 1912 Nobel Prize in Literature | |
|---|---|
| Gerhart Hauptmann | |
 "primarily in recognition of his fruitful, varied and outstanding production in the realm of dramatic art." | |
| Date |
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| Location | Stockholm, Sweden |
| Presented by | Swedish Academy |
| First award | 1901 |
| Website | Official website |
The1912 Nobel Prize in Literature was awarded to the German dramatist and novelistGerhart Hauptmann (1862–1949) "primarily in recognition of his fruitful, varied and outstanding production in the realm of dramatic art."[2] He is the fourth German author to become a recipient of the prize afterPaul Heyse in1910.[3]
Gerhart Hauptmann achieved prominence as one of the pioneers ofGerman Naturalism. Naturalism emphasizes observation and determinism as key concepts.Vor Sonnenaufgang ("Before Sunrise"), a drama he wrote in 1889, launched his career and received critical acclaim at the same time and was followed by other successful plays such asDie Weber ("The Weaver", 1892),Hanneles Himmelfahrt ("The Assumption of Hannele", 1893), andDie versunkene Glocke ("The Sunken Bell", 1896). Hauptmann was inspired by the discussion and quickly produced a series of works with realistic themes. He releasedDer Narr in Christo Emanuel Quint ("The Fool in Christ, Emanuel Quint)", his debut book, in 1910.[4][3]
Gerhart Huaptmann was nominated in 5 occasions (three in1902 and one nomination in1906). His nomination in 1912 was madeErich Schmidt (1853–1913), historian of literature and member of theRoyal Prussian Academy of Sciences, which eventually led him to being awarded the prize.[5]
In total, the Nobel Committee of the Swedish Academy received 40 nominations for 30 writers. The highest nominations was for Spanish novelistBenito Pérez Galdós with five nominations. Among the repeated nominees includeHenry James,Thomas Hardy,George Bernard Shaw (awarded in1925),William Chapman,Verner von Heidenstam (awarded in1916), andJuhani Aho. Ten of the nominees were nominated first-time, among themHenri Bergson (awarded in1927),Pencho Slaveykov,Sven Hedin,Carl Spitteler (awarded in1919),Jean-Henri Fabre,Salvatore Farina,Benito Pérez Galdós,Adolf Frey, andJames George Frazer. No female authors were nominated that year.[6]
The authorsHerman Bang,Robert Barr,Berta Behrens,Alexandre Bisson,Edward Wilmot Blyden,Felix Dahn,Louis de Gramont,Léon Dierx,Horace Howard Furness,Joseph Furphy,Jacques Futrelle,Girish Chandra Ghosh,Theodor Gomperz,George Grossmith,Bertha Jane Grundy,Mir Mosharraf Hossain,Alphonse Lemerre,Lie Kim Hok,Karl May,Gabriel Monod,Giovanni Pascoli,Rafael Pombo,Bolesław Prus,Addison Peale Russell,Bram Stoker,Aleksey Suvorin, andVictoria, Lady Welby died in 1912 without having been nominated for the prize. The Bulgarian poetPencho Slaveykov died months before the announcement.
| No. | Nominee | Country | Genre(s) | Nominator(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Juhani Aho (1861–1921) |  Russia(  Finland) | novel, short story | Johan Wilhelm Ruuth (1854–1928) |
| 2 | Rafael Altamira Crevea (1866–1951) |  Spain | history, pedagogy, law, essays | Fermín Canella Secades (1849–1924) |
| 3 | Henri Bergson (1859–1941) |  France | philosophy | Andrew Lang (1844–1912) |
| 4 | William Chapman (1850–1917) |  Canada | poetry, translation | Adrien-Bruno Roy (–)[who?] |
| 5 | Francesco D'Ovidio (1849–1925) |  Italy | philology, literary criticism | Ernesto Monaci (1844–1918) |
| 6 | Jean-Henri Fabre (1823–1915) | France | short story, essays, poetry |
|
| 7 | Salvatore Farina (1846–1918) | Italy | novel, short story | 3 members of theIstituto Lombardo Accademia di Scienze e Lettere |
| 8 | Anatole France (1844–1924) | France | poetry, essays, drama, novel, literary criticism | Paul Hervieu (1857–1915) |
| 9 | James George Frazer (1854–1941) |  Great Britain | history, essays, translation | George Augustin Macmillan (1855–1936) |
| 10 | Adolf Frey (1855–1920) |  Switzerland | biography, history, essays | Wilhelm Oechsli (1851–1919) |
| 11 | Karl Adolph Gjellerup (1857–1919) |  Denmark | poetry, drama, novel | 5 members of theRoyal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters |
| 12 | Ángel Guimerá Jorge (1845–1924) | Spain | drama, poetry |
|
| 13 | Thomas Hardy (1840–1928) | Great Britain | novel, short story, poetry | 70 members of theRoyal Society of Literature |
| 14 | Gerhart Hauptmann (1862–1946) |  Germany | drama, novel | Erich Schmidt (1853–1913) |
| 15 | Sven Hedin (1865–1952) |  Sweden | essays, autobiography, history | Fredrik Wulff (1845–1930) |
| 16 | Harald Høffding (1843–1931) | Denmark | philosophy, theology | 12 members of theRoyal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters |
| 17 | Henry James (1843–1916) |  United StatesGreat Britain | novel, short story, drama, essays |
|
| 18 | Hans Ernst Kinck (1865–1926) |  Norway | philology, novel, short story, drama, essays | Gerhard Gran (1856–1925) |
| 19 | Ernest Lavisse (1842–1922) | France | history | Hans Hildebrand (1842–1913) |
| 20 | Pierre Loti (1850–1923) | France | novel, short story, autobiography, essays |
|
| 21 | Benito Pérez Galdós (1843–1920) | Spain | novel, short story, drama, essays |
|
| 22 | Salvador Rueda Santos (1857–1933) | Spain | poetry, essays | 10 professors of the Cardenal Cisneros Institute |
| 23 | Karl Schönherr (1867–1943) |  Austria-Hungary | drama, short story, poetry | Karl Johan Warburg (1852–1918) |
| 24 | George Bernard Shaw (1856–1950) | Great Britain and Ireland | drama, essays, novel | Kristian Birch-Reichenwald Aars (1868–1917) |
| 25 | Pencho Slaveykov (1866–1912) |  Bulgaria | poetry, essays | Alfred Jensen (1859–1921) |
| 26 | Georgios Souris (1853–1919) |  Greece | poetry, songwriting | Georgios Hatzidakis (1848–1941) |
| 27 | Carl Spitteler (1845–1924) | Switzerland | poetry, essays |
|
| 28 | Émile Verhaeren (1855–1916) |  Belgium | poetry, essays | 2 professors of theFree University of Brussels |
| 29 | Ernst von der Recke (1848–1933) | Denmark | poetry, drama |
|
| 30 | Verner von Heidenstam (1859–1940) | Sweden | novel, short story, poetry | Fredrik Wulff (1845–1930) |
