusory
reality.
1997
DARIO FO who emulates the jesters of the Middle Ages
in scourging authority and upholding the dignity of the downtrodden.
1996
WISLAWA
SZYMBORSKA for poetry that with ironic precision allows the
historical and biological context to come to light in fragments of human
reality.
1995
SEAMUS HEANEY
for works of lyrical beauty and ethical depth, which exalt everyday miracles
and the living past.
1994
KENZABURO OE
who with poetic force creates an imagined world, where life and myth condense
to form a disconcerting picture of the human predicament today.
1993
TONI MORRISON
who in novels characterized by visionary force and poetic import, gives life to
an essential aspect of American reality.
1992
DEREK WALCOTT
for a poetic oeuvre of great luminosity, sustained by a historical vision, the
outcome of a multicultural commitment.
1991
NADINE
GORDIMER who through her magnificent epic writing has - in the
words of Alfred Nobel - been of very great benefit to humanity.
1990
OCTAVIO PAZ
for impassioned writing with wide horizons, characterized by sensuous
intelligence and humanistic integrity.
1989
CAMILO JOSÉ
CELA for a rich and intensive prose, which with restrained
compassion forms a challenging vision of man's vulnerability.
1988
NAGUIB
MAHFOUZ who, through works rich in nuance-now clearsightedly
realistic, now evocatively ambigous-has formed an Arabian narrative art that
applies to all mankind.
1987
JOSEPH
BRODSKY for an all-embracing authorship, imbued with clarity of
thought and poetic intensity.
1986
WOLE SOYINKA
who in a wide cultural perspective and with poetic overtones fashions the drama
of existence.
1985
CLAUDE SIMON
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.
1984
JAROSLAV
SEIFERT for his poetry which endowed with freshness, sensuality
and rich inventiveness provides a liberating image of the indomitable spirit
and versatility of man.
1983
SIR WILLIAM
GOLDING 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.
1982
GABRIEL
GARCÍA MÁRQUEZ 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.
1981
ELIAS CANETTI
for writings marked by a broad outlook, a wealth of ideas and artistic power.
1980
CZESLAW
MILOSZ who with uncompromising clear-sightedness voices man's
exposed condition in a world of severe conflicts.
1979
ODYSSEUS
ELYTIS (pen-name of ODYSSEUS
ALEPOUDHELIS ), 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.
1978
ISAAC
BASHEVIS SINGER for his impassioned narrative art which, with
roots in a Polish-Jewish cultural tradition, brings universal human conditions
to life.
1977
VICENTE
ALEIXANDRE 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.
1976
SAUL BELLOW
for the human understanding and subtle analysis of contemporary culture that
are combined in his work.
1975
EUGENIO
MONTALE for his distinctive poetry which, with great artistic
sensitivity, has interpreted human values under the sign of an outlook on life
with no illusions.
1974
The prize was divided equally
between:
EYVIND
JOHNSON for a narrative art, farseeing in lands and ages, in the
service of freedom.
HARRY
MARTINSON for writings that catch the dewdrop and reflect the
cosmos.
1973
PATRICK WHITE
for an epic and psychological narrative art which has introduced a new
continent into literature.
1972
HEINRICH BÖLL
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.
1971
PABLO NERUDA
for a poetry that with the action of an elemental force brings alive a
continent's destiny and dreams.
1970
ALEKSANDR
ISAEVICH SOLZHENITSYN for the ethical force with which he has
pursued the indispensable traditions of Russian literature.
1969
SAMUEL
BECKETT for his writing, which - in new forms for the novel and
drama - in the destitution of modern man acquires its elevation.
1968
YASUNARI
KAWABATA for his narrative mastery, which with great sensibility
expresses the essence of the Japanese mind.
1967
MIGUEL ANGEL
ASTURIAS for his vivid literary achievement, deep-rooted in the
national traits and traditions of Indian peoples of Latin America.
