A short history of the Nobel Prize in Literature
For the curious: where the world's most famous literary prize comes from and how it works.
Alfred Nobel's will (1895)
Alfred Nobel (1833–1896), a Swedish chemist and inventor, made his fortune with dynamite and held more than 350 patents. On 27 November 1895, at the Swedish-Norwegian Club in Paris, he signed his last will, leaving most of his wealth to reward each year those who had conferred “the greatest benefit to humankind” in physics, chemistry, physiology or medicine, literature and peace. The literature prize was to go to whoever had produced “the most outstanding work in an ideal direction” – an ambiguous phrase the Academy has been interpreting for over a century.
From the will to the first prize (1896–1901)
Nobel died in Sanremo, Italy, on 10 December 1896. The will surprised his family, who contested it, and his executors needed years to carry it out. The Nobel Foundation was created in 1900 and the first prizes were awarded in 1901. The first Nobel Prize in Literature went to the French poet Sully Prudhomme; passing over Tolstoy became the prize's first great controversy.
Who chooses, and how
The Swedish Academy, founded in 1786 with 18 members elected for life, makes the decision. Nominations may come from its members and those of similar academies, professors of literature and languages, former laureates and presidents of writers' organisations. Nobody may nominate themselves. Over the summer the Nobel Committee narrows the list to about five finalists, and the Academy votes in the autumn. Nominations stay secret for 50 years. The winner is announced in early October and receives the prize in Stockholm on 10 December, the anniversary of Nobel's death.
Refusals, missing years and scandal
Two writers declined: Boris Pasternak in 1958, forced by the Soviet authorities, and Jean-Paul Sartre in 1964, by his own choice. No prize was awarded in 1914, 1918, 1935 or from 1940 to 1943. In 2018 a scandal inside the Academy forced a postponement, and in 2019 two laureates were announced: Olga Tokarczuk (2018) and Peter Handke (2019).
Some numbers
Since 1901, 119 literature prizes have gone to 123 writers; the prize has been shared only four times (1904, 1917, 1966 and 1974). Anne Carson is the 19th woman to win. Today the prize is worth 11 million Swedish kronor.