Nobel Prize for Literature: the good, the bad and the British - Telegraph Book news Nobel Prize for Literature: the good, the bad and the British As this year's recipient is set to be announced, we look back at some of the award's beloved, obscure and homegrown winners. Ernest Hemingway Photo: GETTY IMAGES The Italian playwright Dario Fo By Marie-Claire Chappet 10:55AM BST 09 Oct 2014 The 107th Nobel Prize for literature, the richest literary prize in the world, is awarded today. Over it's history, the prize has been awarded to works in over 25 different languages.There have been 10 British winners (including one British prime minister) four joint wins, 13 female recipients, one Yiddish winner and two writers who have declined the substantial prize. The award has not been without controversy, with prominent and successful writers often rejected in favour of more obscure choices and selections often tainted by political bias. The Prize has, however, celebrated some of the finest literary output of the last century. The Popular: W.B.

Yeats (1923): The beloved Irish poet was awarded the prize "for his always inspired poetry, which in a highly artistic form gives expression to the spirit of a whole nation". Reflecting this, Yeats claimed that he accepted the award "less as an individual than as a representative of Irish literature." Ernest Hemingway (1954): One of the most significant writers of the twentieth-century, Hemingway was awarded his Prize in recognition of an individual work. The Old Man and the Sea (1951) was singled out as an example of his "mastery of the art of narrative." Related Articles 15 Apr 2015 Novelist Ernest Hemmingway Jean Paul Sartre (1964): Sartre was the second writer to decline a Nobel Prize, out of a habit of refusing all official honours. The first was Boris Pasternak in 1958 who initially accepted but then was forced to decline, under pressure from his native Soviet Union. Sartre refused as he felt it was wrong for a writer to turn himself into "an institution" yet was selected for having "exerted a far-reaching influence on our age".

Samuel Beckett (1969): The avant-garde playwright and novelist was honoured for his writing, which "in new forms for the novel and drama - in the destitution of modern man acquires its elevation". Playwright Samuel Beckett Gabriel Garcia Marquez (1982): The magic realist novelist, and auhor of the highly acclaimed One Hundred Years of Solitude (1967), was honoured 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". Wole Soyinka (1986): was the first African in Africa and in Diaspora to be honoured with a Nobel Prize for literature. The Nigerian writer was chosen for his works which "in a wide cultural perspective and with poetic overtones fashion the drama of existence". The Obscure: Elvyind Johnson and Harry Martinson (1974): The choice of the joint prize for these Swedish authors was an unpopular one. The Prize has long been criticised for favouring European authors, particularly authors from Sweden, as the award is granted by The Swedish Academy.

The relatively unknown Johnson and Martinson, who were both Nobel Prize judges, controversially beat Graham Greene and Vladimir Nabakov to the award. Dario Fo (1997): Viewed as one of the least worthy winners, Fo was primarily a performance artist who had been censored by the Roman Catholic Church. What made his selection even more unpopular was that he succeeded over other, more established, writers: Salman Rushdie and Arthur Miller. Rushdie's rejection was widely criticised and two academy members resigned over its refusal to support the writer after a fatwa was issued against him in 1989. The selection of Fo was defended by the academy, however, who awarded the prize on the grounds that Fo: "emulates the jesters of the Middle Ages in scourging authority and upholding the dignity of the downtrodden". Italian playwright Dario Fo Elfriede Jelenik (2004): Jelenik herself believed that she should not have received a Nobel Prize. She believed she had only been chosen for "being a woman" and praised her competitors instead.

A member of the Swedish Academy, Knut Ahnlud, shared Jelenik's belief and resigned over her selecton, claiming she had "done irreparable damage" to the prize. Herta Muller (2009): The academy believed that the Romanian-born German novelist was deserving of the award for she "with the concentration of poetry and the frankness of prose, depicts the landscape of the dispossessed". Others were not as convinced and the selection of Muller was heavily criticised for returning the award to its Eurocentric bias. The British: Ruyard Kipling (1907): The first British author to be awarded the prize, Kipling has become something of an institution. The prize was awarded "in consideration of the power of observation, originality of imagination, virility of ideas and remarkable talent for narration". Kipling remains the youngest Nobel Laureate for Literature, receiving his award at 42. Rudyard Kipling George Bernard Shaw (1925): The Irish-born writer has often been heralded as the most significant British dramatist since Shakespeare.

