Understanding Nobel Prize: 1916--1919

[Leseratte]

Yeah, but that was almost 120 years after this Nobel prize. What is strange in 1904 is that many writers back then were politically active as champions of their nations, but that wasn't held against them. Like Sienkiewicz won a few years later, and back then Poland was part of Russian Empire and he was prominent advocate for Polish independence. They didn't hold it against him.

Maybe one had to dive much deeper into the historical context of the time to understand the choices of the Academy, But to me, Ben's faithful summing up
are showing people like any other, maybe better read than most but with their own tastes, values and and prejudices. If they were replaced by another contemporaneous group results probably would've be different. Better, worse? It would depend again on the lights, values anderes prejudices of the evaluators.

 

[Ben Jackson]

I've read about this since I've never heard about the guy. It seems he belongs to Catalan revival movement and was considered as early as 1904 to share the prize with Mistral since they both wrote in "non-official" languages. But Spanish government lobbied against him and Echegaray was awarded.

So the gesture of political significance is that he was writing in Catalan language, which is spoken by the people in his land. If he wrote in Spanish, that wouldn't have been a political gesture? Mistral's writing in Occitian was not a political gesture? Pretty strange reasoning.

Yes, it's very funny that Mistral was awarded for his Provencal tongue. I think Wirsen, in the Award Ceremony Speech for 1904, stated that (I will have to check this again as I'm not too sure) it marked something like 50 years since Mistral revived the language in terms of literary value. But I'm not too surprised with Committee picking a French minor language laureate, the Academy has a long-term affair with French Literature.

 

[Ben Jackson]

The Nobel Prize for Literature in 1919 was awarded to Carl Spitteler "in special appreciation of his epic Olympian Spring." It was announced on 13th November 1920. The Nobel Prize for Literature was awarded for this year in 1920, the same with that year's Laureate, as 1919 had no suitable candidate. Hence, Spitteler was awarded. 16 writers was nominated for this year.

Shortlisted Writers and their Key works:

Angel Guimera

Carl Spitteler (same works evaluated in 1912, 1915 plus Bells and Songs)

Erik Axel Karlfeldt (1931 winner, same works evaluated in 1916 plus Flora and Benona)

Hugo Von Hofmansthaal
Letter of Lord Chandos
Death of the Fool
Everyman
Salzburg

First Time Nominees
Wladyslaw Reymont
John Galsworthy
Hugo Hofmansthaal
Ebenezer Howard
Arno Holz

Nominees that was nominated by Swedish Academy
John Galsworthy (Erik Karlfeldt)
Juhani Aho, Carl Spitteler (Verner Heidenstam)
Erik Karlfeldt (Gottfried Billing, Carl Bildt)
Per Hallstrom (Nathan Soderblom)

Nominees nominated by Nobel Laureates
Hugo Hofmansthal (Gerhart Hauptmann)

Nominees that would win the Nobel in coming years:
Wladsylaw Reymont (1924 winner)
John Galsworthy (1932 winner)
Erik Karlfeldt (1931 winner)

There was no female writers nominated this year.

Nobel Committee members during this period:

Erik Karlfeldt (Secretary)
Harald Hjarne (Chairman)
Per Hallstrom
Henrik Schuck
Verner Heidenstam

I will also notify that this period officially marked members of Swedish Academy to nominate their personal candidates. The Swedish Academy had the justification to nominate candidates from the beginning of the prize in 1901, but they were reluctant, instead allowing the Academies from France, Russia and Spain, professors of literature and literary critics and Laureates to nominate. With the decline in number of candidates, due to impact of World War l, the Academy was forced to nominate their own candidates to broaden the scope of candidates. This officially happened in 1916. Some of the candidates the SA nominated were usually candidates they either translated or wrote reviews on, like Karlfeldt's essay on Galsworthy's novels few years before, and Heidenstam's article on Spitteler.

 

[Ben Jackson]

I had earlier written a sketchy remarks on Spittler and Karlfeldt, but hadn't written on Hugo Hofmansthaal's authorship, which caused quite a deal of discourse.

Then 49, Hofmansthaal was one of the most sensational and inventive writers to emerge from Austrian Literature during the early years of the last century. Hofmansthaal's works were distinct in the sense that it displayed modernistic and avant-garde style displayed in works like Handke, for example. One of his most famous works is Letter from Lord Chandos, a work which explored the theme of breakdown of communication and language. It's the only prose work of his I have read, the rest are some of his poems which are quite good.

Now concerning his authorship, Harald Hjarne had recommended for a waiting attitude "to see if he can weed out the skepticism over the flow of decadence." But it was Per Hallstrom's remarks on Hofmansthaal's exclusive and decadent style that flicker between several directions:

Expert appraisals rank Hofmansthaal's works as arrival of brilliant representative in Austrian Literature. However, his arrival, currently, signals that nobody's an equal in terms of language virtuosity and formal beauty. The lack of idealism could have been avoided if he had made a clean artistic strive after perfection. This lack of idealism is awakened, however, particularly in Elektra, a work filled with diseases, brutal sensuality and in the frivolous licentousness. His other works meet with frivolity and character of decay. His work contribute to depraved taste.

Concerning Angel Guimera, the issue of cultural language "which causes issues of aggravation of national antagonism for general peace," posed a fundamental obstacle to his candidature, an issue that was presented as far back as 1907, when he was officially shortlisted. Committee concerning Spitteler, on the other hand, felt "it was finally time that the prize to famous Swiss poet can be awarded without harm," and that "he's like so much in Germany, and the purpose with artistic capacities, the mind with rare model." The Olympian Spring was mentioned in particular "lacking the characteristics which make a genuine epic distinguished." The Committee eleveated various works like Bells and Songs as well. But the Nobel Committee wanted to award the Prize to their very own Karlfeldt, but with Karlfeldt refusing to get the Prize due to his role as permananet-secretary, the Committee awarded the prize to Spitteler.

