1953 Nobel Prize in Literature

20px 1953 Nobel Prize in Literature Sir Winston Churchill Swedish Academy 1901 https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/literature/1953/summary/ 1953 laureate Sir Winston S Churchill.jpg "for his mastery of historical and biographical description as well as for brilliant oratory in defending exalted human values". 13 October 1953 (announcement) 10 December 1953 (ceremony) Stockholm, Sweden 1952 Nobel Prize in Literature 1954 The 1953 Nobel Prize in Literature was awarded to the prime minister of the United Kingdom Sir Winston Churchill (1874–1965) "for his mastery of historical and biographical description as well as for brilliant oratory in defending exalted human values".Nobel Prize in Literature 1953 nobelprize.org He is the sixth British writer to receive the prize, coming after the philosopher Bertrand Russell in 1950. Laureate Winston Churchill as a writer One of the most well-known leaders of the 20th century, Winston Churchill, also left behind a sizable corpus of writing. His writings include a multivolume study about the First and Second World Wars, a thorough history of his ancestor the first Duke of Marlborough, and an autobiography in which he recounts his exciting years as an officer and war journalist. The books' entertaining writing style is combined with their neutrality. Churchill's memorable and historic speeches delivered during World War II are among his most significant literary compositions.Winston Churchill – Facts nobelprize.org Among his famous non-fiction works include Arms and the Covenant (1938), The World Crisis (1923–1931), The Second World War (1948–1953), and A History of the English-Speaking Peoples (1956–1958).Winston Churchill britannica.com Deliberations Nominations Churchill was nominated for the prize on 23 occasions since 1946, the first time made by Axel Romdahl, a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Letters, History and Antiquities. He received the highest number of nominations – six nominations from academics and writers – for the year 1950. In 1953, he received a single nomination from Birger Nerman, member of the same academy, which eventually led to him being awarded.Nomination archive – Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill nobelprize.org In total, the Nobel Committee of the Swedish Academy received 34 nominations for 24 writers. The highest number of nominations – 3 nominations each – were for Johan Falkberget, Tarjei Vesaas, and Rudolf Kassner. Three of the nominees were nominated first-time, namely the German poet Gottfried Benn, Peruvian Alberto Hidalgo, and the Austrian writer Max Mell. No women were nominated for the prize that year.Nomination archive – 1953 nobelprize.org The authors Hilaire Belloc, Henri Bernstein, Elsa Beskow, Ugo Betti, Émile Cammaerts, Idris Davies, Julia de Burgos, Ellen Hørup, C. E. M. Joad, Elizabeth Mary Jones (known as Moelona), Alice Milligan, Theodore Francis Powys, Hans Reichenbach, Marjorie Rawlings, Dylan Thomas, Marguerite Vallette-Eymery (known as Rachilde), John van Melle, and Alfred Vierkandt died in 1953 without having been nominated for the prize. Official list of nominees and their nominators for the prize No. Nominee Country Genre(s) Nominator(s)1Mark Aldanov (1886–1957)Soviet Union(Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic Ukraine)French Fourth Republic Francebiography, novel, essays, literary criticism 20px Ivan Bunin (1870–1953)2Julien Benda (1867–1956) French Fourth Republic Francenovel, philosophy, essays, literary criticism Holger Sten (1907–1971)3Gottfried Benn (1886–1956) West Germanypoetry, essaysHeinrich Kuen (1899–1989)4Werner Bergengruen (1892–1964)West Germanynovel, short story, poetryPaulus Svendsen (1904–1989)5Winston Churchill (1874–1965) United Kingdomhistory, essays, memoirBirger Nerman (1888–1971)6Walter de la Mare (1873–1956)United Kingdomnovel, short story, poetry, literary criticism, essaysHarry Martinson (1904–1978)7Johan Falkberget (1879–1967) Norwaynovel, short story, essaysAndreas Hofgaard Winsnes (1889–1972) Richard Beck (1897–1980) Paulus Svendsen (1904–1989)8Edward Morgan Forster (1879–1970) United Kingdomnovel, short story, drama, essays, biography, literary criticismPrince Wilhelm, Duke of Södermanland (1884–1965)9Robert Frost (1874–1963) United States 1912poetry, dramaHjalmar Gullberg (1898–1961)10Graham Greene (1904–1991) United Kingdomnovel, short story, autobiography, essaysOscar Wieselgren (1886–1971)11Franz Hellens (1881–1972) Belgiumnovel, poetry, literary criticismGustave