# 1962 Nobel Prize in Literature

The 1962 Nobel Prize in Literature was awarded to the American author John Steinbeck (1902–1968) "for his realistic and imaginative writings, combining as they do sympathetic humour and keen social perception."

## Laureate

Social conditions of migrants and seasonal workers became a recurring theme in Steinbeck's writings and were particularly evident in Of Mice and Men (1937) and The Grapes of Wrath (1939). The latter relates how unemployment and abuse of power forced farmers to migrate from Oklahoma to California. Sympathy with the downtrodden and the poor characterizes his writing. It is expressed with a compassionate sense of humor and a sharp eye for social and economic injustices. His other outstanding works include East of Eden (1952), Tortilla Flat (1935) and The Pearl (1947).

## Deliberations
### Nominations

Steinbeck was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature on 11 occasions, the first time in 1943. In 1962, the Nobel committee received two nominations for him. Included in the shortlisted nominees were Steinbeck, Robert Graves, Lawrence Durrell, Jean Anouilh, and Karen Blixen. Steinbeck was awarded eventually, but the four never received the prize.
In total, the Swedish Academy received 86 nominations for 66 writers. Fifteen of the nominees were nominated first-time among them William Heinesen, Pietro Ubaldi, Ronald Syme, Carl Zuckmayer, André Schwarz-Bart, Josep Carner and Eyvind Johnson (awarded in 1974). British novelist E. M. Forster earned the highest number of nominations (4 nominations) followed by Jean-Paul Sartre and Friedrich Dürrenmatt (3 nominations each). Three of the nominees were women namely Karen Blixen, Gertrud von le Fort and Giulia Scappino Murena.
The authors Antonio Acevedo Hernández, Gerrit Achterberg, Richard Aldington, Jean Amrouche, Georges Bataille, Pierre Benoit, E. E. Cummings, Maria Dermoût, Jean Devanny, Mouloud Feraoun, Wilfrid Wilson Gibson, Mary Gilmore, Patrick Hamilton, Pierre Hamp, Agnes Henningsen, Robinson Jeffers, Helge Krog, Alda Lara, María Rosa Lida de Malkiel, Arthur Oncken Lovejoy, Francisco Méndez, Patrícia Rehder Galvão (known as Pagu), Vita Sackville-West, Hajime Tanabe, Ahmet Hamdi Tanpınar, Sandu Tudor, Mohammad Yamin, and Ouyang Yuqian died in 1962 without having been nominated for the prize. Danish author Karen Blixen and German translator Rudolf Alexander Schröder died weeks before the announcement.
Official list of nominees and their nominators for the prize :
| No. | Nominee | Country | Genre(s) | Nominator(s) |
| 1 | Jean Anouilh (1910–1987) | France | drama, screenplay, translation | Harry Martinson (1904–1978) |
| 2 | Karen Blixen (1885–1962) | Denmark | novel, short story, memoir | Henry Olsson (1896–1985) |
| 3 | Heinrich Böll (1917–1985) | West Germany | novel, short story | Duncan Mennie (1909–1998)Gustav Korlén (1915–2014) |
| 4 | Jorge Luis Borges (1899–1986) | Argentina | poetry, essays, translation, short story | Henry Olsson (1896–1985) |
| 5 | Martin Buber (1878–1965) | Austria Israel | philosophy | Michael Landmann (1913–1984)Elias Wessén (1889–1981) |
| 6 | Josep Carner (1884–1970) | Spain | poetry, drama, translation | Jean Camp (1891–1968) |
| 7 | Franz Theodor Csokor (1885–1969) | Austria | drama, essays, poetry, autobiography | The Austrian PEN-Club |
| 8 | Lawrence Durrell (1912–1990) | United Kingdom | novel, short story, poetry, drama, essays | Wolfgang Iser (1926–2007)Erich Burck (1901–1994) |
