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Nobel Prize for Literature
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2002 Imre Kertesz, of Hungary, has been awarded The Nobel Prize for Literature
"The highest prize should no doubt be awarded to the members of the Swedish Academy, for having had the courage this year to award the Nobel Prize to a jester." Dario Fo, Nobel Lecture 1997
2001 V. S. Naipul, Great Britain (born in Trinidad 1932) | Works Language: English
2000 Gao Xingjian China, Drama and Prose (1940-) Nobel Lecture | Works in Translation Language: Chinese
1999 Gunter Grass Germany, Fiction (1927-) Nobel Lecture | The Works of Gunter Grass Language: German
1998 Jose Saramago Portugal, Fiction (1922-) Nobel Lecture | The Works of Saramago Language: Portuguese
1997 Dario Fo Italy, Drama (1926-) Nobel Lecture | The Works of Dario Fo Language: Italian
1996 Wislawa Szymborska Poland, Poetry (1923-) Language: Polish
1995 Seamus Heaney Northern Ireland, Poetry (1939-) Language: English Nobel Lecture | Poetry by Heaney
1994 Kenzaburo Oe Japan, Fiction (1935-) Language: Japanese
1993 Toni Morrison (pseudonym of Chloe Wofford) United States, Fiction (1931-) Language: English | Nobel Lecture | Works of Toni Morrison
1992 Derek Walcott St Lucia, Poetry and Drama (1930-) Language: English | Nobel Lecture | Works by Derek Walcott
1991 Nadine Gordimer South Africa, Fiction (1923-) Language: English | Nobel Lecture | The Works of Gordimer
1990 Octavio Paz Mexico, Poetry and Criticism (1914-1998) Language: Spanish
1989 Camilo Jose Cela Spain, Fiction (1916-2002) Language: Spanish Cela is best known for his works The Family of Pascual Duarte | Paperback and The Hive | Paperback
1988 Naguib Mahfouz Egypt, Fiction (1911-) Language: Arabic
1987 Joseph Brodsky USSR-USA, Poetry (1940-1996) Language: Russian
1986 Wole Soyinka Nigeria, Fiction and Drama (1934-) Language: English | Nobel Lecture | Works of Wole Soyinka
1985 Claude Simon France, Fiction (1913-) Language: French
1984 Jaroslav Seifert Czechoslovakia, Poetry (1901-1986) Language: Czechoslovakian Nobel Lecture | Works of Seifert Translated
1983 William Golding Britain, Fiction (1911-1993) Language: English | Biography | Nobel Lecture | List of Works
1982 Gabriel García Márquez Colombia, Fiction (1928-) Language: Spanish
1981 Elias Canetti Bulgaria-Austria-Britain, Fiction and Essays (1905-1994) Language: German
1980 Czeslaw Milosz Poland-United States, Poetry (1911-) Language: Polish
1979 Odysseus Elytis (Odysseus Alepoudhelis) Greece, Poetry (1911-1996) Language: Greek | Nobel Lecture | Works in Translation
1978 Isaac Bashevis Singer Poland-United States, Fiction (1904-1991) Language: Yiddish
1977 Vicente Aleixandre Spain, Poetry (1898-1984) Language: Spanish
1976 Saul Bellow USA, Fiction (1915-) Language: English | Nobel Lecture | Works
1975 Eugenio Montale Italy, Poetry (1896-1981) Language: Italian
1974 (shared) Eyvind Johnson Sweden, Fiction (1900-1976) Language: Swedish Works of Eyvind Johnson and Harry Edmund Martinson Sweden, Fiction and Poetry (1904-1978) Language: Swedish Writings of Harry Martinson
1973 Patrick White Australia, Fiction (1912-1990) Language: English | Autobiography | Bibliography | Nobel Press Release 1973
1972 Heinrich Böll Germany, Fiction (1917-1985) Language: German
1971 Pablo Neruda (Ricardo Reyes y Basoalto) Chile, Poetry (1904-1973) Language: Spanish
1970 Aleksandr Isaevich Solzhenitsyn USSR, Fiction (1918-) Language: Russian
1969 Samuel Beckett Ireland-France, Fiction and Drama (1906-1989) Language: English | Biographical Information | Bibliography | Prize Presentation by the Swedish Academy
1968 Yasunari Kawabata Japan, Fiction (1899-1972) Language: Japanese
1967 Miguel Angel Asturias Guatemala, Fiction (1899-1974) Language: Spanish
1966 Samuel Joseph Agnon (Shmuel Czaczkes) Israel, Fiction (1888-1970) Language: Hebrew Agnon has been incorrectly reported as one who refused the prize. Acceptance Speech and Nelly Sachs Germany-Sweden, Poetry (1891-1970) Language: German
1965 Mikhail Sholokhov USSR, Fiction (1905-1984) Language: Russian
1964 Jean-Paul Sartre France, honored for Fiction, Drama and Philosophy. (1905-1980) Language: French - The only honoree to turn down the prize voluntarily. Sartre refused the Nobel Prize for literature on the grounds that such honors could interfere with a writer's responsibilities to his readers.
