1968 Nobel Prize in Literature

20px 1968 Nobel Prize in Literature Yasunari Kawabata Swedish Academy 1901 https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/literature/1968/summary/ 1968 laureate Yasunari Kawabata 1968 cropped.jpg "for his narrative mastery, which with great sensibility expresses the essence of the Japanese mind." 10 October 1968 (announcement) 10 December 1968 (ceremony) Stockholm, Sweden 1967 Nobel Prize in Literature 1969 The 1968 Nobel Prize in Literature was awarded to the Japanese writer Yasunari Kawabata (1899–1972) "for his narrative mastery, which with great sensibility expresses the essence of the Japanese mind."The Nobel Prize in Literature 1968 nobelprize.org He is the first Japanese recipient of the prize. Laureate Yasunari Kawabata Yasunari Kawabata's short story Izu no odoriko ("The Dancing Girl of Izu"), first published in 1926, served as his literary debut. After producing a number of noteworthy works, Kawabata's 1937 novel Yukiguni ("Snow Country") established him as one of Japan's most renowned writers. In 1949, he published two serial novels Senbazuru ("Thousand Cranes") and Yama no Oto. His later works include Mizuumi ("The Lake", 1955) and Koto ("The Old Capital", 1962). Both in the author's home country and abroad, The Old Capital left the biggest impression.Yasunari Kawabata – Facts nobelprize.orgYasunari Kawabata britannica.com Deliberations Nominations Kawabata was nominated on 8 occasions starting in 1961. He was annually nominated with single nominations made by members of the Swedish Academy. In 1968, his nomination was made by Eyvind Johnson, member of the said academy.Nomination archive – Yasunari Kawabata nobelprize.org In total, the Nobel Committee received 112 nominations for 76 writers from various academics, literary critics and societies. Among the repeated nominees were Ezra Pound and E. M. Forster – both dismissed on account of their advancing ages – Max Frisch, Louis Aragon, Charles de Gaulle, Graham Greene, Vladimir Nabokov and Eugène Ionesco – the latter two authors were set aside because of their controversial works. Nineteen of the nominees were newly nominated such as Patrick White (awarded in 1973), Luis Buñuel, Claude Lévi-Strauss, Friedebert Tuglas, Tadeusz Różewicz, Vladimír Holan, Angus Wilson, Zbigniew Herbert, and Sławomir Mrożek. The oldest nominee was the Spanish philologist Ramón Menéndez Pidal (aged 99) and the youngest was Sławomir Mrożek (aged 38). Five of the nominees were women namely Marie Under, Anna Seghers, Marianne Moore, Mildred Breedlove, and Katherine Anne Porter.Nomination archive – 1968 nobelprize.org The authors Karl Barth, Charles Bean, Joaquín Edwards Bello, Enid Mary Blyton, Max Brod, Abel Bonnard, Anthony Boucher, Helen Cam, León Felipe Camino, Jacques Chardonne, Donald Davidson, Pablo de Rokha, Margaret Duley, Edna Ferber, Romano Guardini, Germaine Guèvremont, D. Gwenallt Jones, Fannie Hurst, Anna Kavan, Helen Keller, Alexandre Kojève, Zofia Kossak-Szczucka, Donagh MacDonagh, Dorothea Mackellar, Thomas Merton, Harold Nicolson, Mervyn Peake, Sixto Pondal Ríos, Conrad Richter, Marah Roesli, and Tian Han died in 1968 without having been nominated for the prize. Official list of nominees and their nominators for the prize No. Nominee Country Genre(s) Nominator(s)notes Some names of the nominators for the 1968 Nobel Prize in Literature were not present in the list released by the Swedish Academy.https://www.svenskaakademien.se/sites/default/files/forslagslista_1968.pdf Nobelarkivet 1968 svenskaakademien.se 11 November 20201Jorge Amado (1912–2001) Brazilnovel, short storyAntônio Olinto (1919–2009) Jean Subirats (–)September 2025 Brazilian Writers Association2Jean Anouilh (1910–1987) Francedrama, screenplay, translationEmil Ernst Ploss (1925–1972) Paul Pédech (1912–2005)3Louis Aragon (1897–1982) Francenovel, short story, poetry, essaysJean Gaudon (1926–2019) Pierre Angel (1913–2007) Robert Ricatte (1913–1995) Jacques Proust (1926–2005)4Alexandre Arnoux (1884–1973) FrancescreenplayFrançois Bar (1907–1984)5Wystan Hugh Auden (1907–1973)United KingdomUnited Statespoetry, essays, screenplay6Agustí Bartra (1908–1982) Francoist Spain Spainpoetry, songwriting, translation7Samuel