He was recognised: "for his work which is marked by both idealism and humanity, its stimulating satire often being infused with a singular poetic beauty." John Galsworthy (1932): The prize is typically awarded in recognition of a writer's life's work. On nine occasions, however, the prize was given to recognise a single piece. Galsworthy's The Forsythe Saga in 1932 was among these. T.S Eliot (1948): American-born Eliot, acclaimed poet and literary essayist, received the award in recognition of his "outstanding, pioneer contribution to present-day poetry." Bertrand Russell (1950): The philosopher and social critic was decorated for his humanitarian focus and his championing of "freedom of thought." Winston Churchill (1953): The only British prime minister to receive a Nobel Prize for Literature, recognised for his historical and biographical description, specifically in his works The Second World War and A History of the English Speaking Peoples.

Winston Churchill William Golding (1983): received the 1983 prize "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." V.S Naipaul (2001): the Trinidadian-British writer is best known for his focus upon the legacy and impact of British colonialism. He was recognised in 2001 for "incorruptible scrutiny in works that compel us to see the presence of suppressed histories". Harold Pinter (2005): The acclaimed and beloved playwright and screenwriter was honoured for his plays which force "entry into oppression's closed rooms". Doris Lessing (2007): The oldest recipient of the award, at 88, Lessing was named "that epicist of the female experience, who with scepticism, fire and visionary power has subjected a divided civilisation to scrutiny". She is one of twelve women to win the award, the first was Selma Lagerlof in 1909.

Doris Lessing, the oldest recipient of the Nobel Prize for Literature A List of Nobel Prize Winners in Literature graphic novels Updated September 09, 2016. When Swedish inventor Alfred Nobel died in 1896, he provided for five prizes in his will, including the Nobel Prize in Literature. The honor goes to writers who've produced "the most outstanding work in an ideal direction." Nobel's family, however, fought the provisions in the will, so five years would go by before the awards first went out. With this list, discover the writers who've lived up to Nobel's ideals every year from 1901 to the present. 1. 1901 - Sully Prudhomme (1837-1907) French writer. Original name Rene Francois Armand Prudhomme. Sully Prudhomme won the first Nobel Prize for Literature in 1901 "in special recognition of his poetic composition, which gives evidence of lofty idealism, artistic perfection and a rare combination of the qualities of both heart and intellect." 2. 1902 - Christian Matthias Theodor Mommsen (1817-1903) German-Nordic writer.

Christian Matthias Theodor Mommsen was referred to as "the greatest living master of the art of historical writing, with special reference to his monumental work, A History of Rome" when he received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1902. 3. 1903 - Bjørnstjerne Martinus Bjørnson (1832-1910) Norwegian writer. Bjørnstjerne Martinus Bjørnson received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1903 "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." 4. 1904 - Frédéric Mistral (1830-1914) & José Echegaray Y Eizaguirre (1832-1916) French writer. Besides many short poems, Frédéric Mistral wrote four verse romances. He also published a Provençal dictionary and wrote memoirs.

He received the 1904 Nobel Prize in Literature: "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." Spanish writer. José Echegaray Y Eizaguirre received the 1904 Nobel Prize in Literature "in recognition of the numerous and brilliant compositions which, in an individual and original manner, have revived the great traditions of the Spanish drama." 5. 1905 - Henryk Sienkiewicz (1846-1916) Polish writer. Henryk Sienkiewicz was awarded the 1905 Nobel Prize in Literature "because of his outstanding merits as an epic writer." Probably his most widely translated work is Quo Vadis? (1896), a study of Roman society in the time of the Emperor Nero. 6. 1906 Giosuè Carducci (1835-1907) Italian writer.

