|
YEAR |
LAUREATES |
MOTIVATIONS |
| 2003 |
John Maxwell
Coetzee, South Africa |
"who in
innumerable guises portrays the surprising involvement of the
outsider" |
| 2002 |
Imre Kertész
(1929-) , Hungary |
"for writing
that upholds the fragile experience of the individual against the
barbaric arbitrariness of history" |
| 2001 |
Sir V. S.
Naipaul (1932-), Great Britain |
"for having
united perceptive narrative and incorruptible scrutiny in works
that compel us to see the presence of suppressed histories" |
| 2000 |
Gao
Xingjian (1940-), France |
“for an œuvre of
universal validity, bitter insights and linguistic ingenuity,
which has opened new paths for the Chinese novel and drama” |
| 1999 |
Günter Grass
(1927-), Germany |
"Whose
frolicsome black fables portray the forgotten face of
history" |
| 1998 |
José Saramago
(1922-), Portugal |
"who with
parables sustained by imagination, compassion and irony
continually enables us once again to apprehend an elusory
reality" |
| 1997 |
Dario Fo
(1926-), Italy |
"who emulates
the jesters of the Middle Ages in scourging authority and
upholding the dignity of the downtrodden" |
| 1996 |
Wislawa
Szymborska (1923-), Poland |
"for poetry
that with ironic precision allows the historical and biological
context to come to light in fragments of human reality" |
| 1995 |
Seamus Heaney
(1939-), Ireland |
"for works of
lyrical beauty and ethical depth, which exalt everyday miracles
and the living past" |
| 1994 |
Kenzaburo Oe
(1935-), Japan |
"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
(1931-), USA
(Born Chloe Anthony Wofford) |
"who in novels
characterized by visionary force and poetic import, gives life to
an essential aspect of American reality" |
| 1992 |
Derek Walcott
(1930-), Saint Lucia |
"for a poetic
oeuvre of great luminosity, sustained by a historical vision, the
outcome of a multicultural commitment" |
| 1991 |
Nadine Gordimer
(1923-), South Africa |
"who through
her magnificent epic writing has - in the words of Alfred Nobel -
been of very great benefit to humanity" |
| 1990 |
Octavio Paz
(1914-1998), Mexico |
"for
impassioned writing with wide horizons, characterized by sensuous
intelligence and humanistic integrity" |
| 1989 |
Camilo José
Cela y Trulock (1916-), Spain |
"for a rich
and intensive prose, which with restrained compassion forms a
challenging vision of man's vulnerability" |
| 1988 |
Naguib Mahfouz
(1911-), Egypt |
"who, through
works rich in nuance - now clear-sightedly realistic, now
evocatively ambiguous - has formed an Arabian narrative art that
applies to all mankind" |
| 1987 |
Joseph Brodsky
(1940-1996), USA |
"for an
all-embracing authorship, imbued with clarity of thought and
poetic intensity" |
| 1986 |
Wole Soyinka
(1934-), Nigeria |
"who in a wide
cultural perspective and with poetic overtones fashions the drama
of existence" |
| 1985 |
Claude Simon
(1913-), France |
"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
(1901-1986), Czechoslovakia |
"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 (1911-1993), Great Britain |
"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 (1928-), Colombia |
"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
(1905-1994), Great Britain |
"for writings
marked by a broad outlook, a wealth of ideas and artistic
power" |
| 1980 |
Czeslaw Milosz
(1911-), USA and Poland |
"who with
uncompromising clear-sightedness voices man's exposed condition in
a world of severe conflicts" |
| 1979 |
Elytis Odysseus
(1911-1996), Greece
(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 (1904-1991), USA |
"for his
impassioned narrative art which, with roots in a Polish-Jewish
cultural tradition, brings universal human conditions to
life" |
| 1977 |
Vicente
Aleixandre (1898-1984), Spain |
"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
(1915-), USA |
"for the human
understanding and subtle analysis of contemporary culture that are
combined in his work" |
| 1975 |
Eugenio Montale
(1896-1981), Italy |
"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 |
Eyvind Johnson
(1900-1976), Sweden |
"for a
narrative art, far-seeing in lands and ages, in the service of
freedom"; |
| Harry Martinson
(1904-1978), Sweden |
"for writings
that catch the dewdrop and reflect the cosmos" |
| 1973 |
Patrick White
(1912-1990), Australia |
"for an epic
and psychological narrative art which has introduced a new
continent into literature" |
| 1972 |
Heinrich Böll
(1917-1985), Fed. Rep. of Germany |
"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
