 1971 Nobel Prize in Literature | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pablo Neruda | ||||
 "for a poetry that with the action of an elemental force brings alive a continent's destiny and dreams." | ||||
| Date |
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| Location | Stockholm, Sweden | |||
| Presented by | Swedish Academy | |||
| First award | 1901 | |||
| Website | Official website | |||
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The1971Nobel Prize in Literature was awarded to the Chilean politician and poetPablo Neruda (1904–1973) "for a poetry that with the action of an elemental force brings alive a continent's destiny and dreams."[1] Neruda became the second Chilean Nobel laureate in Literature afterGabriela Mistral in1945.
Pablo Neruda is known for hissurrealist poems and historical epics which touches political, human and passionate themes. Among his well known works which are read throughout the world includeVeinte poemas de amor y una canción desesperada ("Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair", 1924), which established him as a prominent poet and an interpreter of love and erotica, andCien Sonetos de Amor ("100 Sonnets of Love", 1959). A diplomat, his official journey in Asia affected him strongly, which is reflected in two volumes of poems titledResidencia en la tierra ("Residence on Earth", 1933 and 1935). Neruda's Communist sympathies reflect in his workCanto General (1939), an epic poem about the whole South American continent.[2][3][4]
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In 1971, theSwedish Academy received 137 nominations for 91 writers. Neruda received 25 nominations since1956 and received two nominations which eventually led to him being awarded the 1971 prize. Among the shortlist were Neruda,W. H. Auden,Patrick White (awarded in1973),André Malraux andEugenio Montale (awarded in1975).[5]
The most number of nominations were forJorge Luis Borges and Montale, both receiving 6 nominations.[6]André Malraux was the nominee who had been nominated for most years (22 years) up to 1971. 25 of the nominees were nominated first-time, among themElie Wiesel (awarded the 1986Nobel Peace Prize),José García Villa,James Baldwin,Arno Schmidt,Georges Schéhadé,William Golding (awarded in1983) andRichard E. Kim. The oldest nominee wasJacques Maritain (aged 89) while the youngest wasRichard E. Kim (aged 39).[6] Peruvian novelistJosé María Arguedas was nominated posthumously by the professor of Scandinavian languages, Elie Poulenard (1901–1985) from University of Strasbourg. Estonian poetMarie Under was the only female nominee.
The authorsAndré Billy,C. D. Broad,Walter Van Tilburg Clark,Daniel de la Vega,Nels F. S. Ferré,Peter Fleming,Claude Gauvreau,Gaito Gazdanov,A. P. Herbert,Philippe Hériat,Raicho Hiratsuka,Anthony Ludovici,Ogden Nash,Allan Nevins,Reinhold Niebuhr,Naoya Shiga,Kenneth Slessor,Juhan Smuul,Aleksandr Tvardovsky,Frank Underhill,Charles Vildrac,Waldo Williams, andPhilip Wylie died in 1971 without having been nominated for the prize. The Indian novelistTarasankar Bandyopadhyay and Dutch writerSimon Vestdijk died months before the announcement.