Professor of literature at the University of Bologna from 1860 to 1904, Giosuè Carducci was a scholar, editor, orator, critic and patriot. He was awarded the 1906 Nobel Prize in literature "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." 7. 1907 - Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936) British writer. Rudyard Kipling wrote novels, poems and short stories--mostly set in India and Burma (now known as Myanmar). He was the 1907 Nobel Prize Laureate in Literature "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." 8. 1908 - Rudolf Christoph Eucken (1846-1926) German writer.

Rudolf Christoph Eucken received the 1908 Nobel Prize in Literature "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." 9. 1909 - Selma Ottilia Lovisa Lagerlöf (1858-1940) Swedish writer. Selma Ottilia Lovisa Lagerlöf turned away from literary realism and wrote in a romantic and imaginative manner, vividly evoking the peasant life and landscape of Northern Sweden. She received the 1909 Nobel Prize in Literature "in appreciation of the lofty idealism, vivid imagination and spiritual perception that characterize her writings." 10. 1910 - Paul Johann Ludwig Heyse (1830-1914) German writer. Paul Johann Ludwig von Heyse was a German novelist, poet, and dramatist.

He received the 1910 Nobel Prize in Literature "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." Prev Nobel Prize in Literature - 2 | Britannica.com Nobel Prize in Literature any of the prizes (five in number until 1969, when a sixth was added) that are awarded annually from a fund bequeathed for that purpose by the Swedish inventor and industrialist Alfred Bernhard Nobel.... Displaying 1 - 100 of 114 results Agnon, S. Y. Israeli writer who was one of the leading modern Hebrew novelists and short-story writers. In 1966 he was the corecipient, with Nelly Sachs, of the Nobel Prize for Literature. Born of a family of Polish Jewish merchants, rabbis, and scholars, Agnon wrote... Aleixandre, Vicente Spanish poet, a member of the Generation of 1927, who received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1977. He was strongly influenced by the Surrealist technique of poetic composition.

Aleixandre was the son of a railway engineer. He studied law and business... Alexievich, Svetlana Belarusian journalist and prose writer, a Russian-language author of meticulously crafted works of depth and introspection that provided a compelling and uncompromising portrayal of the social and political upheaval within the Soviet Union from the postwar... Andrić, Ivo writer of novels and short stories in the Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian language, who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1961. Andrić studied in Poland and Austria. His potential as a writer of both prose and verse was recognized early, and his... Asturias, Miguel Ángel Guatemalan poet, novelist, and diplomat, winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1967 (see Nobel Lecture: “The Latin American Novel: Testimony of an Epoch”) and the Soviet Union’s Lenin Peace Prize in 1966. His writings, which combine the mysticism... Beckett, Samuel author, critic, and playwright, winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1969.

He wrote in both French and English and is perhaps best known for his plays, especially En attendant Godot (1952; Waiting for Godot). Life Samuel Beckett was born in a... Bellow, Saul American novelist whose characterizations of modern urban man, disaffected by society but not destroyed in spirit, earned him the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1976. Brought up in a Jewish household and fluent in Yiddish—which influenced his energetic... Benavente y Martínez, Jacinto one of the foremost Spanish dramatists of the 20th century, who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1922. He returned drama to reality by way of social criticism: declamatory verse giving way to prose, melodrama to comedy, formula to experience,... Bergson, Henri French philosopher, the first to elaborate what came to be called a process philosophy, which rejected static values in favour of values of motion, change, and evolution. He was also a master literary stylist, of both academic and popular appeal, and...

