1931 Nobel Prize in Literature
{{Infobox award
| name = 20px 1931 Nobel Prize in Literature
| subheader = Erik Axel Karlfeldt
| awarded_for =
| presenter = Swedish Academy
| year = 1901
| website = {{oweb|https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/literature/1931/summary/}}
| holder_label = 1931 laureate
| holder =
| image = Erik Axel Karlfeldt 1931.jpg
| caption = "The poetry of Erik Axel Karlfeldt."
| host =
| date = {{plainlist|
- 8 October 1931 (announcement)
- 10 December 1931
(ceremony)
}}
| location = Stockholm, Sweden
| previous = 1930
| main = Nobel Prize in Literature
| next = 1932
}}
The 1931 Nobel Prize in Literature was awarded posthumously to the Swedish poet Erik Axel Karlfeldt (1864–1931) with the citation: "The poetry of Erik Axel Karlfeldt." He was the third Swede to win the prize and remains the only recipient to be posthumously awarded.[https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/literature/1931/summary/ The Nobel Prize in Literature 1931] nobelprize.org Karlfeldt had been offered the award already in 1919 but refused to accept it, because of his position as permanent secretary to the Swedish Academy (1913–1931), which awards the prize.Gustav Källstrand Andens olympiska spel: Nobelprisets historia, Fri Tanke Förlag 2021, ISBN 9789180203715
Laureate
{{Main article|Erik Axel Karlfeldt}}
Karlfeldt's poetry is strongly influenced by the customs and environment of his childhood. But the area started to mirror the universal by becoming more and more of a microcosm. His art is primarily wild in character, marked by austerity and an antipathy to egotism. His alter ego, Fridolin, frequently appears in his poetry to convey his humor, sadness, longings, and mood. His poetry exhibits a superb command of words. Karlfeldt explored the potential offered by his imagination and poetry as an artistic medium, even though he had a strong bond with his home country and its customs.[https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/literature/1931/karlfeldt/facts/ Erik Axel Karlfeldt – Facts] nobelprize.org[https://www.britannica.com/biography/Erik-Axel-Karlfeldt Erik Axel Karlfeldt] britannica.com
Deliberations
=Nominations=
Karlfeldt was nominated in 10 different occasions starting in 1916. In 1931, he received a single nomination from the 1930 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Nathan Söderblom, also a member of the Swedish Academy, with which he was awarded posthumously afterwards.[https://www.nobelprize.org/nomination/archive/show_people.php?id=4716 Nomination archive – Erik Axel Karlfeldt] nobelprize.org
In total, the Nobel committee received 49 nominations for 29 writers. Ten of the nominees are nominated first-time among them Hermann Hesse (awarded in 1946), Francis Jammes, Ole Edvart Rølvaag, Erich Maria Remarque, Ramón Pérez de Ayala, and Ramón Menéndez Pidal. The highest number of nominations were for the Spanish philologist Ramón Menéndez Pidal with 8 nominations followed by Concha Espina de la Serna with 6 nominations. Three of the nominees were women namely Concha Espina de la Serna, Laura Mestre Hevia, and Ivana Brlić-Mažuranić.[https://www.nobelprize.org/nomination/archive/list.php?prize=4&year=1931 Nomination archive – 1931] nobelprize.org
The authors Arnold Bennett, Hjalmar Bergman, Rachel Bluwstein, Hall Caine, Enrico Corradini, Ernst Didring, Khalil Gibran, Frank Harris, Mary St. Leger Kingsley (known as Lucas Malet), Vachel Lindsay, George Herbert Mead, John Gambril Nicholson, Arthur Schnitzler, Hara Prasad Shastri, John Lawson Stoddard, Milan Šufflay, Ida B. Wells, Xu Zhimo, and Ieronim Yasinsky died in 1931 without having been nominated for the prize. Norwegian-American author Ole Edvart Rølvaag died weeks before the announcement.{{Relevance inline|date=October 2023}}
| class="sortable wikitable mw-collapsible"
|+ class="nowrap" | Official list of nominees and their nominators for the prize |
|
! scope=col | No. ! scope=col | Nominee ! scope=col | Country ! scope=col | Genre(s) ! scope=col | Nominator(s) |
| 1
|Georg Bonne (1859–1945) |{{flag|Weimar Republic|name=Germany}} |essays |Carl Heldmann (1869–1943){{efn|group=notes|Georg Bonne was nominated by a number of other professors, of which at least 4 were eligible to make a nomination for the Prize.}} |
| 2
|Ivana Brlić-Mažuranić (1874–1938) |{{flag|Kingdom of Yugoslavia|name=Yugoslavia}} |novel, short story |Gavro Manojlović (1856–1939) |
| 3
|Olaf Bull (1883–1933) |{{flag|Norway}} |poetry |Jens Thiis (1870–1942) |
| 4