Beckett (1906–1989)Irelandnovel, drama, poetryGerhard Heilfurth (1909–2006) Robert Brustein (1927–2023) Matthew Hodgart (1916–1996) William Stuart Maguinness (1903–1983) Siegbert Salomon Prawer (1925–2012) 20px Nelly Sachs (1891–1970)8Henri Bosco (1888–1976) Francenovel, short story9Mildred Breedlove (1904–1994)United StatespoetryAmado Yuzon (1906–1979)10Luis Buñuel (1900–1983)Francoist Spain Spainscreenplay11Heinrich Böll (1917–1985) West Germanynovel, short storyGustav Korlén (1915–2014)12Paul Celan (1920–1970)Socialist Republic of Romania RomaniaFrancepoetry, translation13André Chamson (1900–1983) Francenovel, essaysPierre-Henri Simon (1903–1972) Marc Boegner (1881–1970)14René Char (1907–1988) Francepoetry15Charles de Gaulle (1890–1970)Francememoir, essays16Joseph Delteil (1894–1978) Francepoetry, novel, short story, essays17Friedrich Dürrenmatt (1921–1990) Switzerlanddrama, novel, short story, essaysGustav Siebenmann (1923–2025)18Gunnar Ekelöf (1907–1968) Swedenpoetry, essaysGunnar Tideström (1906–1985) 20px Pär Lagerkvist (1891–1974)19Mircea Eliade (1907–1986)Socialist Republic of Romania RomaniaUnited Stateshistory, philosophy, essays, autobiography, novel, short story Stig Wikander (1908–1983)20Konstantin Fedin (1892–1977)Soviet Unionnovel, poetry, essaysUnion of Soviet Writers21Edward Morgan Forster (1879–1970) United Kingdomnovel, short story, drama, essays, biography, literary criticismGeorg Roppen (1919–1983)21Max Frisch (1911–1991) Switzerlandnovel, drama22Jean Giono (1895–1970) Francenovel, short story, essays, poetry, drama23Witold Gombrowicz (1904–1969) Polish People's Republic Polandshort story, novel, drama24Robert Graves (1895–1985) United Kingdomhistory, novel, poetry, literary criticism, essays25Graham Greene (1904–1991) United Kingdomnovel, short story, autobiography, essaysKarl Ragnar Gierow (1904–1982)26Jorge Guillén (1893–1984) Francoist Spain Spainpoetry, literary criticism27Zbigniew Herbert (1924–1998)Polish People's Republic Polandpoetry, essays, short story, dramaKarl Ragnar Gierow (1904–1982)28Alberto Hidalgo Lobato (1897–1967) Perupoetry, essays29Vladimír Holan (1905–1980) Czechoslovakiapoetry, essaysGunnar Jakobsson (1886–1972)30Hans Egon Holthusen (1913–1997)West Germanypoetry, literary criticism, essays31Taha Hussein (1889–1973) United Arab Republic Egyptnovel, short story, poetry, translationWilliam Montgomery Watt (1909–2006) Kuwait University University of Jordan Academy of the Arabic Language32Eugène Ionesco (1909–1994)Socialist Republic of Romania RomaniaFrancedrama, essaysPaul Vernois (1920–1997) Walter Mönch (1905–1994)33Marcel Jouhandeau (1888–1979) Franceshort story, novel34Pierre Jean Jouve (1887–1976) Francepoetry, novel, literary criticism35Yasunari Kawabata (1899–1972) Japannovel, short storyEyvind Johnson (1900–1976)36Miroslav Krleža (1893–1981)Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Yugoslaviapoetry, drama, short story, novel, essays37Erich Kästner (1899–1974) West Germanypoetry, screenplay, autobiographyPEN Centre Germany38Claude Lévi-Strauss (1908–2008)BelgiumFrancephilosophy, essays39Robert Lowell (1917–1977) United Statespoetry, translationWilliam Alfred (1922–1999) Thomas McLernon Greene (1926–2003)40Hugh MacDiarmid (1892–1978) United Kingdompoetry, essaysDavid Daiches (1912–2005)41Compton Mackenzie (1883–1972) United Kingdomnovel, short story, drama, poetry, history, biography, essays, literary criticism, memoirAngus McIntosh (1914–2005) Thomas Anthony Dunn (1923–1988) Edmund Blunden (1896–1974) 20px John Boyd Orr (1880–1971) Alexander Robertus Todd (1907–1997) Alexander Norman Jeffares (1920–2005) William Walker Chambers (1913–1985) Eric Linklater (1899–1974) Malcolm Muggeridge (1903–1990) Alistair Mair (1924–1975) Nigel Tranter (1909–2000) Alan Martin Boase (1902–1982) Moray McLaren (1901–1971) William MacTaggart (1903–1981)42André Malraux (1901–1976) Francenovel, essays, literary criticism43Gustave Lucien Martin-Saint-René (1888–1973) Francepoetry, novel, essays, literary criticism, drama, songwriting, short story44Segismundo Masel (1895–1985)ArgentinaessaysAntonio de Tornes Ballesteros (–)September 202545Ramón Menéndez Pidal (1869–1968) Francoist Spain Spainphilology, history46Yukio