Bjørnson, Bjørnstjerne Martinius poet, dramatist, novelist, journalist, editor, public speaker, theatre director, and one of the most prominent public figures in the Norway of his day. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1903 and is generally known, together with Henrik... Böll, Heinrich German writer, winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1972. Böll’s ironic novels on the travails of German life during and after World War II capture the changing psychology of the German nation. The son of a cabinetmaker, Böll graduated from high... Brodsky, Joseph Russian-born American poet who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1987 for his important lyric and elegiac poems. Brodsky left school at age 15 and thereafter began to write poetry while working at a wide variety of jobs. He began to earn... Buck, Pearl S. American author noted for her novels of life in China. She received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1938. Pearl Sydenstricker was raised in Zhenjiang in eastern China by her Presbyterian missionary parents.

Initially educated by her mother and a Chinese... Bunin, Ivan Alekseyevich poet and novelist, the first Russian to receive the Nobel Prize for Literature (1933), and one of the finest of Russian stylists. Bunin, the descendant of an old noble family, spent his childhood and youth in the Russian provinces. He attended secondary... Camus, Albert French novelist, essayist, and playwright, best known for such novels as L’Étranger (1942; The Stranger), La Peste (1947; The Plague), and La Chute (1956; The Fall) and for his work in leftist causes. He received the 1957 Nobel Prize for Literature.... Canetti, Elias German-language novelist and playwright whose works explore the emotions of crowds, the psychopathology of power, and the position of the individual at odds with the society around him. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1981. Canetti was... Carducci, Giosuè Italian poet, winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1906, and one of the most influential literary figures of his age.

The son of a republican country doctor, Carducci spent his childhood in the wild Maremma region of southern Tuscany. He studied... Cela, Camilo José Spanish writer who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1989. He is perhaps best known for his novel La familia de Pascual Duarte (1942; The Family of Pascual Duarte) and is considered to have given new life to Spanish literature. His literary production—primarily... Churchill, Sir Winston British statesman, orator, and author who as prime minister (1940–45, 1951–55) rallied the British people during World War II and led his country from the brink of defeat to victory. After a sensational rise to prominence in national politics before... Deledda, Grazia novelist who was influenced by the verismo (“realism”) school in Italian literature. She was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1926. Deledda married very young and moved to Rome, where she lived quietly, frequently visiting her native Sardinia....

Dylan, Bob American folksinger who moved from folk to rock music in the 1960s, infusing the lyrics of rock and roll, theretofore concerned mostly with boy-girl romantic innuendo, with the intellectualism of classic literature and poetry. Hailed as the Shakespeare... Echegaray y Eizaguirre, José mathematician, statesman, and the leading Spanish dramatist of the last quarter of the 19th century. Along with the Provençal poet Frédéric Mistral, he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1904. A professor of mathematics in his early life,... Eliot, T. S. American-English poet, playwright, literary critic, and editor, a leader of the modernist movement in poetry in such works as The Waste Land (1922) and Four Quartets (1943). Eliot exercised a strong influence on Anglo-American culture from the 1920s... Elytis, Odysseus Greek poet and winner of the 1979 Nobel Prize for Literature.

Born the scion of a prosperous family from Lesbos, he abandoned the family name as a young man in order to dissociate his writing from the family soap business. Elytis studied law at Athens... Eucken, Rudolf Christoph German Idealist philosopher, winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature (1908), interpreter of Aristotle, and author of works in ethics and religion. Eucken studied at the University of Göttingen under the German thinker Rudolf Hermann Lotze, a teleological... Faulkner, William American novelist ffand short-story writer who was awarded the 1949 Nobel Prize for Literature. Youth and early writings As the eldest of the four sons of Murry Cuthbert and Maud Butler Falkner, William Faulkner (as he later spelled his name) was well... Fo, Dario Italian avant-garde playwright, manager-director, and actor-mime, who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1997. A theatrical caricaturist with a flair for social agitation, he often faced government censure. Fo’s first theatrical experience...