|Ivan Bunin (1870–1953) |{{flag|Soviet Union}} |short story, novel, poetry |{{unbulleted list|Sigurd Agrell (1881–1937){{efn|group=notes|name=dmitry|Sigurd Agrell proposes that the Prize be shared by both Ivan Bunin and Dmitry Merezhkovsky}}|Nikolaj Kullmann (?){{efn|group=notes|Kullmann's nomination (he appeared to be eligible to make a nomination), along with that of three other Russians living in Paris, France, was forwarded by cabinet minister Emanuel Nobel.}}|Bernard Pares (1867–1949)|Alexander Kaun (1889–1944)|Vladimir Andreevich Frantsev (1867–1942)|Olaf Broch (1867–1961)}} |
| 5
|Olav Duun (1876–1939) |{{flag|Norway}} |novel, short story |Helga Eng (1875–1966) |
| 6
|Paul Ernst (1866–1933) |{{flag|Weimar Republic|name=Germany}} |novel, short story, drama, essays |{{unbulleted list|6 professors of the University of Zurich{{efn|group=notes|name=ernst|Paul Ernst was nominated by 6 professors of the University in Zurich who signed the previous year's nomination, as well as a further 14 professors from Germany, Bohemia and Switzerland, at least four of whom were eligible to nominate a candidate.}}|14 professors from Germany, Bohemia and Switzerland{{efn|name=ernst}}}} |
| 7
|Concha Espina de la Serna (1869–1955) |{{flag|Spanish Republic|name=Spain}} |novel, short story |{{unbulleted list|Fredrik Wulff (1845–1930)|49 members of The Nobel Prize Committee of the Society of Authors{{efn|group=notes|Eligible professors and Academy members from Bordeaux, La Paz (Bolivia), Lima, Madrid, Salamanca, Valencia and Zaragoza nominated Concha Espina.}}|20px Jacinto Benavente (1866–1954)|Alfred Baudrillart, C.O. (1859–1942)|Hugo Obermaier (1877–1946)|Luis Redonet y López-Dóriga (1875–1972)|Francisco Rodríguez Marín (1855–1943)|Antoni Rubió i Lluch (1856–1937)|Ricardo León (1877–1943)|Leopoldo Eijo Garay (1878–1963)|Carlos María Cortezo (1850–1933)|Cipriano Muñoz y Manzano (1862–1933)}} |
| 8
|Édouard Estaunié (1862–1942) |{{flag|French Third Republic|name=France}} |novel, essays |Erik Staaff (1867–1936) |
| 9
|John Galsworthy (1867–1933) |{{flag|United Kingdom}} |novel, drama, essays, short story, memoir |Martin Lamm (1880–1950) |
| 10
|Stefan George (1868–1933) |{{flag|Weimar Republic|name=Germany}} |poetry, translation |Andreas Hofgaard Winsnes (1889–1972) |
| 11
|Bertel Gripenberg (1878–1947) |{{flag|Finland}} |poetry, drama, essays |{{unbulleted list|Rolf Lagerborg (1874–1959)|Johannes Sundwall (1877–1966)}} |
| 12
|Hermann Hesse (1877–1962) |{{flag|Weimar Republic|name=Germany}} |novel, poetry, short story, essays |20px Thomas Mann (1875–1955) |
| 13
|Francis Jammes (1868–1938) |{{flag|French Third Republic|name=France}} |poetry, songwriting, essays |Anders Österling (1884–1981) |
| 14
|Johannes Vilhelm Jensen (1873–1950) |{{flag|Denmark}} |novel, short story, poetry |{{unbulleted list|Johannes Brøndum-Nielsen (1881–1977)|Anton Wilhelm Brøgger (1884–1951)|Frederik Poulsen (1876–1950)}} |
| style="background:gold;white-space:nowrap"|15
|style="background:gold;white-space:nowrap"|Erik Axel Karlfeldt (1864–1931) |style="background:gold;white-space:nowrap"|{{flag|Sweden}} |style="background:gold;white-space:nowrap"|poetry |style="background:gold;white-space:nowrap"|20px Nathan Söderblom (1866–1931) |
| 16
|Rudolf Kassner (1873–1959) |{{flag|Republic of Austria|name=Austria}} |philosophy, essays, translation |19 professors from Austria, Germany and Switzerland{{efn|group=notes|Rudolf Kassner was nominated by 19 people, at least 10 of whom were Austrian, German and Swiss professors, eligible to make nominations.}} |
| 17
|Ramón Menéndez Pidal (1869–1968) |{{flag|Spanish Republic|name=Spain}} |philology, history |{{unbulleted list|49 members of The Nobel Prize Committee of the Society of Authors{{efn|group=notes|Nominations from individuals, mostly professors, eligible to make nominations came from Algiers, Barcelona, Breslau, Buenos Aires, Brussels, Dublin, Glasgow, Granada, Groningen, Copenhagen, La Laguna, La Plata, Leeds, London, Madrid, Mexico, Montevideo, Murcia, Naples, Paris, Pothiers, Porto, Salamanca, San José de Costa Rica, Sevilla, Strasbourg, Torino, Toronto, Utrecht, Valencia, Valladolid, and from the United States (Berkeley, CA, Bloomington, IN, Cambridge, MA, Columbus, OH, Madison, WI, Iowa City, IA, Ithaca, NY, New York, Northampton, MA, and Princeton, NJ). A large number of nominations were also made by individuals whose eligibility to nominate was not confirmed.}}|52 representatives at universities in Germany, Austria and Switzerland|7 members of the Faculté de Philosophie et Lettres, Brussels|14 members of the Lisbon Academy of Sciences|6 members of the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de Toledo|21 members of the Real Academia de la Historia|27 members of the Royal Spanish Academy|Santiago Ramón y Cajal (1852–1934)}} |