| No. | Nominee | Country | Genre(s) | Nominator(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Edward Albee (1928–2016) |  United States | drama | Dieter Schaller (1929–2003) |
| 2 | Jorge Amado (1912–2001) |  Brazil | novel, short story | Laurent Versini (1932–2021) |
| 3 | Jerzy Andrzejewski (1909–1983) |  Poland | novel, short story | Eeva Kilpi (born 1928) |
| 4 | Louis Aragon (1897–1982) |  France | novel, short story, poetry, essays | Jean Gaudon (1926–2019) |
| 5 | José María Arguedas (1911–1969) (posthumous nomination) |  Peru | novel, short story, poetry, essays | Elie Poulenard (1901-1985) |
| 6 | Wystan Hugh Auden (1907–1973) |  United KingdomUnited States | poetry, essays, screenplay |
|
| 7 | Riccardo Bacchelli (1891–1985) |  Italy | novel, drama, essays |
|
| 8 | James Baldwin (1924–1987) | United States | novel, short story, essays, poetry, drama | Jacob Louis Mey (1926–2023) |
| 9 | Tarasankar Bandyopadhyay (1898–1971) |  India | novel, short story, drama, essays, autobiography, songwriting | Krishna Kripalani (1907–1992) |
| 10 | Mykola Bazhan (1904–1983) |  Ukraine | poetry, essays | Omeljan Pritsak (1919–2006) |
| 11 | Saul Bellow (1915–2005) |  CanadaUnited States | novel, short story, memoir, essays | Jara Ribnikar (1912–2007) |
| 12 | Jorge Luis Borges (1899–1986) |  Argentina | poetry, essays, translation, short story |
|
| 13 | Jawad Boulos (1900–1982) |  Lebanon | history, essays | Camille Aboussouan (1919–2013) |
| 14 | Heinrich Böll (1917–1985) |  West Germany | novel, short story |
|
| 15 | Michel Butor (1926–2016) | France | poetry, novel, essays, translation | Karl Ragnar Gierow (1904–1982) |
| 16 | Elias Canetti (1905–1994) |  BulgariaUnited Kingdom | novel, drama, memoir, essays | Keith Spalding (1913–2002) |
| 17 | Alejo Carpentier (1904–1980) |  Cuba | novel, short story, essays | Henri Peyre (1901–1988) |
| 18 | Lord David Cecil (1902–1986) | United Kingdom | biography, history, essays | Leslie Poles Hartley (1895–1972) |
| 19 | Aimé Césaire (1913–2008) |  Martinique | poetry, drama, essays | Karl Ragnar Gierow (1904–1982) |
| 20 | André Chamson (1900–1983) | France | novel, essays |
|
| 21 | Fazıl Hüsnü Dağlarca (1914–2008) |  Turkey | poetry | Yaşar Nabi Nayır (1908–1981) |
| 22 | Tsendiin Damdinsüren (1908–1986) |  Mongolia | poetry, essays, novel, translation | Walther Heissig (1913–2005) |
| 23 | Salvador de Madariaga (1886–1978) |  Spain | essays, history, law, novel | Kázmér Géza Werner (1900–1985) |
| 24 | Henry de Montherlant (1895–1972) | France | essays, novel, drama | Anders Österling (1884–1981) |
| 25 | Paul Demiéville (1894–1979) |  SwitzerlandFrance | essays, translation | Martin Gimm (born 1930) |
| 26 | Lawrence Durrell (1912–1990) | United Kingdom | novel, short story, poetry, drama, essays | Haydn Trevor Mason (1929–2018) |
| 27 | Friedrich Dürrenmatt (1921–1990) | Switzerland | drama, novel, short story, essays |
|
| 28 | Rabbe Enckell (1903–1974) |  Finland | short story, poetry |
|
| 29 | Salvador Espriu (1913–1985) | Spain | drama, novel, poetry |
|
| 30 | Romain Gary (1914–1980) |  LithuaniaFrance | novel, essays, literary criticism, screenplay | Walther Hinz (1906–1992) |
| 31 | Maurice Genevoix (1890–1980) | France | novel, essays | Yves Gandon (1899–1975) |
| 32 | William Golding (1911–1993) | United Kingdom | novel, poetry, drama, essays |
|
| 33 | Günter Grass (1927–2015) | West Germany | novel, drama, poetry, essays |
|
| 34 | Graham Greene (1904–1991) | United Kingdom | novel, short story, autobiography, essays | Mary Renault (1905–1983) |
| 35 | Jorge Guillén (1893–1984) | Spain | poetry, literary criticism |
|
| 36 | Paavo Haavikko (1931–2008) | Finland | poetry, drama, essays | Eeva Kilpi (born 1928) |