France, Anatole writer and ironic, skeptical, and urbane critic who was considered in his day the ideal French man of letters. He was elected to the French Academy in 1896 and was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1921. The son of a bookseller, he spent most... Galsworthy, John English novelist and playwright, winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1932. Galsworthy’s family, of Devonshire farming stock traceable to the 16th century, had made a comfortable fortune in property in the 19th century. His father was a solicitor.... Gao Xingjian Chinese émigré novelist, playwright, and critic who in 2000 was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature “for an oeuvre of universal validity, bitter insights and linguistic ingenuity.” He was also renowned as a stage director and as an artist. Gao was...

García Márquez, Gabriel Colombian novelist and one of the greatest writers of the 20th century, who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1982 (see Nobel Lecture: “The Solitude of Latin America”), mostly for his masterpiece Cien años de soledad (1967; One Hundred Years... Gide, André French writer, humanist, and moralist who received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1947. Heritage and youth Gide was the only child of Paul Gide and his wife, Juliette Rondeaux. His father was of southern Huguenot peasant stock; his mother, a Norman... Gjellerup, Karl Adolph Danish poet and novelist who shared the 1917 Nobel Prize for Literature with his compatriot Henrik Pontoppidan. The son of a parson, Gjellerup studied theology, although, after coming under the influence of Darwinism and the new radical ideas of the... Golding, Sir William English novelist who in 1983 won the Nobel Prize for Literature for his parables of the human condition. He attracted a cult of followers, especially among the youth of the post-World War II generation.

Educated at Marlborough Grammar School, where his... Gordimer, Nadine South African novelist and short-story writer whose major theme was exile and alienation. She received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1991. Gordimer was born into a privileged white middle-class family and began reading at an early age. By the age... Grass, Günter German poet, novelist, playwright, sculptor, and printmaker who, with his extraordinary first novel Die Blechtrommel (1959; The Tin Drum), became the literary spokesman for the German generation that grew up in the Nazi era and survived the war. In 1999... Hamsun, Knut Norwegian novelist, dramatist, poet, and winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1920. A leader of the Neoromantic revolt at the turn of the century, he rescued the novel from a tendency toward excessive naturalism. Of peasant origin, Hamsun spent... Hauptmann, Gerhart German playwright, poet, and novelist who was a recipient of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1912.

Hauptmann was born in a then-fashionable Silesian resort town, where his father owned the main hotel. He studied sculpture from 1880 to 1882 at the Breslau... Heaney, Seamus Irish poet whose work is notable for its evocation of Irish rural life and events in Irish history as well as for its allusions to Irish myth. He received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1995. After graduating from Queen’s University, Belfast (B.A.,... Heidenstam, Verner von poet and prose writer who led the literary reaction to the Naturalist movement in Sweden, calling for a renaissance of the literature of fantasy, beauty, and national themes. He won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1916. Ill health forced Heidenstam... Hemingway, Ernest American novelist and short-story writer, awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1954. He was noted both for the intense masculinity of his writing and for his adventurous and widely publicized life. His succinct and lucid prose style exerted a powerful...

Hesse, Hermann German novelist, poet, and winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1946, whose main theme deals with man’s breaking out of the established modes of civilization to find his essential spirit. With his appeal for self-realization and his celebration... Heyse, Paul Johann Ludwig von German writer and prominent member of the traditionalist Munich school who received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1910. Heyse studied classical and Romance languages and traveled for a year in Italy, supported by a research grant. After completing... Jelinek, Elfriede Austrian novelist and playwright noted for her controversial works on gender relations, female sexuality, and popular culture. She was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2004. Jelinek received her education in Vienna, where the combination of... Jensen, Johannes V. Danish novelist, poet, essayist, and writer of many myths, whose attempt, in his later years, to depict man’s development in the light of an idealized Darwinian theory caused his work to be much debated. He received the Nobel Prize for Literature in... Jiménez, Juan Ramón Spanish poet awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1956.

