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2011 Nobel Prize in Literature

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2011 Nobel Prize in Literature
Tomas Tranströmer
"because, through his condensed, translucent images, he gives us fresh access to reality."
Date
  • 6 October 2011 (2011-10-06) (announcement)
  • 10 December 2011
    (ceremony)
LocationStockholm, Sweden
Presented bySwedish Academy
First awarded1901
WebsiteOfficial website
← 2010 · Nobel Prize in Literature · 2012 →

The 2011 Nobel Prize in Literature was awarded to the Swedish poet Tomas Tranströmer (1931–2015) "because, through his condensed, translucent images, he gives us fresh access to reality."[1] He is the seventh Swedish author to become a recipient of the prize after Harry Martinson and Eyvind Johnson who were jointly awarded in 1974.[2][3]

Laureate

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Main article: Tomas Tranströmer

Tomas Tranströmer has this ability to draw out the great and wonderful from the mundane. Since his writing debut in the 1950s with 17 dikter ("17 Poems", 1954) and Hemligheter på vägen ("Secrets on the Way", 1958), Tranströmer's poetry has been characterized by its "everyday roots", and a striving after simplicity that allows room for its reader to marvel and to concentrate.[2] His poems are marked by rich, keen and original imagery. Two of Tranströmer's greatest interests, nature and music, have also left deep impressions on his writing. His famous literary collections include Östersjöar ("Baltics", 1974), För levande och döda ("For the Living and the Dead", 1989), Sorgegondolen ("The Sorrow Gondola", 1996), and Den stora gåtan ("The Great Enigma", 2004).[4][3]

Nominees

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Before winning, Tranströmer was a leading contender for the 2011 Nobel Prize in Literature together with the Syrian poet Adunis according to Ladbrokes.[5] Other authors tipped to win that same year were the Japanese writer Haruki Murakami, Algerian writer Assia Djebar, American novelists Joyce Carol Oates, Thomas Pynchon, and Cormac McCarthy, Hungarian writer Péter Nádas, Indian poets Rajendra Bhandari and K. Satchidanandan, South Korean Ko Un, Australian poet Les Murray, Romanian novelist Mircea Cărtărescu, Somali novelist Nuruddin Farah, British fantasy author J. K. Rowling, and American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan.[6][7]

Reactions

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Tranströmer had been considered a perennial frontrunner, together with the Syrian poet Adunis, for the award in years past, with reporters waiting near his residence on the day of the announcement in prior years.[8] The Swedish Academy revealed that he had been nominated every single year since 1993.[8]

Tranströmer's wife, Monica, said he had been notified by telephone four minutes before the announcement was made.[9] The Nobel Committee stated that Tranströmer's work received the prize "because, through his condensed, translucent images, he gives us fresh access to reality."[10]

Permanent secretary of the Swedish Academy Peter Englund said, "He's been writing poetry since 1951 when he made his debut. And has quite a small production, really. He's writing about big questions. He's writing about death, he's writing about history and memory, and nature."[8][11] Prime Minister of Sweden Fredrik Reinfeldt said he was "happy and proud" at the news of Tranströmer's achievement.[12] Meanwhile, international response to the award has been mixed.[13] The prize announcement led to the immediate reissuing of at least two volumes of Tranströmer's poetry.[14][15]

References

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  1. ^ The Nobel Prize in Literature 2011 nobelprize.org
  2. ^ a b Tomas Tranströmer britannica.com
  3. ^ a b Tomas Tranströmer poets.org
  4. ^ Tomas Tranströmer – Facts nobelprize.org
  5. ^ Simon Johnson (4 October 2011). "Poets lead running for Nobel Literature prize". Reuters. Retrieved 20 August 2022.
  6. ^ Alison Flood (4 October 2011). "Nobel prize odds a-changin' for Bob Dylan". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 August 2022.
  7. ^ Ian Crouch (4 October 2011). "Nobel Odds: Long and Short". The New Yorker. Retrieved 20 August 2022.
  8. ^ a b c "Sweden's Transtromer wins Nobel literature prize". Reuters. 6 October 2011. Retrieved 6 October 2011.
  9. ^ Flood, Alison (7 October 2011). "Tomas Tranströmer's Nobel prize for literature provokes a mixed response". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 October 2011.
  10. ^ "The Nobel Prize in Literature 2011 – Press Release". Nobelprize.org. Retrieved 6 October 2011.
  11. ^ "Transtromer Wins Nobel Literature Prize". TIME. 6 October 2011. Archived from the original on 6 October 2011. Retrieved 6 October 2011.
  12. ^ "Swedish poet Transtromer wins Nobel in literature". Dawn. 6 October 2011. Retrieved 6 October 2011.
  13. ^ "Tomas Tranströmer's Nobel prize for literature provokes a mixed response". The Guardian. 7 October 2011. Retrieved 27 December 2011.
  14. ^ Minzesheimer, Bob (7 October 2011). "Ecco to reissue two volumes of Nobel winner Tranströmer's poetry". USA Today. Retrieved 7 October 2011.
  15. ^ Witt, Emily (10 October 2011). "After Nobel Prize, the Race to Publish More Tomas Tranströmer". The New York Observer. Retrieved 10 October 2011.
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