1916 Nobel Prize in Literature
The 1916 Nobel Prize in Literature | |
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Date | 6 October 1916 |
Location | Stockholm |
Country | Sweden |
Presented by | Swedish Academy |
Hosted by | Erik Axel Karlfeldt |
First awarded | 1901 |
1916 laureate | Verner von Heidenstam |
Website | 1916 Nobel Prize in Literature |
The 1916 Nobel Prize in Literature was awarded to the Swedish poet and prose writer Verner von Heidenstam (1859–1940) "in recognition of his significance as the leading representative of a new era in our literature." Heidenstam was the second Swedish Nobel laureate in Literature after Selma Lagerlöf in 1909.
Laureate
Verner von Heidenstam was the leader of the generation of poets of the 1890s that regenerated Swedish poetry. His first collection of poems Vallfart och vandringsår ("Pilgrimage: The Wander Years", 1888), which contains predominantly Oriental themes, marked a new epoch in the modern literature of Sweden. A new form of poetry characterized by rich imagination and the worship of beauty in contrast to the gloomy realistic school which had been dominant in Swedish literature before. In major works such as Hans Alienus (1892) and especially in Dikter ("Poems", 1895) Heidenstam opens perspectives to an inner life. He was later noted for patriotic poetry linked to Swedish history in works such as Ett folk ("One People", 1902) and the prose poems in Karolinerna ("The Charles Men", 1897-98). These were followed by major works such as the epic historical prose work Folkunga Trädet ("The Tree of the Folkungs", 1905-07) including Folke Filbyter and Bjälboarvet ("The BjäIbo Inheritance"). In 1915, the year before Heidenstam was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, another aspect of his writing appeared in Nya dikter ("New poems"), a collection of mainly philosophical poems.
Nominations
Heidenstam received his first nomination in 1909 from a Swedish politician and academic, Carl Carlson Bonde. Since then, he was nominated in 11 occasions before eventually being awarded in 1916 with which he received six nominations.
In 1916, the Nobel committee received 47 nominations for 28 individuals, including Romain Rolland (who was awarded the postponed prize for 1915), Georg Brandes, Henry James, Benito Pérez Galdos and Anatole France (awarded in 1921), and for one literary society. 9 of the nominees were nominated first-time, among them Erik Axel Karlfeldt (awarded in 1931), Per Hallström, Ivan Franko and Gunnar Heiberg. The Pāli Text Society, a text publication society established in 1881, was nominated by its founder Thomas William Rhys Davids. Since 1916, it remains the first and last literary society nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature. The controversial German author Elisabeth Förster-Nietzsche was the only woman nominated.
The authors Jack London, Josiah Royce, Natsume Sōseki, Mário de Sá-Carneiro, Sholom Aleichem, Petar Kočić, James Whitcomb Riley, Olindo Guerrini, John Todhunter, Hector Hugh Munro (known as Saki), Rubén Darío, Carolina Freyre, and Jane Dieulafoy died in 1916 without having been nominated for the prize.
No. | Nominee | Country | Genre(s) | Nominator(s) |
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1 | Adolf Frey (1855–1920) | Switzerland | biography, history, essays | Wilhelm Oechsli (1851–1919) |
2 | Carl Spitteler (1845–1924) | Switzerland | poetry, essays |
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3 | Anatole France (1844–1924) | France | poetry, essays, drama, novel, literary criticism |
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4 | Rabindranath Datta (1883–1917) | India | poetry, pedagogy |
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5 | Ivan Franko (1856–1916) | Ukraine | poetry, novel, short story, drama, literary criticism, essays |
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6 | Elisabeth Förster-Nietzsche (1846–1935) | Germany | essays, autobiography |
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7 | The Pāli Text Society (founded in 1881) | United Kingdom | translation, history, publications | Thomas William Rhys Davids (1843–1922) |
8 | Edmond Picard (1836–1924) | Belgium | drama, law, essays | 3 members of the Royal Academy of Science, Letters and Fine Arts of Belgium |
9 | Otokar Březina (1868–1929) | Czech Republic | poetry, essays | Arne Novák (1880–1939) |
10 | Arne Garborg (1851–1921) | Norway | novel, poetry, drama, essays |
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11 | Karl Adolph Gjellerup (1857–1919) | Denmark | poetry, drama, novel |
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12 | Romain Rolland (1866–1944) | France | novel, drama, essays |
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13 | Per Hallström (1866–1960) | Sweden | short story, drama, poetry |
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14 | Verner von Heidenstam (1859–1940) | Sweden | novel, short story, poetry |
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15 | Ángel Guimerá Jorge (1845–1924) | Spain | drama, poetry |
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16 | Henrik Pontoppidan (1857–1943) | Denmark | novel, short story | Otto Jespersen (1860–1943) |
17 | Henrik Schück (1855–1947) | Sweden | literary criticism, essays | Rabbe Axel Wrede (1851–1938) |
18 | Georg Brandes (1842–1927) | Denmark | literary criticism, essays | Vilhelm Andersen (1864–1953) |
19 | Henry James (1843–1916) | United States United Kingdom |
novel, short story, drama, essays | Julio Nathaniel Reuter (1863–1937) |
20 | Gunnar Heiberg (1857–1929) | Norway | poetry, drama, literary criticism, essays | Jens Thiis (1870–1942) |
21 | Harald Høffding (1843–1931) | Denmark | philosophy, theology | Valdemar Vedel (1865–1942) |
22 | Jakob Knudsen (1858–1917) | Denmark | novel, short story, pedagogy, theology | |
23 | Erik Axel Karlfeldt (1864–1931) | Sweden | poetry | Nathan Söderblom (1866–1931) |
24 | Troels Frederik Lund (1840–1921) | Denmark | history | Frits Läffler (1847–1921) |
25 | Ernst von der Recke (1848–1933) | Denmark | poetry, drama | Karl Alfred Melin (1849–1919) |
26 | Juhani Aho (1861–1921) | Finland | novel, short story | |
27 | Adolf von Harnack (1851–1930) | Estonia Germany |
history, theology | |
28 | Benito Pérez Galdós (1843–1920) | Spain | novel, short story, drama, essays |
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29 | Émile Verhaeren (1855–1916) | Belgium | poetry, essays | unnamed |
Reactions
The decision to award Heidenstam, himself a member of the awarding institution the Swedish Academy, as the second Swedish Nobel laureate in just seven years was critisized by some. Internationally it was generally well received. The decision to award Heidenstam has been seen as a result of the strong tendency of nationalism in Sweden at the time.