(1904-1973), Chile
(pen-name of Neftalí Ricardo Reyes Basoalto) |
"for a poetry
that with the action of an elemental force brings alive a
continent's destiny and dreams" |
| 1970 |
Aleksandr
Isaevich Solzhenitsyn (1918-), USSR |
"for the
ethical force with which he has pursued the indispensable
traditions of Russian literature" |
| 1969 |
Samuel Beckett
(1906-1989), Ireland |
"for his
writing, which - in new forms for the novel and drama - in the
destitution of modern man acquires its elevation" |
| 1968 |
Yasunari
Kawabata (1899-1972), Japan |
"for his
narrative mastery, which with great sensibility expresses the
essence of the Japanese mind" |
| 1967 |
Miguel Angel
Asturias (1899-1974), Guatemala |
"for his vivid
literary achievement, deep-rooted in the national traits and
traditions of Indian peoples of Latin America" |
| 1966 |
Shmuel Yosef
Agnon (1888-1970), Israel |
"for his
profoundly characteristic narrative art with motifs from the life
of the Jewish people"; |
| Leonie Nelly
Sachs (1891-1970), Sweden |
"for her
outstanding lyrical and dramatic writing, which interprets
Israel's destiny with touching strength" |
| 1965 |
Michail
Aleksandrovich Sholokhov (1905-1984), USSR |
"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
(1905-1980), France |
"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" |
| 1963 |
Giorgos Seferis
(1900-1971), Greece
(pen-name of Giorgos Seferiadis) |
"for his
eminent lyrical writing, inspired by a deep feeling for the
Hellenic world of culture" |
| 1962 |
John Steinbeck
(1902-1968), USA |
"for his
realistic and imaginative writings, combining as they do
sympathetic humour and keen social perception" |
| 1961 |
Ivo Andric
(1892-1975), Yugoslavia |
"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
(1887-1975), France
(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 (1901-1968), Italy |
"for his
lyrical poetry, which with classical fire expresses the tragic
experience of life in our own times" |
| 1958 |
Boris
Leonidovich Pasternak (1890-1960), USSR |
"for his
important achievement both in contemporary lyrical poetry and in
the field of the great Russian epic tradition" |
| 1957 |
Albert Camus
(1913-1960), France |
"for his
important literary production, which with clear-sighted
earnestness illuminates the problems of the human conscience in
our times" |
| 1956 |
Juan Ramón
Jiménez (1881-1958), Spain |
"for his
lyrical poetry, which in Spanish language constitutes an example
of high spirit and artistical purity" |
| 1955 |
Halldór Kiljan
Laxness (1902-1998), Iceland |
"for his vivid
epic power which has renewed the great narrative art of
Iceland" |
| 1954 |
Ernest Miller
Hemingway (1899-1961), USA |
"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 (1874-1965), Great Britain |
"for his
mastery of historical and biographical description as well as for
brilliant oratory in defending exalted human values" |
| 1952 |
François
Mauriac (1885-1970), France |
"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 (1891-1974), Sweden |
"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 Russell
(1872-1970), Great Britain
(Arthur William Bertrand) |
"in
recognition of his varied and significant writings in which he
champions humanitarian ideals and freedom of thought" |
| 1949 |
William Faulkner
(1897-1962), USA |
"for his
powerful and artistically unique contribution to the modern
American novel" |
| 1948 |
Thomas Stearns
Eliot (1888-1965), Great Britain |
"for his
outstanding, pioneer contribution to present-day poetry" |
| 1947 |
André Paul
Guillaume Gide (1869-1951), France |
"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
(1877-1962), Switzerland |
"for his
inspired writings which, while growing in boldness and
penetration, exemplify the classical humanitarian ideals and high
qualities of style" |
| 1945 |
Gabriela Mistral
(1889-1957), Chile
(pen-name of Lucila Godoy Y Alcayaga) |
"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 (1873-1950), Denmark |
"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" |
| 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.) |
| 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.) |
| 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.) |
| 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.) |
| 1939 |
Frans Eemil
Sillanpää (1888-1964), Finland |
"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
(1892-1973), USA
(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 (1881-1958), France |
"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" |