1966
The prize was divided equally
between:
SHMUEL YOSEF
AGNON for his profoundly characteristic narrative art with motifs
from the life of the Jewish people.
NELLY SACHS
for her outstanding lyrical and dramatic writing, which interprets Israel's
destiny with touching strength.
1965
MICHAIL
ALEKSANDROVICH SHOLOKHOV 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.
1964
JEAN-PAUL
SARTRE for his work which, rich in ideas and filled with the
spirit of freedom and the quest for truth, has exerted a farreaching influence
on our age. (Declined the prize.)
1963
GIORGOS
SEFERIS (pen-name of GIORGOS
SEFERIADIS ), for his eminent lyrical writing, inspired by a deep
feeling for the Hellenic world of culture.
1962
JOHN
STEINBECK for his realistic and imaginative writings, combining as
they do sympathetic humour and keen social perception.
1961
IVO ANDRI´C
for the epic force with which he has traced themes and depicted human destinies
drawn from the history of his country.
1960
SAINT-JOHN
PERSE (pen-name of ALEXIS LÉGER
), for the soaring flight and the evocative imagery of his poetry which in a
visionary fashion reflects the conditions of our time.
1959
SALVATORE
QUASIMODO for his lyrical poetry, which with classical fire
expresses the tragic experience of life in our own times.
1958
BORIS
LEONIDOVICH PASTERNAK 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.)
1957
ALBERT CAMUS
for his important literary production, which with clear-sighted earnestness
illuminates the problems of the human conscience in our times.
1956
JUAN RAMÓN
JIMÉNEZ for his lyrical poetry, which in Spanish language
constitutes an example of high spirit and artistical purity.
1955
HALLDÓR
KILJAN LAXNESS for his vivid epic power which has renewed the
great narrative art of Iceland.
1954
ERNEST MILLER
HEMINGWAY 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.
1953
SIR WINSTON
LEONARD SPENCER CHURCHILL for his mastery of historical and
biographical description as well as for brilliant oratory in defending exalted
human values.
1952
FRANÇOIS
MAURIAC for the deep spiritual insight and the artistic intensity
with which he has in his novels penetrated the drama of human life.
1951
PÄR FABIAN
LAGERKVIST 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.
1950
EARL BERTRAND
ARTHUR WILLIAM RUSSELL in recognition of his varied and
significant writings in which he champions humanitarian ideals and freedom of
thought.
1949
WILLIAM
FAULKNER for his powerful and artistically unique contribution to
the modern American novel.
1948
THOMAS
STEARNS ELIOT for his outstanding, pioneer contribution to
present-day poetry.
1947
ANDRÉ PAUL
GUILLAUME GIDE 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.
1946
HERMANN HESSE
for his inspired writings which, while growing in boldness and penetration,
exemplify the classical humaitarian ideals and high qualities of style.
1945
GABRIELA
MISTRAL (pen-name of LUCILA GODOY
Y ALCA-YAGA ), 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.
1944
JOHANNES
VILHELM JENSEN 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.
The
prize money was allocated to the Main Fund (1/3) and to the Special Fund (2/3)
of this prize section.
1939
FRANS EEMIL
SILLANPÄÄ 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.
1938
PEARL BUCK
(pen-name of PEARL
WALSH née SYDENSTRICKER ), for her rich and truly
epic descriptions of peasant life in China and for her biographical
masterpieces.
1937
ROGER MARTIN
DU GARD for the artistic power and truth with which he has
depicted human conflict as well as some fundamental aspects of contemporary
life in his novelcycle Les Thibault.
1936
EUGENE
GLADSTONE O'NEILL for the power, honesty and deep-felt emotions of
his dramatic works, which embody an original concept of tragedy.
1935
The prize money was allocated to the
Main Fund (1/3) and to the Special Fund (2/3) of this prize section.
1934
LUIGI
PIRANDELLO for his bold and ingenious revival of dramatic and
scenic art.