Charlier (1885–1959)12Ernest Hemingway (1899–1961) United States 1912novel, short story, screenplayElias Wessén (1889–1981)13Alberto Hidalgo Lobato (1897–1967) Perupoetry, essaysGabriela Mistral (1889–1957)14Juan Ramón Jiménez (1881–1958) Francoist Spain Spainpoetry, novelHjalmar Gullberg (1898–1961)15Rudolf Kassner (1873–1959) Austriaphilosophy, essays, translationWerner Bergengruen (1892–1964) Friedrich Bischoff (1896–1976) Hermann Kasack (1896–1966) Erich Kästner (1899–1974) Martin Kessel (1901–1990) Annette Kolb (1870–1967) Ernst Penzoldt (1892–1955) Frank Thiess (1890–1977) Carl August Emge (1886–1970) Rudolf Pechel (1882–1961)16Nikos Kazantzakis (1883–1957) Kingdom of Greece Greecenovel, philosophy, essays, drama, memoir, translationHans Heiberg (1904–1978)17Halldór Laxness (1902–1998) Icelandnovel, short story, drama, poetrySteingrímur Þorsteinsson (1911–1973) Jón Helgason (1899–1986) Sigurður Nordal (1886–1974)18Max Mell (1882–1971)Austrianovel, drama, screenplayAustrian Academy of Sciences19Alfonso Reyes Ochoa (1889–1959) Mexicophilosophy, essays, novel, poetryFidelino de Figueiredo (1888–1967)20Jules Romains (1885–1972) French Fourth Republic Francepoetry, drama, screenplayLorentz Eckhoff (1884–1974)21Carl Sandburg (1878–1967) United States 1912poetry, essays, biographyHarry Martinson (1904–1978)22Zalman Shneour (1887–1959)Soviet Union(Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic Belarus)United Statespoetry, essaysNaftali Herz Tur-Sinai (1886–1973) Joseph Klausner (1874–1958)23Stijn Streuvels (1871–1969) Belgiumnovel, short storyThe Vlaanderen PEN-Club Royal Academy of Dutch Language and Literature24Tarjei Vesaas (1897–1970) Norwaypoetry, novelOlav Midttun (1883–1972) Sigmund Skard (1903–1995) Harald Beyer (1891–1960) Prize decision Churchill was first nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1946, but his candidacy was then rejected. In 1948 academy member Nils Ahnlund wrote in a report that Churchill is "not entirely qualified for the literature prize", but considering his rhetorics Ahnlund said he was qualified: "This rhetoric, by turns simple, by turns elevated but always comprehensible for each and everyone, has the mark of genuine art." The Swedish Academy was however worried that a prize to Churchill would be seen as politically motivated, and his candidacy was postponed. By 1953, the academy thought that enough time had passed since the end of the war and hoped that a prize to Churchill would be regarded as a literary award.Bengt Liljegren Winston Churchill, del 2: 1939-1965, Historiska Media 2014, p.265 Reactions The decision to award Winston Churchill the Nobel Prize in Literature has been questioned. "Winston Churchill is historical but he belongs only to a little extent to the history of literature," wrote Helmer Lång in his 2001 book about the Nobel Prizes in literature, "It was the defender of democracy, the winner against fascism, that was awarded a Nobel Prize". Lång said that "for once it was also a master of eloquence that was awarded", that it was Churchill's speeches during World War II and his recently completed non-fiction work The Second World War that got him the prize.Helmer Lång Hundra nobelpris i litteratur 1901-2001, Symposion 2001, p.190 Churchill himself said: "I think it a very great honour to receive from the Swedish Academy of Literature this distinction gained among all the other writers of the world." But according to his private secretary Anthony Montague Browne, Churchill was disappointed that he had not been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize: “Churchill deeply wished to be remembered as a peacemaker.... I remember vividly his early and touching joy, which turned to indifference when he learned that it was for Literature and not for Peace.”https://winstonchurchill.hillsdale.edu/churchills-nobel-prize-peace-literature/ Winston Churchill and the Nobel Prizes, 1946-1953 Fred Glueckstein 29 January 2018 The Churchill Project Hillsdale College Award ceremony Due to health concerns, Churchill did not go to Sweden for the award ceremony. Instead, Lady Clementine Churchill, his wife, accompanied by their daughter Mary Soames, travelled to Stockholm to receive the Prize on his behalf in December of the same year.https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/features/churchills-highest-literary-honour Churchill's highest literary honour nationaltrust.org References External links International Churchill Society: Winston Churchill Award Ceremony speech nobelprize.org 1953 Category:Winston Churchill Nobel