 

[Leseratte]

Yes, it's very funny that Mistral was awarded for his Provencal tongue. I think Wirsen, in the Award Ceremony Speech for 1904, stated that (I will have to check this again as I'm not too sure) it marked something like 50 years since Mistral revived the language in terms of literary value. But I'm not too surprised with Committee picking a French minor language laureate, the Academy has a long-term affair with French Literature.

As she is just now under discussion, a bit more about Gabriela Mistral:

Loading…

en.wikipedia.org

Tiny Feet by Gabriela Mistral​

A child's tiny feet,
Blue, blue with cold,
How can they see and not protect you?
Oh, my God!

Tiny wounded feet,
Bruised all over by pebbles,
Abused by snow and soil!

Man, being blind, ignores
that where you step, you leave
A blossom of bright light,
that where you have placed
your bleeding little soles
a redolent tuberose grows.

Since, however, you walk
through the streets so straight,
you are courageous, without fault.

Child's tiny feet,
Two suffering little gems,
How can the people pass, unseeing.

Gabriela Mistral - Poems by the Famous Poet - All Poetry

Poems by Gabriela Mistral. Chilean poet, educator and diplomat, the first Latin American to receive the Nobel Prize in literature.

allpoetry.com

 

[errequatro]

The Nobel Literature Prize for 1916 was awarded to Verner Von Heidenstam "in recognizing his significance as the leading representative of our era in our literature." The Prize for the year was announced on 9th November, 1916, few minutes after the announcement of 1915 Prize. 28 writers were noninated for this year.

Shortlisted Writers and their Key Works:

Verner Heidenstam

Pilgrimage and Wandering Years
Charles Men
Tree of the Folkungs
Poems
One People
Bjalbo Inheritance
New Poems

Karl Gjellerup (1917 Winner)
Minna
Pilgrim Kamanita
Brynhild
G-Major
Rudolph Stascanty Practice
God's Friends
Romulus

Erik Axel Karlfeldt (1931 winner)
Songs of Wilderness and Love
Fridolin's Songs
Fridolin's Paradie
Flora and Pomona
Flowers' Love

Federik Troels-Lund
Daily Life in Nordic Region in 16th Century
Historiske Skister
Peder Oxe
Historiske Fortaellunder

Gunnar Heiberg

I will Defend my Country
People's Council
The Balcony
Tragedy of Love
Aunt Ulrikke
Parade Sengen

Per Hallstrom
Purple
Death

Jacob Knudsen
Old Priest
Angst
Mod

First Time Nominees:
Ivan Franko
Erik Axel Karlfeldt
Rabindranath Datta
Gunnar Heiberg
Frederick Troels-Lund
Pali Text Society
Otokar Brezina
Henrik Schuck
Per Hallstrom

Nominated Female writers
Elizabeth Forster-Nietzsche

Nominess that would become laureates
Carl Spitteler (1919 winner)
Anatole France (1921 winner)
Henrik Pontoppidan (1917 winner)

Nominees nominated by Swedish Academy members:

Anatole France (Henrik Schuck)
Ivan Franko (Harald Hjarne)
Romain Rolland (Erik Karlfeldt, Henrik Schuck)
Verner Heidenstam (Bengt Hesselman)
Erik Karlfeldt (Nathan Soderblom)
Carl Spitteler (Erik Karlfeldt)
Benito Perez Galdos (Harald Hjarne)

Erik Karlfeldt, Per Hallstrom and Henrik Schuck were Swedish Academy members nominated for competitive Nobel Literature Prize.

Elizabeth Forster-Nietzsche...

The woman who turned Nietzsche's work into Nazi propaganda. Though it is actually not suprising to see her nominated (Sweden has a lot to uncover in regards its flirtation with Nazism), it's sad that she was the only woman to be nominated. Weren't there other , more worthy women producing literature at this time? (I'm being ironic, in case it's not clear.)

 

[errequatro]

As she is just now under discussion, a bit more about Gabriela Mistral:

Loading…

en.wikipedia.org

Tiny Feet by Gabriela Mistral​

A child's tiny feet,
Blue, blue with cold,
How can they see and not protect you?
Oh, my God!

Tiny wounded feet,
Bruised all over by pebbles,
Abused by snow and soil!

Man, being blind, ignores
that where you step, you leave
A blossom of bright light,
that where you have placed
your bleeding little soles
a redolent tuberose grows.

Since, however, you walk
through the streets so straight,
you are courageous, without fault.

Child's tiny feet,
Two suffering little gems,
How can the people pass, unseeing.

Gabriela Mistral - Poems by the Famous Poet - All Poetry

Poems by Gabriela Mistral. Chilean poet, educator and diplomat, the first Latin American to receive the Nobel Prize in literature.

allpoetry.com

This is a different Mistral... This is Gabriela, Chilean, not French.

 

[Leseratte]

This is a different Mistral... This is Gabriela, Chilean, not French.

Oh, I see. Sorry !There actually were two Mistrals receiver of the Nobel.
Clarifying: In 1904 the award went to Frédéric Mistral, a Frenchmen from the Provence:

The Nobel Prize in Literature 1904

The Nobel Prize in Literature 1904 was divided equally between Frédéric Mistral "in recognition of the fresh originality and true inspiration of his poetic production, which faithfully reflects the natural scenery and native spirit of his people, and, in addition, his significant work as a...

www.nobelprize.org

 

[Verkhovensky]

Oh, I see. Sorry !There actually were two Mistrals receiver of the Nobel.

Yes, and Gabriela chose her pseudonym as an homage to Frederic (and D'Annunzio).