1911 Nobel Prize in Literature

20px 1911 Nobel Prize in Literature Maurice Maeterlinck Swedish Academy 1901 https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/literature/1911/summary/ 1911 laureate Maurice de Maeterlinck, crop.jpg "in appreciation of his many-sided literary activities, and especially of his dramatic works, which are distinguished by a wealth of imagination and by a poetic fancy, which reveals, sometimes in the guise of a fairy tale, a deep inspiration, while in a mysterious way they appeal to the readers' own feelings and stimulate their imaginations." 9 November 1911 (announcement) 10 December 1911 (ceremony) Stockholm, Sweden 1910 Nobel Prize in Literature 1912 The 1911 Nobel Prize in Literature was awarded to the Belgian author Maurice Maeterlinck (1862–1949) "in appreciation of his many-sided literary activities, and especially of his dramatic works, which are distinguished by a wealth of imagination and by a poetic fancy, which reveals, sometimes in the guise of a fairy tale, a deep inspiration, while in a mysterious way they appeal to the readers' own feelings and stimulate their imaginations."The Nobel Prize in Literature 1911 nobelprize.org He is the first and remains the only Belgian recipient of the prize.Maurice Maeterlinck britannica.com Laureate Maurice Maeterlinck Maeterlinck was a symbolist and agnostic who explored the inner lives of people and the subconscious in his surreal plays and poems. His dramas frequently feature shifting and ambiguous milieux and epochs, which enhances the symbolism. He made his debut with the play La Princesse Maleine ("Princess Maleine", 1889). Instead of expressing reality, he focused himself to generating feelings. Since human players would interact with the symbolic, several of Maeterlinck's plays were created for puppets. The puppets, he argued, were a potent representation of how fate controls people.Maurice Maeterlinck – Facts nobelprize.org His most famous plays include L'Intruse ("Intruder", 1890), Les Aveugles ("The Blind", 1890), Pelléas et Mélisande ("Pelléas and Mélisande", 1893), Intérieur ("Interior", 1895), and L'Oiseau bleu ("The Blue Bird", 1908). thumb|left|A 1906 illustration of the play by Nicholas Roerich. Deliberations Nominations Maeterlinck was nominated on 8 occasions (two nominations in 1903, three nominations in 1909, single nominations in 1904, 1910, and 1911). For the 1911 prize, which he was awarded eventually, he was nominated by Carl Bildt (1850–1931), member of the Swedish Academy.Nomination archive – Maurice Maeterlinck nobelprize.org In total, the Nobel Committee received 31 nominations for 28 writers. Eleven of the nominees were nominated first-time, among them Karl Adolph Gjellerup (awarded in 1917), Albert de Mun, Gustaf Fröding, George Bernard Shaw (awarded in 1925), Harald Høffding, Henry James, and Peter Rosegger. Two of the nominees were women namely the American historian Molly Elliot Seawell and Austrian writer Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach.Nomination archive – 1911 nobelprize.org The Swedish playwright August Strindberg was nominated for the prize but the nomination arrived too late and was retrievedFacts on the Nobel Prize in Literature nobelprize.org and the nomination of French historian Ernest Lavisse was declared invalid by the Nobel Committee. The authors Henry Abbey, Mikhail Albov, Ida Baccini, Vilhelm Bergsøe, Louis Henri Boussenard, Stanisław Brzozowski, Joaquín Costa, Fialho de Almeida, Amelia Denis de Icaza, George Cary Eggleston, W. S. Gilbert, Frances Harper, Knud Karl Krogh-Tonning, Francis March, Richard Barham Middleton, Philippe Monnier, Alexandros Papadiamantis, David Graham Phillips, Joseph Pulitzer, Howard Pyle, Emilio Salgari, Hannah Whitall Smith, Friedrich Spielhagen, Henrietta Stannard, Katherine Thurston, Marie Wexelsen, and Adolf Wilbrandt died in 1911 without having been nominated for the prize. Swedish poet Gustaf Fröding died months before the announcement. Official list of nominees and their nominators for the prize No. Nominee Country Genre(s) Nominator(s)1Juhani Aho (1861–1921) Russian Empire Russia(Finland)novel, short storyLeo Mechelin (1839–1914) Johan Wilhelm Ruuth (1854–1928)2Rafael Altamira Crevea (1866–1951)Restoration (Spain) Spainhistory, pedagogy, law, essaysAniceto Sela Sampil (1863–1935)3Francesco D'Ovidio (1849–1925) Kingdom of Italy Italyphilology, literary criticismErnesto Monaci (1844–1918)4Albert de Mun (1841–1914)French Third Republic FranceessaysRené Bazin (1853–1932)5Antonio Fogazzaro (1842–1911) Kingdom of Italy Italynovel, poetry, short storyJohan Vising (1855–1942)6Anatole France (1844–1924) French Third Republic Francepoetry, essays, drama, novel, literary criticismPaul Hervieu (1857–1915)notes This nomination was not included in the list of nominations set by the Nobel Committee on Feb. 4, 1911, but was subsequently added later on.7Gustaf Fröding (1860–1911)SwedenpoetrySimon Boëthius (1850–1924) Adolf Noreen (1854–1925)8Martin Greif (1839–1911) German Empire Germanypoetry, dramaAugust Sauer (1855–1926)9Karl Adolph Gjellerup (1857–1919) Denmarkpoetry, drama, novelLudwig Schemann (1852–1938)notes The nomination was made by L. Schemann with the assent from several German writers. Vilhelm Andersen (1864–1953)notes assent The nomination was made with assent from 5 other Danish professors and