The Nobel Stamps of 2004

Four Irish Nobel Laureates in Literature: Seamus Heaney, William Butler Yeats, Samuel Beckett and George Bernard Shaw are now motifs on a joint issue with Ireland. The stamps feature portraits of the writers together with symbols of their work. The stamps were engraved by Lars Sjööblom and printed at Sweden Post Stamps, Stockholm.

 

The stamps portray Nobel Laureates in Literature:

SEAMUS HEANEY
Seamus Heaney, born in 1939 in Northern Ireland, is a poet, lyricist and essayist and was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1995. "Seeing Things" (1991) is regarded as one of the highlights of his work.

WILLIAM BUTLER YEATS
William Butler Yeats (1865–1939), poet and playwright, got the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1923. His first drama "Cathleen in Houlihan" was performed at the Abbey Theatre in Dublin that Yeats helped to found in 1899 and that he ran for the rest of his life.

SAMUEL BECKETT
Samuel Beckett (1906–1989), writer and playwright, won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1969. His dramas gave him world fame. The best-known is the provoking and humorous work "Waiting for Godot".

GEORGE BERNARD SHAW
George Bernard Shaw (1856–1950) got the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1925. Through the musical "My Fair Lady" his "Pygmalion" became a world success.

 

The first-day cover was designed by Gustav Malmfors based on original photos from Hulton Archives, Lütfi Özkök, Photocall Ireland. Engraver: Lars Sjööblom

© 2004 SWEDEN POST STAMPS