The Nobel Prize in Literature was created in 1901 and is awarded annually to an author who has created an outstanding body of work. Alfred Nobel, its founder, asked for this prize to be created in his will, and said that it should go to the author who produced "in the field of literature the most outstanding work in an ideal direction." The Swedish Academy decides who will win the prize amongst the nominees. The Nobel Prize in Literature is different than other book awards, because it's based off an author's entire body of work rather than a single title. Jon Fosse (2023), Annie Ernaux (2022), Abdulrazak Gurnah (2021), and Louise Glück (2020) are some of the most recent Nobel Prize in Literature winning authors.
What does it mean to win the Nobel Prize in Literature?
To be considered for the Noble Prize in Literature, the author should not only be an excellent writer, but their writing contributions must have significant impact on the literary world at large.
What is the difference between the Nobel Prize and the Pulitzer Prize in Literature?
The Pulitzer Prize is awarded for excellence in literature, journalism, magazine, online journalism, and music composition. To be considered for a Pulitzer Prize, you must enter one of the 23 various award categories related to journalism, arts, letters, and fiction. Instead of entering your work, you must be nominated to be considered for a Nobel Prize. The Nobel Prize has 7 categories, and for the literature category, not only looks at outstanding contributions to literature, but the nominated author’s work must also have a profound impact on humankind.
How many Nobel Prize in Literature winners are there?
Between 1901 and 2023, the Nobel Prize in Literature has been awarded 116 times to 120 Laureates. It was not awarded on seven occasions: in 1914, 1918, 1935, 1940, 1941, 1942, and 1943.
How many Americans have won the Nobel Prize in Literature?
There are 14 Americans who have been awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature. They are: Sinclair Lewis (1930), Eugene O'Neill (1936), Pearl Buck (1938), Thomas Stearns Elliot (1948), William Faulkner (1949), Ernest Hemmingway (1954), John Steinbeck (1962), Saul Bellow (1976), Isaac Bashevis Singer (1978), Czesław Miłosz (1980), Joseph Brodsky (1987), Toni Morrison (1993), Bob Dylan (2016), and Louise Glück (2020).
Who won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2023?
Norwegian author Jon Fosse was awarded the 2023 Nobel Prize in Literature.
10 Great Books from Recent Nobel Prize Winners for Literature
The Years by Annie ErnauxAfterlives by Abdulrazak GurnahThe Wild Iris by Louise GlückRepetition by Peter HandkeFlights by Olga TokarczukKlara and the Sun by Kazuo IshiguroLast Witnesses by Svetlana AlexievichIn the Café of Lost Youth by Patrick ModianoLives of Girls and Women by Alice MunroRed Sorghum: A Novel of China by Mo Yan