| 37 | William Heinesen (1900–1991) |  Faroe Islands | poetry, short story, novel |
|
| 38 | Vladimír Holan (1905–1980) |  Czechoslovakia | poetry, essays | Eyvind Johnson (1900–1976) |
| 39 | Eugène Ionesco (1909–1994) |  RomaniaFrance | drama, essays | Karl Ragnar Gierow (1904–1982) |
| 40 | Roman Jakobson (1896–1982) |  RussiaUnited States | essays | Jean Dubois (1920–2015) |
| 41 | Eyvind Johnson (1900–1976) |  Sweden | novel, short story |  Pär Lagerkvist (1891–1974) |
| 42 | Younghill Kang (1898–1972) |  North KoreaUnited States | novel, memoir, drama | Robert Payne (1911–1983) |
| 43 | Erich Kästner (1899–1974) | West Germany | poetry, screenplay, autobiography | Kázmér Géza Werner (1900–1985) |
| 44 | Richard Eun Kook Kim (1932–2009) | North KoreaUnited States | novel, short story | Baek Cheol (1908-1985) |
| 45 | Arthur Koestler (1905–1983) |  HungaryUnited Kingdom | novel, autobiography, essays | Georges Matoré (1908–1998) |
| 46 | Miroslav Krleža (1893–1981) |  Croatia Yugoslavia | poetry, drama, short story, novel, essays | Gunnar Jacobsson (1918–2001) |
| 47 | Karl Krolow (1915–1999) | West Germany | poetry, essays, translation | Emil Ernst Ploss (1925–1972) |
| 48 | Philip Larkin (1922–1985) | United Kingdom | poetry, novel, essays | Jørgen Læssøe (1924–1993) |
| 49 | Siegfried Lenz (1926–2014) | West Germany | novel, short story, essays, drama | Karl Ragnar Gierow (1904–1982) |
| 50 | Väinö Linna (1920–1992) | Finland | novel |
|
| 51 | Compton Mackenzie (1883–1972) | United Kingdom | novel, short story, drama, poetry, history, biography, essays, literary criticism, memoir | Magne Oftedal (1921–1985) |
| 52 | Archibald MacLeish (1892–1982) | United States | poetry, essays, drama, law | William Scovil Anderson (1927–2022) |
| 53 | Hugh MacLennan (1907–1990) | Canada | novel, essays | Lawrence Lande (1906–1998) |
| 54 | André Malraux (1901–1976) | France | novel, essays, literary criticism |
|
| 55 | Jacques Maritain (1882–1973) | France | philosophy | Charles Dédéyan (1910–2003) |
| 56 | Harry Martinson (1904–1978) | Sweden | poetry, novel, drama, essays | Arthur Arnholtz (1901–1973) |
| 57 | Miquel Melendres i Rué (1905–1974) | Spain | essays, theology, poetry, memoir | Antoni Griera (1887–1973) |
| 58 | Arthur Miller (1915–2005) | United States | drama, screenplay, essays |
|
| 59 | Vilhelm Moberg (1898–1973) | Sweden | novel, drama, history | Anders Österling (1884–1981) |
| 60 | Eugenio Montale (1896–1981) | Italy | poetry, translation |
|
| 61 | Alberto Moravia (1907–1990) | Italy | novel, literary criticism, essays, drama |
|
| 62 | Vladimir Nabokov (1899–1977) | RussiaUnited States | novel, short story, poetry, drama, translation, literary criticism, memoir |
|
| 63 | Mikhail Naimy (1889–1988) | Lebanon | poetry, drama, short story, novel, autobiography, literary criticism |
|
| 64 | Pablo Neruda (1904–1973) |  Chile | poetry |
|
| 65 | Fritiof Nilsson Piraten (1895–1972) | Sweden | short story, novel, essays, law | Bertil Ejder (1916–2005) |
| 66 | Ezra Pound (1885–1972) | United States | poetry, essays | Hans Galinsky (1909–1991) |
| 67 | Evaristo Ribera Chevremont (1890–1976) |  Puerto Rico | poetry | Ernesto Juan Fonfrías (1909–1990) |
| 68 | Yannis Ritsos (1909–1990) |  Greece | poetry, songwriting |
|
| 69 | Alain Robbe-Grillet (1922–2008) | France | novel, short story, essays, screenplays | Henry Olsson (1896–1985) |
| 70 | Tadeusz Rózewicz (1921–2014) | Poland | poetry, drama, translation | Gunnar Jacobsson (1918–2001) |
| 71 | Hans Ruin (1891–1980) | FinlandSweden | philosophy | Arthur Arnholtz (1901–1973) |
| 72 | Georges Schéhadé (1905–1989) | Lebanon | poetry, drama, novel | Camille Aboussouan (1919–2013) |
| 73 | Arno Schmidt (1914–1979) | West Germany | novel, short story, biography, essays | Lars Gyllensten (1921–2006) |