1963
Giorgios Seferis (pseudonym Giorgos Seferiadis) Greece, Poetry
(1900-1971) Language: Greek
Nobel Lecture The works of Seferis are
Out of Print
1962 John Steinbeck United States, Fiction (1902-1968) Language: English | Nobel Acceptance Speech | Novels John Steinbeck Centennial Collection Boxed Set
1961 Ivo Andric Yugoslavia, Fiction (1892-1975) Andric wrote in the Serbo-Croatian language
1960 St-John Perse (Alexis St. Léger) France, Poetry (1887-1975) Language: French
1959 Salvatore Quasimodo Italy, Poetry (1901-1968) Language: Italian
1958 Boris Pasternak USSR, Poetry and Fiction (1890-1960) Language: Russian - Pasternak was forced by the Soviet Government to refuse The Nobel for Literature Award.
1957 Albert Camus France, Fiction and Criticism (1913-1960) Language: French
1956 Juan Ramón Jiménez Spain, Poetry (1881-1958) Language: Spanish
1955 Halidór Kiljian Laxness (pseudonym of Halldor Gudjonsson) Iceland, Fiction (1902-1998) Language: Icelandic
1954 Ernest Miller Hemingway United States, Fiction (1899-1961) Language: English
1953
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill Britain, History (1874-1965)
Language: English |
Churchill in His Own Voice
1952 Francois Mauriac France, Fiction (1885-1970) Language: French
1951 Pär Lagerkvist Sweden, Fiction and Drama (1891-1974) Language: Swedish
1950 Bertrand Russell Great Britain, Philosophy (1899-1961) Language: English | Nobel Acceptance Speech | Bibliography | Prize Presentation | Biography | Russell's Paradox
1949 William Faulkner United States, Fiction (1897-1962) Language: English Two time winner of both the National Book Award and The Pulitzer Prize for Literature and, also, chosen as a Nobel Laureate. He has had the honor of an award, The PEN/Faulkner, being named for him. Nobel Acceptance Speech | Works by Faulkner
1948 T. S. Eliot (Thomas Stearns Eliot) United States-Britain, Poetry (1888-1965) Language: English | Nobel Lecture Literature 1948 | Works by T S Eliot | Biography
1947 André Gide France, Fiction (1869-1951) Language: French
1946 Herman Hesse Germany-Switzerland, Fiction (1877-1962) Language: German
1945 Gabriela Mistral (pen-name of Lucila Godoy Alcayaga) Chile, Poetry (1889-1957) Language: French
1944 Johannes V. Jensen Denmark, Fiction (1873-1950) Language: Danish
1943 -1940 No Nobel Award Given
1939 Frans Eemil Sillanpää Finland, Fiction (1888-1964) Language: Finnish
1938 Pearl S. Buck (pseudonym Pearl Walsh née Sydenstricker) United States, Fiction (1892-1973) Language: English | Nobel Lecture | Acceptance Speech | Pearl S Buck Works | Biography
1937 Robert Martin du Gard France, Fiction (1881-1958) Language: French
1936 Eugene Gladstone O’Neill United States, Drama (1888-1953) Language: English
1935 Nobel Prize for Literature not Awarded
1934 Luigi Pirandello Italy, Drama and Fiction (1867-1936) Language: Italian
