News from Nobelprize.org

April 27, 2007

Last Monday, April 23, was the 391st anniversary of a very black day for literature. For in 1616 it marked the death of three authors of lasting fame; William Shakespeare, Inca Garcilaso de la Vega and Miguel de Cervantes. In 1995, the date was appropriated by UNESCO to mark a happier anniversary; World Book and Copyright Day. This celebration of books and authorship is primarily intended to stimulate the joy of reading, particularly in the young. In honour of the event, we dedicate this month's newsletter to the subject of the Nobel Prize in Literature.

Alfred Nobel's will stated that Nobel Laureates in Literature should be those authors who have produced "in the field of literature the most outstanding work in an ideal direction". A fairly general directive, to be sure, which it is up to the Swedish Academy to interpret. Their decision on each year's Nobel Laureate is announced each year on a Thursday in late September or October. There can theoretically be more than one Literature Laureate, but this has only happened 4 times in 106 years of awards.

So, we invite you to browse through our library of content related to the sole Nobel Prize dedicated to the arts, and, as always, let us know what you think by writing to us at editor@nobelprize.org.

Adam Smith
Editor-in-Chief

103 WRITERS
See how many you know by searching through the entire list of Nobel Laureates in Literature.
Read the list »

MEET THE 2006 LAUREATE
Orhan Pamuk, last year's recipient, reads an excerpt from Istanbul: Memories of a City, describing his longstanding relationship with the city of his birth.
Listen to the excerpt »

FATHERS AND SONS
In a new article, Michiko Niikuni Wilson explores central themes in the work of Japan's second Literature Laureate, Kenzaburo Oe.
Read the article »

WHILE THE EAST WIND BLOWS
Even less mobile than Orhan Pamuk, Grazia Deledda, the 1926 Nobel Laureate in Literature, took her first trip at the age of 29, and that was only to go from her small Sardinian town of Nuoro to the island's capital, Cagliari. Read one of her short stories in translation.
Read the short story »

50 YEARS AGO …
The 1957 prize went to Albert Camus, whose relatively long speech at the Nobel Banquet can be read in either the original French or in English translation. While reading it, why not listen to an audio excerpt of Camus delivering the speech.
Read the speech »

… AND 100
Rudyard Kipling was the 1907 Literature Laureate. If you haven't got much time to spare, view an exceedingly rare 10 second clip of Kipling speaking to the Canadian Author's Association, using the analogy of a wooden board to describe how a peoples' influences shape them.
Watch the video clip »

WORDPLAY
And if you have a few minutes to while away, try our Namesearch game. Just click and drag the letters to highlight as many Laureates' names as you can in the shortest possible time.
Play the game »

THE NOBEL FOUNDATION
A private institution established in 1900, based on the will of Alfred Nobel. The Nobel Foundation manages the assets made available through the will for the awarding of the Nobel Prize in Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, Literature and Peace, and administers informational activities and arrangements surrounding the presentation of the Nobel Prize.

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