| 74 | Léopold Sédar Senghor (1906–2001) |  Senegal | poetry, essays | Karl Ragnar Gierow (1904–1982) |
| 75 | Robert Shih [Shi Jieyun] (1926–1983) |  China | essays | Étienne Lamotte (1903–1983) |
| 76 | Claude Simon (1913–2005) | France | novel, essays | Henry Olsson (1896–1985) |
| 77 | Charles Percy Snow (1905–1980) | United Kingdom | novel, essays | Sylvère Monod (1921–2006) |
| 78 | Zaharia Stancu (1902–1974) | Romania | poetry, novel, philosophy, essays | Karl Ragnar Gierow (1904–1982) |
| 79 | Marie Under (1883–1980) |  Estonia | poetry | Algirdas Landsbergis (1924–2004) |
| 80 | Simon Vestdijk (1898–1971) |  Netherlands | novel, poetry, essays, translation | Karl Ragnar Gierow (1904–1982) |
| 81 | José García Villa (1908–1997) |  PhilippinesUnited States | poetry, essays |
|
| 82 | Gerard Walschap (1898–1989) |  Belgium | novel, drama, essays |
|
| 83 | Mika Waltari (1908–1979) | Finland | short story, novel, poetry, drama, essays, screenplay | Inna Koskenniemi (1923–1995) |
| 84 | Sándor Weöres (1913–1989) | Hungary | poetry, translation | Áron Kibédi Varga (1930–2018) |
| 85 | Patrick White (1912–1990) |  Australia | novel, short story, drama, poetry, autobiography |
|
| 86 | Elie Wiesel (1928–2016) | RomaniaUnited States | memoir, essays, novel, drama | Gerd Høst-Heyerdahl (1915–2007) |
| 87 | Thornton Wilder (1897–1975) | United States | drama, novel, short story |
|
| 88 | Tennessee Williams (1911–1983) | United States | drama, novel, screenplay, short story, poetry | Kázmér Géza Werner (1900–1985) |
| 89 | Henry Williamson (1895–1977) | United Kingdom | novel, short story | Petronella O'Flanagan (?) |
| 90 | Angus Wilson (1913–1991) | United Kingdom | novel, short story, essays | Gerhard Nickel (1928–2015) |
| 91 | Carl Zuckmayer (1896–1977) | West Germany | drama, screenplay |
|
In 1971, the Nobel committee shortlistedPatrick White (awarded in 1973),W.H. Auden,André Malraux andEugenio Montale (awarded in 1975) along with Pablo Neruda.[7] The Academy's archives later revealed in 2022 that Neruda was almost denied the Nobel Prize because of his "communist tendencies" and odes toStalin.[7][5] WhileAnders Österling of the Nobel committee praised Neruda's "poetic natural power and dynamic vitality", he questioned whether the increasingly dominant communist tendency in his poetry is compatible with the purpose of the Nobel prize. In the archives, Österling wrote that "a writer's way of thinking – whether Marxist, syndicalist, anarchist or something else – belongs to his free right. However, Neruda is fully politically involved, including through his hymns to Stalin and other purely propagandistic achievements. On that basis, I have reservations about his candidacy, without, however, wanting to firmly reject it in advance..."[5] Österling had previously spoken out against the candidacy both ofEzra Pound andSamuel Beckett, but was eventually persuaded with Neruda's and Beckett's merits later awarded them the prize, but not Pound.[5]
Committee membersLars Gyllensten,Henry Olsson andArtur Lundkvist all recommended Neruda and Patrick White as the main contenders for the prize.Karl Ragnar Gierow listed Neruda as his first proposal and W.H. Auden as his second proposal, noting a "little marked difference" between the order of the proposals. Österling found Auden to be the most recommendable among the candidates, followed by Montale and Patrick White. André Malraux's candidacy was dismissed by the committee as his best work was thought to be too far back in time. Following their meeting on 16 September 1971 the Nobel committee reported that Neruda had the strongest support in the committee, followed by Auden and White with an equal number of votes.[8]