After studying briefly at the University of Salamanca, Jiménez went to Madrid (1900) at the invitation of the poet Rubén Darío. His first two volumes of poetry, Almas de violeta (“Souls of... Johnson, Eyvind one of the few working-class novelists to bring not only new themes and points of view to Swedish literature but also to experiment with new forms and techniques of the most advanced kind. With Harry Edmund Martinson he was awarded the Nobel Prize for... Karlfeldt, Erik Axel Swedish poet whose essentially regional, tradition-bound poetry was extremely popular and won him the Nobel Prize for Literature posthumously in 1931; he had refused it in 1918, at least in part because of his position as secretary to the Swedish Academy,... Kawabata Yasunari Japanese novelist who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1968. His melancholic lyricism echoes an ancient Japanese literary tradition in the modern idiom. The sense of loneliness and preoccupation with death that permeates much of Kawabata’s mature... Kertész, Imre Hungarian author best known for his semiautobiographical accounts of the Holocaust.

In 2002 he received the Nobel Prize for Literature. At age 14 Kertész was deported with other Hungarian Jews during World War II to the Auschwitz concentration camp in... Kipling, Rudyard English short-story writer, poet, and novelist chiefly remembered for his celebration of British imperialism, his tales and poems of British soldiers in India, and his tales for children. He received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1907. Life Kipling’s... Lagerkvist, Pär novelist, poet, dramatist, and one of the major Swedish literary figures of the first half of the 20th century. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1951. Lagerkvist was reared in a traditional religious manner in a small town. The influence... Lagerlöf, Selma novelist who in 1909 became the first woman and also the first Swedish writer to win the Nobel Prize for Literature. An illness left her lame for a time, but otherwise her childhood was happy. She was taught at home, then trained in Stockholm as a teacher,... Laxness, Halldór Icelandic novelist who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1955.

He is considered the most creative Icelandic writer of the 20th century. Laxness spent most of his youth on the family farm. At age 17 he traveled to Europe, where he spent several... Le Clézio, Jean-Marie Gustave French author known for his intricate, seductive fiction and distinctive works of nonfiction that mediated between the past and the present, juxtaposing the modern world with a primordial landscape of ambiguity and mystery. He received the Nobel Prize... Lessing, Doris British writer whose novels and short stories are largely concerned with people involved in the social and political upheavals of the 20th century. She was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2007. Her family was living in Persia at the time of... Lewis, Sinclair American novelist and social critic who punctured American complacency with his broadly drawn, widely popular satirical novels. He won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1930, the first given to an American. Lewis graduated from Yale University (1907)...

Maeterlinck, Maurice Belgian Symbolist poet, playwright, and essayist who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1911 for his outstanding works of the Symbolist theatre. He wrote in French and looked mainly to French literary movements for inspiration. Maeterlinck studied... Mahfouz, Naguib Egyptian novelist and screenplay writer, who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1988, the first Arabic writer to be so honoured. Mahfouz was the son of a civil servant and grew up in Cairo’s Al-Jamāliyyah district. He attended the Egyptian... Mann, Thomas German novelist and essayist whose early novels— Buddenbrooks (1900), Der Tod in Venedig (1912; Death in Venice), and Der Zauberberg (1924; The Magic Mountain)—earned him the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1929. Early literary endeavours Mann’s father... Martin du Gard, Roger French author and winner of the 1937 Nobel Prize for Literature. Trained as a paleographer and archivist, Martin du Gard brought to his works a spirit of objectivity and a scrupulous regard for details.

For his concern with documentation and with the... Martinson, Harry Swedish novelist and poet who was the first self-taught, working-class writer to be elected to the Swedish Academy (1949). With Eyvind Johnson he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1974. Martinson spent his childhood in a series of foster... Mauriac, François novelist, essayist, poet, playwright, journalist, and winner in 1952 of the Nobel Prize for Literature. He belonged to the lineage of French Catholic writers who examined the ugly realities of modern life in the light of eternity. His major novels are... Miłosz, Czesław Polish-American author, translator, and critic who received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1980. The son of a civil engineer, Miłosz completed his university studies in Wilno (now Vilnius, Lithuania), which belonged to Poland between the two world... Mistral, Frédéric poet who led the 19th-century revival of Occitan (Provençal) language and literature.