| 1936 |
Eugene Gladstone
O'Neill (1888-1953), USA |
"for the
power, honesty and deep-felt emotions of his dramatic works, which
embody an original concept of tragedy" |
| 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.) |
| 1934 |
Luigi Pirandello
(1867-1936), Italy |
"for his bold
and ingenious revival of dramatic and scenic art" |
| 1933 |
Ivan
Alekseyevich Bunin (1870-1953), stateless |
"for the
strict artistry with which he has carried on the classical Russian
traditions in prose writing" |
| 1932 |
John Galsworthy
(1867-1933), Great Britain |
"for his
distinguished art of narration which takes its highest form in The
Forsyte Saga" |
| 1931 |
Erik Axel
Karlfeldt (1864-1931), Sweden |
"The poetry of
Erik Axel Karlfeldt" |
| 1930 |
Sinclair Lewis
(1885-1951), USA |
"for his
vigorous and graphic art of description and his ability to create,
with wit and humour, new types of characters" |
| 1929 |
Thomas Mann
(1875-1955), Germany |
"principally
for his great novel, Buddenbrooks, which has won steadily
increased recognition as one of the classic works of contemporary
literature" |
| 1928 |
Sigrid Undset
(1882-1949), Norway |
"principally
for her powerful descriptions of Northern life during the Middle
Ages" |
| 1927 |
Henri Bergson
(1859-1941), France |
"in
recognition of his rich and vitalizing ideas and the brilliant
skill with which they have been presented" |
| 1926 |
Grazia Deledda
(1871-1936), Italy
(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 (1856-1950), Great Britain |
"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 (1867-1925), Poland
(pen-name of Reyment) |
"for his great
national epic, The Peasants" |
| 1923 |
William Butler
Yeats (1865-1939), Ireland |
"for his
always inspired poetry, which in a highly artistic form gives
expression to the spirit of a whole nation" |
| 1922 |
Jacinto
Benavente (1866-1954), Spain |
"for the happy
manner in which he has continued the illustrious traditions of the
Spanish drama" |
| 1921 |
Anatole France
(1844-1924), 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 (1859-1952), Norway |
"for his
monumental work, Growth of the Soil" |
| 1919 |
Carl Friedrich
Georg Spitteler (1845-1924), Switzerland |
"in special
appreciation of his epic, Olympian Spring" |
| 1918 |
|
(The prize money
was allocated to the Special Fund of this prize section.) |
| 1917 |
Karl Adolph
Gjellerup (1857-1919), Denmark |
"for his
varied and rich poetry, which is inspired by lofty ideals" |
| Henrik
Pontoppidan (1857-1943), Denmark |
"for his
authentic descriptions of present-day life in Denmark" |
| 1916 |
Carl Gustaf
Verner von Heidenstam (1859-1940), Sweden |
"in
recognition of his significance as the leading representative of a
new era in our literature" |
| 1915 |
Romain Rolland
(1866-1944), France |
"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
was allocated to the Special Fund of this prize section.) |
| 1913 |
Rabindranath
Tagore (1861-1941), India |
"because of
his profoundly sensitive, fresh and beautiful verse, by which,
with consummate 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 (1862-1946), Germany |
"primarily in
recognition of his fruitful, varied and outstanding production in
the realm of dramatic art" |
| 1911 |
Maurice
Maeterlinck (1862-1949), Belgium |
"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" |
| 1910 |
Paul Johann
Ludwig Heyse (1830-1914), Germany |
"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 (1858-1940), Sweden |
"in
appreciation of the lofty idealism, vivid imagination and
spiritual perception that characterize her writings" |
| 1908 |
Rudolf Christoph
Eucken (1846-1926), Germany |
"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
(1865-1936), Great Britain |
"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
(1835-1907), Italy |
"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 (1846-1916), Poland |
"because of
his outstanding merits as an epic writer" |
| 1904 |
Frédéric
Mistral (1830-1914), France |
"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 de
Echegaray y Eizaguirre (1832-1916), Spain |
"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 (1832-1910), Norway |
"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 (1817-1903), Germany |
"the greatest
living master of the art of historical writing, with special
reference to his monumental work, |
| 1901 |
Sully Prudhomme
(1839-1907), France
(pen-name of René François Armand Prudhomme |
"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" |
