Winners of the Nobel Prize in Literature

See them organized by country | Back to the list of literary prizes

Put things in perspective! Unfortunately, the Nobel Prize has been awarded to many minor writers, at the expense of many important writers. A list of the great writers who never received the Nobel Prize, notwithstanding a general recognition of their achievements, includes:
BORGES, one of the most influential literary figures of the 20th century
BRECHT, the founder of modern theatre
CONRAD, one of the greatest novelists in English of all times
GARCIA LORCA, one of the greatest Spanish poets of the last three centuries
IBSEN, one of the greatest playwrights of all times
JAMES, possibly the greatest USA novelist of all times
JOYCE, considered by many the most influential writer of the 20th century
KAFKA, greatest German novelist of the 20th century
NABOKOV, one of the greatest USA novelists of the 20th century
PESSOA, one of the greatest poets of the 20th century
PROUST, considered by many the greatest French novelist of the 20th century
VALERY, greatest French poet of the 20th century

On the other hand, absolutely minor (and sometimes terrible) writers have been awarded the prize. Since the 1990s, the winners of the Nobel Prize for literature have been chosen mostly for being "politically correct".

Of all literary prizes for literature the Nobel Prize has become by far the least meaningful.


 
2007: Doris Lessing (Zimbabwe)
2006: Orhan Pamuk (Turkey)
2005: Harold Pinter (Britain)
2004: Elfriede Jelinek (Austria)
2003 : JOHN COETZEE (South Africa)
2002 : IMRE KERTESZ (Hungary)
2001 : VIDIADHAR SURAJPRASAD NAIPAUL (India)
2000 : GAO XINGJIAN (China)
1999 : GUNTHER GRASS (Germany)
1998 : JOSE SARAMAGO (Portugal)
1997 : DARIO FO (Italy)
1996 : WISLAWA SZYMBORSKA (Poland)
1995 : SEAMUS HEANEY (Ireland)
1994 : KENZABURO OE (Japan)
1993 : TONI MORRISON (USA)
1992 : DEREK WALCOTT
1991 : NADINE GORDIMER (South Africa)
1990 : OCTAVIO PAZ
1989 : CAMILO JOSI CELA (Spain)
1988 : NAGUIB MAHFOUZ (Egypt)
1987 : JOSEPH BRODSKY
1986 : WOLE SOYINKA
1985 : CLAUDE SIMON
1984 : JAROSLAV SEIFERT
1983 : WILLIAM GOLDING (Britain)
1982 : GABRIEL GARCIA MARQUEZ (Colombia)
1981 : ELIAS CANETTI
1980 : CZESLAW MILOSZ
1979 : ODYSSEUS ELYTIS (Greece),
1978 : ISAAC BASHEVIS SINGER
1977 : VICENTE ALEIXANDRE
1976 : SAUL BELLOW (USA)
1975 : EUGENIO MONTALE (Italy)
1974 : EYVIND JOHNSON and HARRY MARTINSON
1973 : PATRICK WHITE
1972 : HEINRICH BOELL (Germany)
1971 : PABLO NERUDA (Chile)
1970 : ALEKSANDR ISAEVICH SOLZHENITSYN (Soviet Union/ Russia)
1969 : SAMUEL BECKETT
1968 : YASUNARI KAWABATA (Japan)
1967 : MIGUEL ANGEL ASTURIAS
1966 : SHMUEL YOSEF AGNON and NELLY SACHS
1965 : MICHAIL ALEKSANDROVICH SHOLOKHOV (Soviet Union/ Russia)
1964 : JEAN-PAUL SARTRE (France)
1963 : GIORGOS SEFERIS (GIORGOS SEFERIADIS)
1962 : JOHN STEINBECK (USA)
1961 : IVO ANDRIC (Yugoslavia)
1960 : SAINT-JOHN PERSE (France)
1959 : SALVATORE QUASIMODO (Italy)
1958 : BORIS LEONIDOVICH PASTERNAK (Soviet Union/ Russia)
1957 : ALBERT CAMUS (France)
1956 : JUAN RAMON JIMINEZ (Spain)
1955 : HALLDSR KILJAN LAXNESS (Iceland)
1954 : ERNEST HEMINGWAY (USA)
1953 : WINSTON CHURCHILL (Britain)
1952 : FRANGOIS MAURIAC (France)
1951 : PDR FABIAN LAGERKVIST
1950 : BERTRAND RUSSELL (Britain)
1949 : WILLIAM FAULKNER (USA)
1948 : THOMAS STEARNS ELIOT (USA)
1947 : ANDRI PAUL GUILLAUME GIDE (France)
1946 : HERMANN HESSE (Germany)
1945 : GABRIELA MISTRAL (Chile)
1944 : JOHANNES VILHELM JENSEN
1939 : FRANS EEMIL SILLANPAA
1938 : PEARL BUCK (USA)
1937 : ROGER MARTIN DU GARD (France)
1936 : EUGENE O'NEILL (USA)
1934 : LUIGI PIRANDELLO (italy)
1933 : IVAN BUNIN (Soviet Union/ Russia)
1932 : JOHN GALSWORTHY (Britain)
1931 : ERIK AXEL KARLFELDT
1930 : SINCLAIR LEWIS (USA)
1929 : THOMAS MANN (Germany)
1928 : SIGRID UNDSET
1927 : HENRI BERGSON (France)
1926 : GRAZIA DELEDDA (Italy)
1925 : GEORGE BERNARD SHAW (Britain)
1924 : WLADYSLAW STANISLAW REYMONT (REYMENT)
1923 : WILLIAM BUTLER YEATS (Britain)
1922 : JACINTO BENAVENTE
1921 : ANATOLE FRANCE (France)
1920 : KNUT PEDERSEN HAMSUN (Norway)
1919 : CARL FRIEDRICH GEORG SPITTELER
1917 : KARL ADOLPH GJELLERUP and HENRIK PONTOPPIDAN
1916 : CARL GUSTAF VERNER VON HEIDENSTAM
1915 : ROMAIN ROLLAND
1913 : RABINDRANATH TAGORE (India)
1912 : GERHART HAUPTMANN (Germany)
1911 : MOORIS POLIDORE MAETERLINCK
1910 : PAUL JOHANN LUDWIG HEYSE
1909 : SELMA OTTILIA LOUISA LAGERLOF
1908 : RUDOLF CHRISTOPH EUCKEN
1907 : RUDYARD KIPLING (Britain)
1906 : GIOSUE` CARDUCCI (Italy)
1905 : HENRYK SIENKIEWICZ
1904 : FRIDIRIC MISTRAL and JOSI ECHEGARAY Y EIZAGUIRRE
1903 : BJORNSTJERNE MARTINUS BJORNSON
1902 : CHRISTIAN MATTHIAS THEODOR MOMMSEN
1901 : SULLY PRUDHOMME (RENI FRANGOIS ARMAND )

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