He shared the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1904 (with José Echegaray y Eizaguirre) for his contributions in literature and philology. Mistral’s father was a well-to-do... Mistral, Gabriela Chilean poet, who in 1945 became the first Latin American to win the Nobel Prize for Literature. Of Spanish, Basque, and Indian descent, Mistral grew up in a village of northern Chile and became a schoolteacher at age 15, advancing later to the rank... Mo Yan Chinese novelist and short-story writer renowned for his imaginative and humanistic fiction, which became popular in the 1980s. Mo was awarded the 2012 Nobel Prize in Literature. Guan Moye attended a primary school in his hometown but dropped out in... Modiano, Patrick French writer who in more than 40 books used his fascination with the human experience of World War II to examine individual and collective identities, responsibilities, loyalties, memory, and loss. In 2014 he became the 15th Frenchman to receive the...

Mommsen, Theodor German historian and writer, famous for his masterpiece, Römische Geschichte (The History of Rome). He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1902. Early years Mommsen was the son of a Protestant minister in Garding, Schleswig, and he grew up... Montale, Eugenio Italian poet, prose writer, editor, and translator who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1975. As a young man, Montale trained as an opera singer. He was drafted to serve in World War I, and, when the war was over, he resumed his music studies. Increasingly... Morrison, Toni American writer noted for her examination of black experience (particularly black female experience) within the black community. She received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1993. Morrison grew up in the American Midwest in a family that possessed... Müller, Herta Romanian-born German writer who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2009 for her works revealing the harshness of life in Romania under the dictatorship of Nicolae Ceaușescu. The award cited Müller for depicting “the landscape of the dispossessed”...

Munro, Alice Canadian short-story writer who gained international recognition with her exquisitely drawn narratives. The Swedish Academy dubbed her a “master of the contemporary short story ” when it awarded her the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2013. Munro’s work... Naipaul, Sir V. S. Trinidadian writer of Indian descent known for his pessimistic novels set in developing countries. For these revelations of what the Swedish Academy called “suppressed histories,” Naipaul won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2001. Descended from Hindu... Neruda, Pablo Chilean poet, diplomat, and politician who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1971. He was perhaps the most important Latin American poet of the 20th century. Early life and love poetry Neruda was the son of José del Carmen Reyes, a railway... Ōe Kenzaburō Japanese novelist whose works express the disillusionment and rebellion of his post-World War II generation. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1994. Ōe came from a family of wealthy landowners, who lost most of their property with the...

O’Neill, Eugene foremost American dramatist and winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1936. His masterpiece, Long Day’s Journey into Night (produced posthumously 1956), is at the apex of a long string of great plays, including Beyond the Horizon (1920), Anna Christie... Pamuk, Orhan Turkish novelist, best known for works that probe Turkish identity and history. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2006. Raised in a wealthy and Western-oriented family, Pamuk attended Robert College, an American school in Istanbul, and... Pasternak, Boris Leonidovich Russian poet whose novel Doctor Zhivago helped win him the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1958 but aroused so much opposition in the Soviet Union that he declined the honour. An epic of wandering, spiritual isolation, and love amid the harshness of the... Paz, Octavio Mexican poet, writer, and diplomat, recognized as one of the major Latin American writers of the 20th century. He received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1990.

(See Nobel Lecture: “In Search of the Present.”) Paz’s family was ruined financially by... Pinter, Harold English playwright, who achieved international renown as one of the most complex and challenging post-World War II dramatists. His plays are noted for their use of understatement, small talk, reticence—and even silence—to convey the substance of a character’s... Pirandello, Luigi Italian playwright, novelist, and short-story writer, winner of the 1934 Nobel Prize for Literature. With his invention of the “theatre within the theatre” in the play Sei personaggi in cerca d’autore (1921; Six Characters in Search of an Author), he... Pontoppidan, Henrik Realist writer who shared with Karl Gjellerup the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1917 for “his authentic descriptions of present-day life in Denmark.” Pontoppidan’s novels and short stories—informed with a desire for social progress but despairing, later... Quasimodo, Salvatore Italian poet, critic, and translator. Originally a leader of the Hermetic poets, he became, after World War II, a powerful poet commenting on modern social issues.