| 9 | Friedrich Dürrenmatt (1921–1990) | Switzerland | drama, novel, short story, essays | Friedrich Sengle (1909–1994)Jean-Pierre Schmid (1920–1977)Bjarne Ulvestad (1922–2004) |
| 10 | Johan Falkberget (1879–1967) | Norway | novel, short story, essays | Johannes Andreasson Dale (1898–1975) |
| 11 | Edward Morgan Forster (1879–1970) | United Kingdom | novel, short story, drama, essays, biography, literary criticism | Kurt Wais (1907–1995)Simeon Potter (1898–1976)The English PEN-ClubKenneth Muir (1907–1996) |
| 12 | Max Frisch (1911–1991) | Switzerland | novel, drama | Hildebrecht Hommel (1899–1986)Johannes Holthusen (1924–1985) |
| 13 | Robert Frost (1874–1963) | United States | poetry, drama | Clive Staples Lewis (1898–1963) |
| 14 | Rómulo Gallegos (1884–1969) | Venezuela | novel, short story | Rudolf Grossmann (1892–1980) |
| 15 | Robert Graves (1895–1985) | United Kingdom | history, novel, poetry, literary criticism, essays | Harry Martinson (1904–1978) |
| 16 | Graham Greene (1904–1991) | United Kingdom | novel, short story, autobiography, essays | Robert Niklaus (1910–2001)Frede Løkkegaard (1915–1990) |
| 17 | Jorge Guillén (1893–1984) | Spain | poetry, literary criticism | Georges Poulet (1902–1991) |
| 18 | Leslie Poles Hartley (1895–1972) | United Kingdom | novel, short story | Geoffrey Tillotson (1905–1969) |
| 19 | Manfred Hausmann (1898–1986) | West Germany | novel, short story, poetry, essays | Heinrich Dörrie (1911–1983) |
| 20 | William Heinesen (1900–1991) | Faroe Islands | poetry, short story, novel | Christian Matras (1900–1988) |
| 21 | Taha Hussein (1889–1973) | Egypt | novel, short story, poetry, translation | Olle Hedberg (1899–1974)Henrik Samuel Nyberg (1889–1974) |
| 22 | Roman Jakobson (1896–1982) | Russia United States | essays | Peter Hartmann (1923–1984) |
| 23 | Eyvind Johnson (1900–1976) | Sweden | novel, short story | Carl-Eric Thors (1920–1986) |
| 24 | Erich Kästner (1899–1974) | West Germany | poetry, screenplay, autobiography | Friedrich Sengle (1909–1994)Henry Olsson (1896–1985) |
| 25 | Yasunari Kawabata (1899–1972) | Japan | novel, short story | The Japanese PEN-Club |
| 26 | Humphrey Davy Findley Kitto (1897–1982) | United Kingdom | history | William Beare (1933–2019) |
| 27 | Miroslav Krleža (1893–1981) | Yugoslavia | poetry, drama, short story, novel, essays | The Yugoslavian Writers Association |
| 28 | Frank Raymond Leavis (1895–1978) | United Kingdom | literary criticism, essays | Cecil Arthur Hackett (1908–2000) |
| 29 | André Malraux (1901–1976) | France | novel, essays, literary criticism | John Martin Cocking (1914–1986)Ingvar Andersson (1899–1974) |
| 30 | Gabriel Marcel (1889–1973) | France | philosophy, drama | Leo Gabriel (1902–1987)Harald Weinrich (1927–2022) |
| 31 | William Somerset Maugham (1874–1965) | United Kingdom | novel, short story, drama, essays | Richard Broxton Onians (1899–1986) |
| 32 | Max Mell (1882–1971) | Austria | drama, novel, screenplay | Moritz Enzinger (1891–1975) |
| 33 | Ramón Menéndez Pidal (1869–1968) | Spain | philology, history | Academia Boliviana de la LenguaGunnar Tilander (1894–1973) |
| 34 | Vilhelm Moberg (1898–1973) | Sweden | novel, drama, history | Gösta Bergman (1894–1984) |
| 35 | Alberto Moravia (1907–1990) | Italy | novel, literary criticism, essays, drama | Ingmar Bergman (1918–2007) |