1933
IVAN
ALEKSEYEVICH BUNIN for the strict artistry with which he has
carried on the classical Russian traditions in prose writing.
1932
JOHN
GALSWORTHY for his distinguished art of narration which takes its
highest form in The Forsythe Saga.
1931
ERIK AXEL
KARLFELDT The poetry of Erik Axel Karlfeldt.
1930
SINCLAIR
LEWIS for his vigorous and graphic art of description and his
ability to create, with wit and humour, new types of characters.
1929
THOMAS MANN
principially for his great novel, Buddenbrooks, which has won steadily
increased recognition as one of the classic works of contemporary literature.
1928
SIGRID UNDSET
principially for her powerful descriptions of Northern life during the Middle
Ages.
1927
HENRI BERGSON
in recognition of his rich and vitalizing ideas and the brillant skill with
which they have been presented.
1926
GRAZIA
DELEDDA (pen-name of GRAZIA
MADESANI née DELEDDA)
, 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.
1925
GEORGE
BERNARD SHAW for his work which is marked by both idealism and
humanity, its stimulating satire often being infused with a singular poetic
beauty.
1924
WLADYSLAW
STANISLAW REYMONT (pen-name of REYMENT
), for his great national epic, The Peasants.
1923
WILLIAM
BUTLER YEATS for his always inspired poetry, which in a highly
artistic form gives expression to the spirit of a whole nation.
1922
JACINTO
BENAVENTE for the happy manner in which he has continued the
illustrious traditions of the Spanish drama.
1921
ANATOLE
FRANCE (pen-name of JACQUES
ANATOLE THIBAULT ), 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.
1920
KNUT PEDERSEN
HAMSUN for his monumental work, Growth of the Soil.
1919
CARL
FRIEDRICH GEORG SPITTELER in special appreciation of his epic,
Olympian Spring.
1918
The prize money for 1918 was
allocated to the Special Fund of this prize section.
1917
The prize was divided equally between:
KARL ADOLPH
GJELLERUP for his varied and rich poetry, which is inspired by
lofty ideals.
HENRIK
PONTOPPIDAN for his authentic descriptions of present-day life in
Denmark.
1916
CARL GUSTAF
VERNER VON HEIDENSTAM in recognition of his significance as the
leading representative of a new era in our literature.
1915
ROMAIN
ROLLAND 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.
1914
The prize money for 1914 was
allocated to the Special Fund of this prize section.
1913
RABINDRANATH
TAGORE 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.
1912
GERHART
JOHANN ROBERT HAUPTMANN primarily in recognition of his fruitful,
varied and outstanding production in the realm of dramatic art.
1911
COUNT MAURICE
(MOORIS) POLIDORE MARIE BERNHARD MAETERLINCK , in appreciation of
his manysided 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.
1910
PAUL JOHANN
LUDWIG HEYSE 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.
1909
SELMA OTTILIA
LOVISA LAGERLÖF in appreciation of the lofty idealism, vivid
imagination and spiritual perception that characterize her writings.
1908
RUDOLF
CHRISTOPH EUCKEN 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.
1907
RUDYARD
KIPLING 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.
1906
GIOSUÈ
CARDUCCI 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.
1905
HENRYK
SIENKIEWICZ because of his outstanding merits as an epic writer.
1904
The prize was divided equally
between:
FRÉDÉRIC
MISTRAL 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 Provençal philologist.
JOSÉ
ECHEGARAY Y EIZAGUIRRE in recognition of the numerous and
brilliant compositions which, in an individual and original manner, have
revived the great traditions of the Spanish drama.
1903
BJØRNSTJERNE
MARTINUS BJØRNSON 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.
1902
CHRISTIAN
MATTHIAS THEODOR MOMMSEN the greatest living master of the art of
historical writing, with special reference to his monumental work, A history of
Rome.
1901
SULLY
PRUDHOMME (pen-name of RENÉ FRANÇOIS
ARMAND ), 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.