Pablo Neruda had been one of the favourites to be awarded the Nobel prize in Literature in 1971. Other possible winners speculated about in the media includedGraham Greene,Henry Miller andLawrence Durrell.[9]
The choice of Neruda was controversial for political reasons. It was questioned if Neruda's far-leftcommunism was compatible with the purpose of the Nobel prize, but it was widely agreed that Neruda deserved the prize for his literary achievements.[10]
Bo Strömstedt, cultural editor of the newspaper Expressen, suggested ironically that Neruda's appointment to the Paris embassy might have been decisive factor for him being awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, describing it as "Pension for Diplomats".[11] In an interview, he pointed out that three laureates in the last decade had been diplomats:Saint-John Perse of France,Giorgos Seferis of Greece andMiguel Ángel Asturias of Guatemala. "I call it a Nobel old-age pension for diplomats," he said. "I think Pablo Neruda is a great poet and a greater artist than Patrick White but like choices that come too late, it's a bit dull. I'm for choosing younger persons who are in the midst of their work."[11]
In his home countryChile, the awarding of the Nobel prize to Neruda was widely celebrated. Commenting on the political criticism, Neruda said at a press conference in Stockholm before the award ceremony: "The Nobel prize in literature could have been awarded to other Latin American writers who represent other beliefs. That would not have been wrong by the Swedish Academy but I don't think it would have received the same response and joy among our people as this choice has done."[12]
At the award ceremony in Stockholm on 10 December 1971,Karl Ragnar Gierow of theSwedish Academy said:
The spirit of Nobel’s will tells us what he had in mind [about the prize is to reward work in “an ideal direction”]. The contribution must be one which will benefit mankind. But any work of art worthy of the name does this, so does any literary work with a serious purpose, and so far that matter does that which aims at nothing more serious than raising a healthy laugh. The clause in the will has so much to say that it leaves us without a clear message. One of the few cases, however, where it does take on a definite meaning is this year’s winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature: Pablo Neruda. His work benefits mankind precisely because of its direction. It is my impossible task here to indicate this in a few words. To sum up, Neruda is like catching a condor with a butterfly net. Neruda, in a nutshell, is an unreasonable proposition: the kernel bursts the shell.
Nevertheless, one can do something to describe this kernel. What Neruda has achieved in his writing is community with existence. This sounds simple, and is perhaps our most difficult problem. He himself, in one of hisNew Elemental Odes, has defined it in the formula: harmony with Man and the Earth. The direction in his work, the direction which can so justly be called ideal, is indicated by the path which has brought him to this harmony. (...)
we shall follow with high expectations this remarkable poetry, which with the overflowing vitality of an awakening continent resembles one of its rivers, growing all the mightier and more majestic the closer it approaches the estuary and the sea.[13]
Pablo Neruda delivered a Nobel lecture entitled "Towards the Splendid City" on 13 December 1971, in which he raises some great points about the craft of writing poetry and the poet's relation to society. Neruda expressed: "I believe that poetry is an action, ephemeral or solemn, in which there enters as equal partners solitude and solidarity, emotion and action, the nearness to oneself, the nearness to mankind and to the secret manifestations of nature."[14]