| 36 | Stratis Myrivilis (1890–1969) | Greece | novel, short story | Writers Association of the Hellenes |
| 37 | Pablo Neruda (1904–1973) | Chile | poetry | The Chilean Authors Society |
| 38 | Junzaburō Nishiwaki (1894–1982) | Japan | poetry, literary criticism | Naoshiro Tsuji (1899–1979) |
| 39 | Hans Erich Nossack (1901–1977) | West Germany | novel, drama | Josef Math (?) |
| 40 | Seán O'Casey (1880–1964) | Ireland | drama, memoir | Geoffrey Tillotson (1905–1969) |
| 41 | Ezra Pound (1885–1972) | United States | poetry, essays | Karl Ragnar Gierow (1904–1982) |
| 42 | John Cowper Powys (1872–1963) | United Kingdom | philosophy, novel, literary criticism, poetry, essays, short story | George Wilson Knight (1897–1985) |
| 43 | Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan (1888–1975) | India | philosophy, essays, law | Arthur John Arberry (1905–1969)Nirmal Kumar Sidhanta (1929–2014) |
| 44 | Aksel Sandemose (1899–1965) | Denmark Norway | novel, essays | Eyvind Johnson (1900–1976) |
| 45 | Jean-Paul Sartre (1905–1980) | France | philosophy, novel, drama, essays, screenplay | Cecil Arthur Hackett (1908–2000)Stephen Ullmann (1914–1976)Johannes Edfelt (1904–1997) |
| 46 | Giulia Scappino Murena (1902–1967) | Italy | poetry | Alfredo Galletti (1872–1962) |
| 47 | Rudolf Alexander Schröder (1878–1962) | West Germany | poetry, translation | Ernst Zinn (1910–1990) |
| 48 | André Schwarz-Bart (1928–2006) | France | novel | Ingerid Dal (1895–1985) |
| 49 | Giorgos Seferis (1900–1971) | Greece | poetry, memoir, essays | Constantine Athanasius Trypanis (1909–1993)Eyvind Johnson (1900–1976) |
| 50 | Mikhail Sholokhov (1905–1984) | Soviet Union | novel | Henrik Becker (1902–1984) |
| 51 | Ignazio Silone (1900–1978) | Italy | novel, short story, essays, drama | Elias Wessén (1889–1981) |
| 52 | John Steinbeck (1902–1968) | United States | novel, short story, screenplay | The Danish PEN-ClubEyvind Johnson (1900–1976) |
| 53 | Ronald Syme (1903–1989) | New Zealand United Kingdom | history | Albrecht Dihle (1923–2020) |
| 54 | Jun'ichirō Tanizaki (1886–1965) | Japan | novel, short story | Howard Hibbett (1920–2019) |
| 55 | Frank Thiess (1890–1977) | West Germany | novel | Helmuth Scheel (1895–1967) |
| 56 | Miguel Torga (1907–1995) | Portugal | poetry, short story, novel, drama, autobiography | Hernâni Antonio Cidade (1887–1975) |
| 57 | Pietro Ubaldi (1886–1972) | Italy | philosophy, essays | Academia Santista de Letras |
| 58 | Tarjei Vesaas (1897–1970) | Norway | poetry, novel | Sigmund Skard (1903–1995) |
| 59 | Simon Vestdijk (1898–1971) | Netherlands | novel, poetry, essays, translation | The Austrian PEN-Club |
| 60 | Heimito von Doderer (1896–1966) | Austria | novel, short story, poetry, essays | Ernst Alker (1895–1972)The Austrian PEN-Club |
| 61 | Gertrud von Le Fort (1876–1971) | West Germany | novel, short story, essays, poetry | Friedrich von der Leyen (1873–1966) |
| 62 | Arthur David Waley (1889–1966) | United Kingdom | translation, essays | David Hawkes (1923–2009) |
| 63 | Thornton Wilder (1897–1975) | United States | drama, novel, short story | Peter Wapnewski (1922–2012) |
| 64 | Boris Zaytsev (1881–1972) | Russia | poetry, drama, novel | Rostislav Pletnv (1903–1985) |
| 65 | Carl Zuckmayer (1896–1977) | West Germany | drama, screenplay | Rudolf Stark (1912–1966) |
| 66 | Arnold Zweig (1887–1968) | East Germany | novel, short story | Henrik Becker (1902–1984) |

