Nobel Prize in Literature

The Nobel Prize in Literature is awarded annually by the Swedish Academy to an author from any country who has, in the words of Alfred Nobel's will, produced 'the most outstanding work in an ideal direction.' Established in 1901 and first awarded that same year to French poet Sully Prudhomme, it stands as the world's most prestigious literary honour and one of the five original Nobel Prizes created by Alfred Nobel's 1895 testament. Unlike most literary awards, the Nobel Prize recognises a body of work rather than a single book. Laureates have included novelists, poets, playwrights, essayists, and in one notable instance, a songwriter—Bob Dylan in 2016. The prize is typically announced in October each year by the Swedish Academy in Stockholm, and the award ceremony takes place on 10 December, the anniversary of Alfred Nobel's death. The prize carries a substantial cash award (approximately 11 million Swedish kronor, or roughly one million US dollars) and has launched international careers, dramatically boosting translation and readership for authors from less widely spoken languages. Past laureates include Toni Morrison, Gabriel García Márquez, Samuel Beckett, Pablo Neruda, and Albert Camus—a roll call that has come to define the literary canon of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. The Swedish Academy, founded in 1786 by King Gustav III, comprises eighteen members elected for life. Its deliberations are famously secretive, and the announcement of each laureate is treated as a major cultural event around the world. The Academy does not publish a shortlist, making the announcement a genuine surprise each autumn.