1933 Ivan G. Bunin Russia, Fiction (1870-1953) Language: Russian
1932 John Galsworthy Britain, Fiction and Drama (1867-1933) Language: English
1931 Erik A. Karlfeldt Sweden, Poetry (1864-1931) Language: Swedish
1930 Sinclair Lewis United States, Fiction (1885-1951) Language: English
1929 Thomas Mann Germany, Fiction (1875-1955) Language: German
1928 Sigrid Undset Norway, Fiction (1882-1949) Language: Norwegian
1927 Henri Bergson France, Philosophy (1859-1941) Language: French
1926 Grazia Deledda (pseudonym of Grazia Madesani) Italy, Fiction (1871-1936) Language: Italian
1925 George Bernard Shaw Ireland-Britain, Drama (1856-1950) Language: English
1924 Wladyslaw Reymount (Pen Name of Wladyslaw Rejment) Poland, Fiction (1867-1925) Language: Polish
1923 William Butler Yeats Ireland, Poetry (1865-1939) Language: English
1922 Jacinto Benavente y Martinez Spain, Drama (1866-1954) Language: Spanish
1921 Anatole France (a k a Jacques Anatole Thibault) France, Fiction (1844-1924) Language: French
1920 Knut Hamsun (pseudonym of Knud Hamsund) Norway, Fiction (1859-1952) Language: Norwegian
1919 Carl F. G. Spitteler Switzerland, Poetry (1845-1924) Language: German
1918 No Award
1917 Karl Gjellerup Denmark, Poetry (1857-1919) Danish and Henrik Pontoppidan Denmark, Fiction (1857-1943) Language: Danish
1916 Carl Verner von Heidenstam Sweden, Poetry and Fiction (1859-1940) Language: Swedish
1915 Romain Rolland France, Fiction (1866-1944) Language: French
1914 No Award
1913 Rabindranath Tagore India, Poetry (1861-1941) Language: Bengali - but! was honored by the Nobel Committee for works in translation
1912 Gerhart Hauptmann Germany, Drama (1862-1946) Language: German
1911 Count Maurice Polydore Marie Bernard Maeterlinck Belgium, Poetry and Drama (1862-1949) Language: French
1910 Paul J. L. Heyse Germany, Poetry Drama and Fiction (1830-1914) Language: German
1909 Selma Lagerlöf Sweden, Fiction (1858-1940) Language: Swedish
1908 Rudolf Eucken Germany, Philosophy (1846-1926) Language: German
1907 Rudyard Kipling Britain, Poetry and Fiction (1865-1936) Language: English
1906 Giusuè Carducci Italy, Poetry (1835-1907) Language: Italian
1905 Henryk Sienkiewicz Poland, Fiction (1846-1916) Language: Polish
1904 Frédéric Mistral France, Poetry (1830-1914) Spanish and José Echegary y Eizaguirre Spain, Drama (1832-1916) Language: Spanish
1903 Björnstjerne Björnson Norway, Poetry (1832-1910) Language: Norwegian
1902 C. M. Theodor Mommsen Germany, history (1817-1903) Language: German
1901 Sully Prudhomme (a.k.a. René F. A. Sully-Prudhomme, Rene Francois Armand) France, Poetry (1839-1907) Language: French
Note: Countries are determined not by birth, residence or place of education but rather where the bulk of the laureates work was written. Writers sometimes divide their time between countries. This is noted by the Nobel committee.
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