1991 Nobel Prize in Literature
{{Infobox award
| name = 20px 1991 Nobel Prize in Literature
| subheader = Nadine Gordimer
| awarded_for =
| presenter = Swedish Academy
| year = 1901
| website = {{oweb|https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/literature/1991/summary/}}
| holder_label = 1991 laureate
| holder =
| image = Nadine Gordimer 01.JPG
| caption = "who through her magnificent epic writing has – in the words of Alfred Nobel – been of very great benefit to humanity."
| host =
| date = {{plainlist|
- {{Start date|1991|10|3|df=yes}} (announcement)
- 10 December 1991
(ceremony)
}}
| location = Stockholm, Sweden
| previous = 1990
| main = Nobel Prize in Literature
| next = 1992
}}
The 1991 Nobel Prize in Literature was awarded to the South African activist and writer Nadine Gordimer (1923–2014) "who through her magnificent epic writing has – in the words of Alfred Nobel – been of very great benefit to humanity."[https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/literature/1991/summary/ The Nobel Prize in Literature 1991] nobelprize.org She is the 7th female and first South African recipient of the prize followed by J. M. Coetzee in 2003.
Laureate
{{main|Nadine Gordimer}}
During the 1960s and 1970s, Nadine Gordimer wrote a number of novels such as A World of Strangers (1958), Burger's Daughter (1979), and July's People (1981) which are set against the backdrop of the emerging resistance movement against apartheid, while the liberated South Africa provides the backdrop for her later works, written in the 1990s. The stories of individuals are always at the center of her narratives, in relation to external limitations and frameworks. Her 1974 novel The Conservationist which garnered numerous literary awards is considered to be her magnum opus.{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1991/10/04/books/nadine-gordimer-is-winner-of-nobel-prize-in-literature.html|title=Nadine Gordimer Is Winner of Nobel Prize in Literature|date=4 October 1991|access-date=21 May 2021|website=New York Times}} As a whole, Gordimer's literary works create rich imagery of South Africa's historical development. Her other well-known works include The Soft Voice of the Serpent (1952), My Son's Story (1990), and Get a Life (2005).[https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/literature/1991/gordimer/facts/ Nadine Gordimer – Facts] nobelprize.org[https://www.britannica.com/biography/Nadine-Gordimer Nadine Gordimer] nobelprize.org
Deliberations
Nadine Gordimer had been considered by the Swedish Academy for the Nobel Prize in Literature for many years. Gordimer was first nominated in 1972 by Nobel committee member Artur Lundkvist.{{cite web|url=https://www.nobelprize.org/nomination/archive/show_people.php?id=16426 |title=Nomination Archive Nadine Gordimer |date=21 May 2024 |publisher=nobelprize.org }} In 1974, again proposed by Lundkvist, she was shortlisted by the Nobel committee for a shared prize with Doris Lessing (awarded in 2007).{{cite web|url=https://www.aftonbladet.se/nojesbladet/a/wgb3n4/sekretessen-lyfts-om-priset-som-forstorde-allt |title=Sekretessen lyfts om priset "som förstörde allt" |date=2 January 2025 |publisher=Aftonbladet }} In a report about the final candidates for the 1974 prize, Nobel committee chairman Karl Ragnar Gierow found that Gordimer/Lessing was a strong proposal and that they "represent in modern literature not just geographically but also concerning social conditions and experiences a new world of emerging problems, by both brought to life by great artistic power. But they have a future ahead of them".{{cite web|url=https://sa-admin.lb.se/assets/99062333-4fba-456c-91e3-2166facbde6c.pdf/S%C3%A4rskilt%20yttrande%20av%20herr%20Gierow%201974.pdf |title=Särskilt yttrande av herr Gierow (pdf) |date=6 June 1974 |publisher=Svenska Akademien |lang=Swedish }}
Reactions
The choice of Gordimer was well received. In her home country it was celebrated by president F.W. de Klerk, saying "The Nobel Prize for literature is unequaled in prestige in the world. Winning it is a noteworthy achievement from any point of view", and by archbishop Desmond Tutu, saying "She's an outstanding artist, has a way with words but more than anything else she has had this tremendous commitment and caring about people, caring about justice".
Award ceremony speech
At the award ceremony in Stockholm on 10 December 1991, Sture Allén, permanent secretary of the Swedish Academy said of Gordimer's authorship: {{quote|Conveying to the reader a powerful sense of authenticity, and with wide human relevance, she makes visible the extremely complicated and utterly inhuman living conditions in the world of racial segregation. She feels political responsibility, and does not shy away from its consequences, but will not allow it to affect her as a writer: her texts are not agitatorial, not progandistic. Still, her works and the deep insights she offers contribute to shaping reality.{{cite web|url=https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/literature/1991/ceremony-speech/ |title=Award ceremony speech |publisher=nobelprize.org }} }}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/literature/1991/press-release/ 1991 Press release] nobelprize.org
- [https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/literature/1991/ceremony-speech/ Award ceremony speech] nobelprize.org
{{Nobel Prize in Literature}}
{{1991 Nobel Prize winners}}