Mishima (1925–1970) Japannovel, short story, drama, literary criticismHenry Olsson (1896–1985)47Eugenio Montale (1896–1981) Italypoetry, translation48Henry de Montherlant (1895–1972) Franceessays, novel, dramaBarthélémy-Antonin Taladoire (1907–1976) Adrien Fourrier (–)September 2025 The Greek PEN-Club49Marianne Moore (1887–1972)United Statespoetry, literary criticism, essays, translationErik Lindegren (1910–1968)50Alberto Moravia (1907–1990) Italynovel, literary criticism, essays, drama51Vladimir Nabokov (1899–1977)Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic RussiaUnited Statesnovel, short story, poetry, drama, translation, literary criticism, memoirElizabeth Hill (1900–1996) The Swedish PEN–Club52Pablo Neruda (1904–1973) Chilepoetry53Junzaburō Nishiwaki (1894–1982) Japanpoetry, literary criticism54Germán Pardo García (1902–1991)ColombiaMexicopoetry James Willis Robb (1918–2010) Kurt Leopold Levy (1917–2000)55Konstantin Paustovsky (1892–1968) Soviet Unionnovel, poetry, drama56Katherine Anne Porter (1890–1980) United Statesshort story, essays57Ezra Pound (1885–1972) United Statespoetry, essays58Tadeusz Rózewicz (1921–2014) Polish People's Republic Polandpoetry, drama, translation59Anna Seghers (1900–1983) East Germanynovel, short story60 Jaroslav Seifert (1901–1986) Czechoslovakia poetry, memoir, translation61Claude Simon (1913–2005) Francenovel, essaysLars Gyllensten (1921–2006)62Pierre-Henri Simon (1903–1972) Franceessays, novel, literary criticism, poetry63Gustave Thibon (1903–2001) Francephilosophy Édouard Delebecque (1910–1990)64Friedebert Tuglas (1886–1971) Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic Estoniashort story, literary criticismThe Finnish PEN Club65Pietro Ubaldi (1886–1972) Italyphilosophy, essays66Marie Under (1883–1980) Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic EstoniapoetryThe Finnish PEN Club67Mika Waltari (1908–1979) Finlandshort story, novel, poetry, drama, essays, screenplay Esko Pennanen (1912–1990)68Peter Vansittart (1920–2008)United Kingdomnovel, essays, memoirHerbert Howarth (1900–1971)69Erico Verissimo (1905–1975)Brazilnovel, short story, autobiography, essays, translation70Tarjei Vesaas (1897–1970) Norwaypoetry, novelOtto Christian Oberholzer (1919–1986) Karl-Hampus Dahlstedt (1917–1996) Carl-Eric Thors (1920–1986) Sigmund Skard (1903–1995) Johannes Andreasson Dale (1898–1975) Harald Noreng (1913–2006)71Simon Vestdijk (1898–1971) Netherlandsnovel, poetry, essays, translationThe Dutch PEN Club Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences72Patrick White (1912–1990) Australianovel, short story, drama, poetry, autobiographyMuriel Clara Bradbrook (1909–1993)72Kazimierz Wierzyński (1894–1969)Polish People's Republic Polandpoetry, essays73Thornton Wilder (1897–1975) United Statesdrama, novel, short storyHans Peter Wapnewski (1922–2012) Frederick Albert Pottle (1897–1987)74Angus Wilson (1913–1991) United Kingdomnovel, short story, essaysNicholas Brooke (1924–1998)75Edmund Wilson (1895–1972) United Statesessays, literary criticism, short story, dramaWiktor Weintraub (1908–1988)76Sławomir Mrożek (1930–2013)Polish People's Republic Polanddrama, essaysKarl Ragnar Gierow (1904–1982) Prize decision The leading contenders for the prize in 1968 were the French novelist André Malraux and the Irish playwright Samuel Beckett (awarded in 1969). The third proposal by the Nobel Committee was the British poet W. H. Auden and Kawabata was the fourth. Anders Österling, chair of the committee, and committee member Eyvind Johnson pushed for the choice of Malraux, while the other three members of the committee supported a prize for Beckett. Eventually Kawabata was the candidate that could be agreed upon, following the Swedish Academy's ambition in the 1960s to award authors from different language areas and parts of the world.https://www.svd.se/a/7la3EW/vacker-fragan-syftet-med-nobelstiftelsens-ravspel Väcker frågan – syftet med Nobelstiftelsens rävspel? Kaj Schueler Svenska Dagbladet 8 January 2019 Swedish The committee had deliberated the Japanese authors Jun'ichirō Tanizaki and Yasunari Kawabata since 1960 and even sent a representative to Japan to survey who was the most popular writer. A shared