members of the Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters Harald Høffding (1843–1931)assent10Ángel Guimerá Jorge (1845–1924) Restoration (Spain) Spaindrama, poetry16 members of the Reial Acadèmia de Bones Lletres de Barcelona11Thomas Hardy (1840–1928)United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland Great Britainnovel, short story, poetry2 members of the Society of Authors12Harald Høffding (1843–1931) Denmarkphilosophy, theologyChristen Collin (1857–1926)13Henry James (1843–1916)United States 1908United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland Great Britainnovel, short story, drama, essays3 members of the Society of Authors14Ernest Lavisse (1842–1922) French Third Republic Francehistory unnamednotes Nomination was declared invalid by the Nobel Committeehttp://libris.kb.se/bib/8345517 Nobelpriset i litteratur. Nomineringar och utlåtanden 1901–1950 Bo Svensén Swedish Academy 11 November 2020 (Svenska Akademien, 2001 9789113010076)15Pierre Loti (1850–1923)French Third Republic Francenovel, short story, autobiography, essays20 members of the Académie Française16Maurice Maeterlinck (1862–1949) Belgiumdrama, poetry, essaysCarl Bildt (1850–1931)17John Morley (1838–1923) United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland Great Britainbiography, literary criticism, essays21 members of the Society of Authors18Peter Rosegger (1843–1918)Austria-Hungarypoetry, essaysEmil Reich (1854–1910)added19Salvador Rueda Santos (1857–1933) Restoration (Spain) Spainpoetry, essaysprofessors of Cardinal Cisneros Institute members of the Los Centros Españoles de Cuba20Karl Schönherr (1867–1943) Austria-Hungarydrama, short story, poetryEmil Reich (1854–1910)notes added The nominees P. Rosegger and K. Schönherr were added to M. von Ebner-Eschenbach's nomination by the Nobel Committee.21Molly Elliot Seawell (1860–1916)United States 1908history, novel, short storyCharles William Kent (1860–1917)22George Bernard Shaw (1856–1950)United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland Great Britain and Irelanddrama, essays, novelGilbert Murray (1866–1957)23Georgios Souris (1853–1919) Kingdom of Greece Greecepoetry, songwritingHellenic Philological Society of Constantinoplenotes The nomination was made by the president and secretary of the Hellenic Philological Society in Constantinople, Turkey.24August Strindberg (1849–1912)Swedendrama, novel, poetry, essaysNathan Söderblom (1866–1931)notes August Strindberg was nominated once in 1911 by Nathan Söderblom but the nomination arrived too late and was retrieved by the Nobel Committee.25Ernst von der Recke (1848–1933)Denmarkpoetry, dramaEwert Wrangel (1863–1940) 20 professors and members of Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters26Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach (1830–1916)Austria-Hungarynovel, short story, dramaEmil Reich (1854–1910)added27Verner von Heidenstam (1859–1940) Swedennovel, short story, poetryFredrik Wulff (1845–1930)28Jaroslav Vrchlický (1853–1912) Russian Empire Russia(Czechoslovakia)poetry, drama, translationArnošt Kraus (1859–1943) Prize decision Maeterlinck had been nominated for the prize in 1903, but his candidacy was then dismissed by the Nobel committee chairman Carl David af Wirsén saying that Maeterlinck's writing was partly too obscure, including motifs "of such embarrassing bizarre nature". He was nominated again in 1904, but again was not taken in consideration by the Nobel committee that year. Maeterlinck was nominated again in 1909 and his candidacy was then more positively dealt with by the Nobel committee. Carl David af Wirsén, who had earlier been strongly critical of Maeterlincks candidacy, now launched him as a main candidate for the prize. It has been speculated that Wirsén's reappraisal of Maeterlinck was a way of preventing that Selma Lagerlöf, deeply disliked by Wirsén, was awarded the prize, but also that Wirsén had reached a deeper understanding of Maeterlinck's works. Selma Lagerlöf was awarded the 1909 Nobel Prize in Literature and the following year Maeterlinck was again a strong contender for the prize. In 1911 Wirsén praised Maeterlinck's writing, concluding in his report that "Maeterlinck is (...) a poet of admirable power, and his versatility is, as shown above, surprisingly great. The Nobel committee may also this year propose him as recipient of the literary Nobel Prize. The choice will surely be liked in most quarters, because this poet enjoys a world reputation and his writings are widely read and accepted."http://www.kulturdelen.com/2011/12/10/100-ar-sedan-maeterlincks-nobelpris-i-litteratur/ 100 år sedan Maeterlincks Nobelpris i litteratur Alan Asaid kulturdelen.com 10 December 2011 Swedish Banquet speech Maeterlinck was unable to partake in the Nobel award ceremony due to illness. Thus, Charles C.M.A. Wauters, Minister of Belgium, delivered Maeterlinck's speech.1911 Banquet speech nobelprize.org Prior to the speech, Prof. Karl Mörner, Director of the Royal Institute of Medicine and Surgery, expressed his disappointment that Maeterlinck was not able to be present at the ceremony whom he regarded as "a writer universally known and esteemed, whose poetic creations have filled us with enthusiasm." Notes References External links Award ceremony speech by C.D. af Wirsén nobelprize.org 1911 Category:Maurice Maeterlinck Nobel