| 18
|Dmitry Merezhkovsky (1865–1941) |{{flag|Soviet Union}} |novel, essays, poetry, drama |Sigurd Agrell (1881–1937){{efn|name=dmitry}} |
| 19
|Laura Mestre Hevia (1867–1944) |{{flag|Cuba}} |translation |Juan Miguel Dihigo Mestre (1866–1952) |
| 20
|Martin Andersen Nexø (1869–1954) |{{flag|Denmark}} |novel, short story |Alfred Döblin (1878–1957) |
| 21
|Kostis Palamas (1859–1943) |{{flag|Second Hellenic Republic|name=Greece}} |poetry, essays |{{unbulleted list|10 members of the Academy of Athens{{efn|group=notes|Kostis Palamas was also nominated by professors of Modern Greek in Paris, France and Leiden, Netherlands.}}|Simos Menardos (1871–1933)}} |
| 22
|Ramón Pérez de Ayala (1880–1962) |{{flag|Spanish Republic|name=Spain}} |novel, poetry, literary criticism |Ramón Menéndez Pidal (1869–1968) |
| 23
|Erich Maria Remarque{{efn|group=notes|Remarque: Der Weg zurück ("The Road Back", 1931)}} (1898–1970) |{{flag|Weimar Republic|name=Germany}} |novel, short story, essays, drama |Tor Hedberg (1862–1931) |
| 24
|Ole Edvart Rølvaag{{efn|group=notes|Rølvaag: Giants in the Earth (1927){{cite book| url=http://libris.kb.se/bib/8345517| title=Nobelpriset i litteratur. Nomineringar och utlåtanden 1901–1950| first=Bo| last=Svensén| work=Swedish Academy| date=2001| publisher=Svenska Akademien| isbn=978-91-1-301007-6| accessdate=11 November 2020}}}} (1876–1931) |{{flag|Norway}} |novel, short story, essays |Laurence Marcellus Larson (1868–1938) |
| 25
|Johann Rump (1871–1941) |{{flag|Weimar Republic|name=Germany}} |theology, essays |Fredrik Wulff (1845–1930) |
| 26
|Ivan Shmelyov (1873–1950) |{{flag|Soviet Union}} |novel, short story |20px Thomas Mann (1875–1955) |
| 27
|Frans Eemil Sillanpää (1888–1964) |{{flag|Finland}} |novel, short story, poetry |Rafael Erich (1879–1946) |
| 28
|Paul Valéry (1871–1945) |{{flag|French Third Republic|name=France}} |poetry, philosophy, essays, drama |Denis Saurat (1890–1958) |
| 29
|Anton Wildgans (1881–1932) |{{flag|Republic of Austria|name=Austria}} |poetry, drama |Axel Romdahl (1880–1951){{efn|group=notes|Anton Wildgans was also nominated by a 22 professors from Austria, who were eligible to nominate a candidate.}} |
Award ceremony
His wife, Gerda Holmberg–Karlfeldt, was the one who received the Nobel diploma, medal and monetary prize worth SEK173,206 from King Gustaf V and permanent secretary, Per Hallström.{{Failed verification|date=October 2023}}
In the award ceremony held on 10 December 1931, Anders Österling, Swedish Academy member, explained the Nobel Committee's justification of awarding the prize posthumously, by saying: {{quote|Thus the decision to honour the poetry of Erik Axel Karlfeldt with this year’s Nobel Prize is intended as an expression of justice by international standards. Death has stepped between the laureate and his reward; under the circumstances the Prize will be given to his family. He has left us, but his work remains. The tragic world of chance is outshone by the imperishable summer realm of poetry. Before our eyes we see the tomb in the dusk of winter. At the same time we hear the great victorious harmonies sung by the happiness of the creative genius; we feel the scents from the Northern pleasure garden that his poetry created for the comfort and joy of all receptive hearts.[https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/literature/1931/ceremony-speech/ 1931 Award ceremony] nobelprize.org}}
Reactions
The prize was controversial not just because it was the first and only time the Nobel Prize in Literature was awarded posthumously, but because the Academy had previously awarded two other Swedish writers of the same literary era, Selma Lagerlöf in 1909 and Verner von Heidenstam in 1916.Helmer Lång, 100 nobelpris i litteratur 1901–2001, Symposion 2001, page 131 The prize decision was not well received in the Swedish press. In newspapers such as Dagens Nyheter and Stockholms Dagblad the Swedish Academy's decision to posthumously award an author, particularly one who had refused to accept it before, was questioned and said to be against the purpose of the award. A positive reaction was however expressed in Svenska Dagbladet saying that while the award to Karlfeldt was surprising it "on closer deliberation prove to be not just justifiable but beautiful". Internationally, it was heavily criticized as few had heard of Karlfeldt.
Notes
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References
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