### Prize Decision

In 2012 (50 years later), the Nobel Prize opened its archives and it was revealed that Steinbeck was a "compromise choice" among a shortlist consisting of Steinbeck, British authors Robert Graves and Lawrence Durrell, French dramatist Jean Anouilh and Danish author Karen Blixen. The declassified documents showed that he was chosen as the best of a not so noteworthy group: "There aren't any obvious candidates for the Nobel prize and the prize committee is in an unenviable situation," wrote committee member Henry Olsson. Blixen died in September making her ineligible for the prize, Durrell's The Alexandria Quartet was not considered enough for a Nobel prize and Anouilh was also passed over, which left Robert Graves and John Steinbeck as the main contenders for the prize. "Between Graves and Steinbeck, I find the choice very difficult – Graves is the older, and at the same time less high profile, while Steinbeck's reputation is of course more popular," wrote comittee member Anders Österling. "Since Steinbeck's candidacy nevertheless appears to me to have a larger chance of gathering unqualified support, I consider myself free to give it precedence."
Although the committee believed Steinbeck's best work was behind him by 1962, Österling believed the release of his novel The Winter of Our Discontent showed that "after some signs of slowing down in recent years, [Steinbeck has] regained his position as a social truth-teller [and is an] authentic realist fully equal to his predecessors Sinclair Lewis and Ernest Hemingway."
In 2010, Swedish Academy's archives later revealed that Danish writer Karen Blixen was a favorite candidate since 1959 but was missed out because the committee were concerned about showing favoritism to Scandinavian writers. "The Nobel academy was probably afraid to appear provincial," Johannes Riis, literary director at Gyldendals publishing house told Politiken. "And so a mistake was made, because obviously Karen Blixen ought to have received the Nobel prize. Instead, it was a kind of reverse provincialism."

## Reactions

The selection of Steinbeck was heavily criticized, and described as "one of the Academy's biggest mistakes" in one Swedish newspaper. While there were some positive reactions in America, The New York Times asked why the Nobel committee gave the award to an author whose "limited talent is, in his best books, watered down by tenth-rate philosophising", adding, "we think it interesting that the laurel was not awarded to a writer ... whose significance, influence and sheer body of work had already made a more profound impression on the literature of our age". Steinbeck himself, when asked if he deserved the Nobel on the day of the announcement, replied: "Frankly, no." Today, however, many of Steinbecks works are widely read and considered classics of Western literature.

## Award ceremony

At the award ceremony in Stockholm on 10 December 1962, Anders Österling, permanent secretary of the Swedish Academy, said:
   Among the masters of modern American literature who have already been awarded this Prize – from Sinclair Lewis to Ernest Hemingway – Steinbeck more than holds his own, independent in position and achievement. There is in him a strain of grim humour which, to some extent, redeems his often cruel and crude motif. His sympathies always go out to the oppressed, to the misfits and the distressed; he likes to contrast the simple joy of life with the brutal and cynical craving for money. But in him we find the American temperament also in his great feeling for nature, for the tilled soil, the wasteland, the mountains, and the ocean coasts, all an inexhaustible source of inspiration to Steinbeck in the midst of, and beyond, the world of human beings.