Nobel Prize in Literature 1958

Boris Leonidovich Pasternak

Photo from the Nobel Foundation archive.

Prize share: 1/1

The Nobel Prize in Literature 1958 was awarded to Boris Leonidovich Pasternak "for his important achievement both in contemporary lyrical poetry and in the field of the great Russian epic tradition"

Boris Pasternak first accepted the award, but was later caused by the authorities of his country to decline the prize.

To cite this section
MLA style: The Nobel Prize in Literature 1958. NobelPrize.org. Nobel Prize Outreach 2025. Fri. 5 Dec 2025. <https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/literature/1958/summary/>

Streams during Nobel Week

Watch the 2025 Nobel Prize lectures, Nobel Week Dialogue, the prize award ceremonies in Oslo and Stockholm and Nobel Peace Prize Forum here at nobelprize.org.

Explore prizes and laureates

Look for popular awards and laureates in different fields, and discover the history of the Nobel Prize.