“It’s our goal that every diploma should be unique”

Meet Marie Göyri who, together with Marianne Pettersson Soold, is one of the two calligraphers who works on the Nobel Prize diplomas for the prizes awarded by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. Marie has been creating the calligraphy for the diplomas for six years.

How long did it take to become a calligrapher?

In the Middle Ages, it took around 11 years to become a calligraphy master and it’s approximately the same today. It’s not that you have to go to school for 11 years but you have to practice it. I usually compare it to being a concert pianist. Composer Franz Liszt said that if he doesn’t play for a day he notices it, if he doesn’t practice for three days the audience will notice it. It is the same with calligraphy. If I go for a holiday I am going to be rusty and it takes a while to get the hand working again, but after maybe a couple of weeks then everything is in good shape again. It’s very individual but usually 10-11 years.

Tell us about your work process.

We get the laureate names when everyone else does at the beginning of October. Then Marianne and I split the categories between us. I first write in black and white, making sketches and deciding how large everything will be. Deciding the sizes, the pens, the style. I usually also try to understand the science behind every prize and get some inspiration. If it’s very difficult to understand you usually go for a very strict kind of form. If it’s easier to understand it’s more flowing and it also depends on what everything else looks like. Both my colleague and I have the goal that our work should complement the artwork on the other side of the diploma. They shall enhance each other. On 28 October we get the copies of the artist’s work and a colour scheme. Marianne and I have a very good relationship so we discuss our work with one another. At the end of October we go from black and white to colour and then I write the text a couple of hundred times. Every little distance is measured and thought through. It is usually done a couple of days before the deadline so we have some time if something happens. Nothing should happen but you never know. It is like my teacher said,“a man is not a machine so things can happen.”

A selection of diplomas where Marie has done the calligraphy

Artist: Anja Richardt Krabbe Calligrapher: Marie A. Györi Book binder: Leonard Gustafssons Bokbinderi AB Photo reproduction: Dan Lepp © The Nobel Foundation 2023

Artist: Stanislaw Zoladz Calligrapher: Marie A. Györi Book binder: Leonard Gustafssons Bokbinderi AB Photo reproduction: Lovisa Engblom

Artist: Anja Richardt Krabbe Calligrapher: Marie A. Györi Book binder: Leonard Gustafssons Bokbinderi AB Photo reproduction: Lovisa Engblom

Artist: Stanislaw Zoladz Calligrapher: Marie A. Györi and Marianne Pettersson Soold Book binder: Leonard Gustafssons Bokbinderi AB Photo reproduction: Lovisa Engblom

How do you avoid making mistakes when writing the calligraphy for the diplomas?

You have to be very well prepared. It means that the cats need to be fed, the doors need to be closed, I have time. It’s usually good to calm down your mind, I usually say this is a sketch. If it’s good it’s good, if it is not that is fine. Then I don’t have to be nervous. I have a pile of white paper, I can always do more. Accidents happen but there are some tricks I use. For example never start on the first line, start on the second line because a white paper is very intimidating. When you start on your second line your nervousness doesn’t show, but as soon as the paper is no longer blank you can relax and write the first line.

How long do you think you spend on one diploma?

Between 20 to 40 hours on each diploma. If there are nine laureates and diplomas (the maximum possible in three categories) we have to work fast and on holidays. It’s a Nobel Prize bubble! One of my friends calls it the Nobel Prize cave – Marie goes into the Nobel Prize cave and she doesn’t come out until November. It’s the only thing that exists in my life from October 2 to the middle of November. When you’re done it’s time for a big drink afterwards (laughing)!

What happens after you are done with the work?

When we have handed them over we have a nice lunch at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. Then we meet with the artist. Sometimes we have only met once before and we don’t know them so well, we have only communicated by telephone and mail. They are in their own bubble and so we present our work and explain why we have done what we have done and why we choose that kind of lettering etc. Then for the first time the originals meet and are placed beside each other and we also get to consider the colour of the leather binding. If it is chemistry it’s one colour, if it is for physics that’s another colour and for economic sciences also another colour. It’s very nice to meet the artists and then our work is done. Then we have to just wait for the big day to see it on the TV!