Alice Munro
Facts
Photo: J. Munro
Alice Munro
The Nobel Prize in Literature 2013
Born: 10 July 1931, Wingham, Canada
Died: 13 May 2024, Port Hope, Canada
Residence at the time of the award: Canada
Prize motivation: “master of the contemporary short story”
Language: English
Prize share: 1/1
Life
Alice Munro was born in Wingham, Ontario in Canada. Her father was a fox and mink farmer and her mother was a teacher. Munro began writing as a teenager. She also studied at the University of Western Ontario and worked as a library clerk. After marrying she moved with her husband to Dundarave, West Vancouver, and moved again in 1963 to Victoria, where the pair opened a bookstore. Since the late 1960s, Munro dedicated herself to writing.
Work
Alice Munro has dedicated her literary career almost exclusively to the short story genre. She grew up in a small Canadian town; the kind of environment that often provides the backdrops for her stories. These often accommodate the entire epic complexity of the novel in just a few short pages. The underlying themes of her work are often relationship problems and moral conflicts. The relationship between memory and reality is another recurring theme she uses to create tension. With subtle means, she is able to demonstrate the impact that seemingly trivial events can have on a person's life.
Nobel Prizes and laureates
Six prizes were awarded for achievements that have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind. The 12 laureates' work and discoveries range from proteins' structures and machine learning to fighting for a world free of nuclear weapons.
See them all presented here.