prize to Tanizaki and Kawabata had been proposed before Tanizaki's death in 1965. In 1968, the committee also considered Yukio Mishima, a Japanese author of a younger generation. While supporting a prize for Malraux, Österling admitted that a prize for Kawabata "should prove justified and welcome."https://www.theguardian.com/books/2019/jan/10/samuel-beckett-rejected-as-unsuitable-for-the-nobel-prize-in-1968 Samuel Beckett rejected as unsuitable for the Nobel prize in 1968 10 January 2019 21 May 2021 Alison Flood The Guardian Reactions Donald Keene, a Japanese literature scholar and professor, was surprised that the Swedish Academy had not awarded Yukio Mishima the prize, but said that Kawabata "certainly deserved the recognition". According to Keene, the prize decision was "greeted with something approaching national delirium" in Japan, but that the Japanese at the same time were puzzled how Kawabata could be understood in the Western world: "Of all contemporary Japanese writers Kawabata is most closely concerned with the objects and landscapes of traditional Japan, and he employs an allusive, indirect style stemming from the old literature, rather than the straightforward expression other Japanese novelists have borrowed from the West. Certainly Kawabata's best novels are not considered easy reading even by the Japanese, and it puzzles them that the Committee in Stockholm should have chosen so intensely Japanese a writer."https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20231019/p2a/00m/0et/012000c Donald Keene's Japan (Pt. 43): Yasunari Kawabata wins Nobel Prize in literature Mainichi Daily News The Mainichi 24 October 2023 In 1970, Artur Lundkvist, a member of the Swedish Academy and its Nobel committee expressed dissatisfaction with the choice of Kawabata: "Sure he is a representative of the Japanese tea drinking traditions and cherryflowers and that. But he says nothing about the Japanese reality", Lundkvist said, "In that sense I think Mikima [Yukio Mishima] in his writing has a better grip on the realities in Japan.""Det var politik att ge Solsjenytsin nobelpriset" Expressen 10 December 1970 Swedish https://www.svenskaakademien.se/svenska-akademien/akademiens-arkiv/reaktioner-pa-alexander-solzjenitsyns-nobelpris Nobel lecture Kawabata's Nobel Lecture was titled Japan, The Beautiful and Myself (ja 美しい日本の私―その序説). Zen Buddhism was a key focal point of the speech; much was devoted to practitioners and the general practices of Zen Buddhism and how it differed from other types of Buddhism. He presented a severe picture of Zen Buddhism, where disciples can enter salvation only through their efforts, where they are isolated for several hours at a time, and how from this isolation there can come beauty. He noted that Zen practices focus on simplicity and it is this simplicity that proves to be the beauty. "The heart of the ink painting is in space, abbreviation, what is left undrawn." From painting he moved on to talk about ikebana and bonsai as art forms that emphasize the elegance and beauty that arises from the simplicity. "The Japanese garden, too, of course symbolizes the vastness of nature."https://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/laureates/1968/kawabata-lecture.html Japan, the Beautiful and Myself Kawabata Yasunari 12 December 1968 Nobel Media 25 November 2013 In addition to the numerous mentions of Zen and nature, one topic that was briefly mentioned in Kawabata's lecture was that of suicide. Kawabata reminisced of other famous Japanese authors who committed suicide, in particular Ryūnosuke Akutagawa. He contradicted the custom of suicide as being a form of enlightenment, mentioning the priest Ikkyū, who also thought of suicide twice. He quoted Ikkyū, "Among those who give thoughts to things, is there one who does not think of suicide?" There was much speculation about this quote being a clue to Kawabata's suicide in 1972, a year and a half after Mishima had committed suicide.Donald Keene Five Modern Japanese Novelists https://books.google.com/books?id=Pd_yLuplcKIC&pg=PA24 June 2005 Columbia University Press 978-0-231-12611-3 26 Notes References External links Ceremony speech by Anders Österling nobelprize.org 1968 Nobel