He received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1959. Quasimodo was born in Sicily and was... Reymont, Władysław Stanisław Polish writer and novelist who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1924. Reymont never completed his schooling but was at various times in his youth a shop apprentice, a lay brother in a monastery, a railway official, and an actor. His early... Rolland, Romain French novelist, dramatist, and essayist, an idealist who was deeply involved with pacifism, the fight against fascism, the search for world peace, and the analysis of artistic genius. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1915. At age 14,... Russell, Bertrand British philosopher, logician, and social reformer, founding figure in the analytic movement in Anglo-American philosophy, and recipient of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1950. Russell’s contributions to logic, epistemology, and the philosophy of... Sachs, Nelly German poet and dramatist who became a poignant spokesperson for the grief and yearnings of her fellow Jews.

When, with Shmuel Yosef Agnon, she was awarded the 1966 Nobel Prize for Literature, she observed that Agnon represented Israel whereas “I represent... Saint-John Perse French poet and diplomat who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1960 “for the soaring flight and evocative imagery of his poetry.” He studied at the universities of Bordeaux and Paris and in 1914 entered the diplomatic service. He went to... Saramago, José Portuguese novelist and man of letters who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1998. The son of rural labourers, Saramago grew up in great poverty in Lisbon. After holding a series of jobs as mechanic and metalworker, Saramago began working... Sartre, Jean-Paul French novelist, playwright, and exponent of Existentialism —a philosophy acclaiming the freedom of the individual human being. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1964, but he declined it. Early life and writings Sartre lost his father... Seferis, George Greek poet, essayist, and diplomat who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1963.

After studying law in Paris, Seferis joined the Greek diplomatic service and served in London and Albania prior to World War II, during which time he was in exile with... Seifert, Jaroslav poet and journalist who in 1984 became the first Czech to win the Nobel Prize for Literature. Seifert made a living as a journalist until 1950, but his first book of poetry, Město v slzách (“Town in Tears”), was published in 1920. His early proletarian... Shaw, George Bernard Irish comic dramatist, literary critic, and socialist propagandist, winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1925. Shaw’s article on socialism appeared in the 13th edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica. Early life and career George Bernard Shaw was... Sholokhov, Mikhail Aleksandrovich Russian novelist, winner of the 1965 Nobel Prize for Literature for his novels and stories about the Cossacks of southern Russia. After joining the Red Army in 1920 and spending two years in Moscow, he returned in 1924 to his native Cossack village in...

Sienkiewicz, Henryk Polish novelist, winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1905. Sienkiewicz’s family owned a small estate but lost everything and moved to Warsaw, where Sienkiewicz studied literature, history, and philology at Warsaw University. He left the university... Sillanpää, Frans Eemil first Finnish writer to win the Nobel Prize for Literature (1939). The son of a peasant farmer, Sillanpää began studying natural science but in 1913 returned to the country, married, and began to write. His first short stories were published in journals... Simon, Claude writer whose works are among the most authentic representatives of the French nouveau roman (“new novel”) that emerged in the 1950s. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1985. The son of a cavalry officer who was killed in World War I, Simon... Sinclair, Upton American novelist and polemicist for socialism and other causes; his The Jungle is a landmark among naturalistic, proletarian novels.

Sinclair graduated from the College of the City of New York in 1897 and did graduate work at Columbia University, supporting... Singer, Isaac Bashevis Polish-born American writer of novels, short stories, and essays in Yiddish. He was the recipient in 1978 of the Nobel Prize for Literature. His fiction, depicting Jewish life in Poland and the United States, is remarkable for its rich blending of irony,...

Question: Who received the first Nobel prize for literature to be awarded to a British writer?
Answer: Rudyard Kipling