Understanding Nobel Prize: 1937---1939

[Ben Jackson]

The Nobel Prizes for 1937, 1938 and 1939 were awarded to Roger Martin Du Gard, Pearl Buck and Frans Emil Silanpaa. The writers shortlisted for the Nobel in 1937 were Du Gard, Paul Claudel and Stijn Streuvels, the 1938 prize shortlist consisted of Johannes Jensen, Stijn Streuvels and Pearl Buck, while 1939 Nobel Prize shortlist consisted of Silanpaa, Hesse and Johan Huizinga.

Paul Claudel was dismissed for his esoteric poetry. The Committee, despite praising Du Gard for his work, the roman fleuve masterpiece The Thibaults, opted instead for Flemish novelist Stijn Streuvels. Streuvels candidature was dismissed by the Swedish Academy, who instead awarded Roger Martin Du Gard. It was one of those choices that Academy established a discord with the Committee. In 1966, the committee voted Yasunari Kawabata, but the Academy instead opted for Sachs/Agnon Yosef.

The Committee in 1938, upon reading the recent published Collected Poems of Johannes Jensen, heaped praises on the volume, highlighting the imaginative style, and classical diction, which recalls the beautiful poems of Scandinivian Golden Age. The committee also praised The Jutland, a novel with fascinating qualities, richness of colour and radiance, but his earlier works, which demonstrated Darwinian influences, wasn't able to convince the committee. The committee was split over giving the Nobel to Streuvels and Buck. Selma Lagerolf, Nobel Laureate and Academy Member, was reluctant to vote at first, but later on changed her mind and voted for Buck. Swiertz, another Academy member, believed that Buck didn't possess the qualities deserving of the Nobel, but ten out of eighteen members of Academy, including Lagerolf, voted in favour of Buck.

The 1939 Prize was a compromise choice. Hesse, according to Hallstrom, was a dignified and unconventional representationve of hard-pressed but tenacious humanism. Hesse status as a Swiss citizen was already confirmed by this time (as the wind of World War ll was blowing across Europe), but Hallstrom felt his work wasn't idealistic. He opted instead for Huizinga or Silanpaa. The other members of the Academy divided into the camp of Huizinga and Hesse, with praises heaped on Huizinga's Waning of the Middle Ages as one of the finest "historical records of our time." At the end, the committee came to agreement with deciding to award Silanpaa, which is interpreted according to critics as a political decision (Soviet Union invaded Finland few weeks before the Nobel committee's decision). There wasn't Nobel Prize until 1944.

 

[alik-vit]

Formally, the beginning of the "Winter war" took place November 30, 1939. But of course, by the early autumn the imminence of Soviet aggression was obvious.

 

[tiganeasca]

I discovered Stijn Streuvels a number of years ago and think he is criminally under-recognized. This history makes my case. I've made several posts about him scattered here and there and note, very sadly, that despite a large body of work, there are basically only two of his novels in English. What a pity!

 

[Leseratte]

I discovered Stijn Streuvels a number of years ago and think he is criminally under-recognized. This history makes my case. I've made several posts about him scattered here and there and note, very sadly, that despite a large body of work, there are basically only two of his novels in English. What a pity!

Gutenberg project has 3 books by him, but only The Path of Life is in English. Just downloaded the E-book.

The Path of Life

www.gutenberg.org

 

[tiganeasca]

Gutenberg project has 3 books by him, but only The Path of Life is in English. Just downloaded the E-book.

The Path of Life

www.gutenberg.org

I will warn you: I tried to read that version once. The English is terrible. There is a far newer translation by Edward Crankshaw made in 1976 under the title The Long Road. (There is also a 1988 translation of another major work, The Flaxfield, made in 1988.) Since you're fluent in German, I would ordinarily be tempted to suggest you might try reading it in the original but I'm afraid that the languages are too different. In addition, a one-time member here from Belgium posted that Streuvels' use of his own language was problematic:

"Streuvels obviously is a writer from another era and the Flemish he uses may indeed sound very static and almost solemn compared to today's use of the language. Even young Flemish people of today would probably need to think twice about certain words or sentences used by writers of that era.
In addition to that, it also often surprises me how different daily Flemish and daily Dutch (as used in the Netherlands) can be. I even think there used to be a television quiz where a Dutch team had to guess Flemish words and vice versa."

 

[Leseratte]

Thanks for the hands up, Tiga. I noticed by his name that the translator must be from a Portuguese speaking country.
Flemish is very different from German. I tried to read a short story by Elsschot. It was a nice experience but with very partial success. And I was aided by the comments of a German from the German Forum who lives in Antwerp.

As it is free I´ll see first what I can make of the Gutenberg edition. If "a one-time member here from Belgium posted that Streuvels' use of his own language was problematic" some of the problems may come from the original.

 

[Benny Profane]

Thanks for the hands up, Tiga. I noticed by his name that the translator must be from a Portuguese speaking country.
Flemish is very different from German. I tried to read a short story by Elsschot. It was a nice experience but with very partial success. And I was aided by the comments of a German from the German Forum who lives in Antwerp.

As it is free I´ll see first what I can make of the Gutenberg edition. If "a one-time member here from Belgium posted that Streuvels' use of his own language was problematic" some of the problems may come from the original.

Alexander Teixeira de Mattos - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

He had Sepharadi Jewish heritage. Teixeira and Mattos are both Portuguese-Jewish surnames.

 

[Leseratte]

Alexander Teixeira de Mattos - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

He had Sepharadi Jewish heritage. Teixeira and Mattos are both Portuguese-Jewish surnames.

Oh, thanks, Benny! That is curious indeed.! With this name, it seems that he speaks several languages but no Portuguese at all..

 

[Corswandt]

These years were one of the lowest points for the Nobel prize. The 1930s as a whole, actually, by the SA's own admission.

 

[Ben Jackson]

The Nobel Literature Prize for 1937 was awarded to Roger Martin DuGard "for the artistic power and truth with which he has depicted human conflict as well as some fundamental aspects of contemporary in this novel cycle The Thibaults." Announced on 12th November, 37 names were suggested.

Shortlisted Writers
Paul Claudel (same books evaluated in 1926 plus Essays, Satin Slipper, Book of Chris and Columbus, Joanne of Arc)

Roger Martin DuGard

Stijn Streuvels
Flaxfield
Long Road

John Masefield (same books evaluated in 1935 plus Country Scene)

First Time Nominees
Maurice Meagre
Jules Payet
Arnold Schering
Manila Jotuni
Albert Verney
William Pickard
Valdemer Rordam
Ben Majundar
Sally Salmien
Malla Mikkola
Rene Behaine
Johan Falkberget
Stijn Streuvels
Jean Giono

Female writers nominated
Ricarda Huch
Ivana Mazuranic
Cecile Tormay

Nominated by Swedish Academy and Nobel Laureates
Ricarda Huch (Hjalmar Hammaeskjold)
Cecile Tormay (Frederik Book)
Roger Martin DuGard (Torgen Fogelquist)
George Duhamel, Jarl Hemmer, Sarvepalli Radhakrishan (Hjalmar Hammarskjold)
John Masefield (Anders Osterling)

Nominees that would become Laureate
Frans Silanpaa (1939 winner)
Johannes Jensen (1944 winner)

 

[Ben Jackson]

France, in this year, was awarded the Literature since Henri Bergson in 1927, after the completion of DuGard's Roman Fleuve The Thibaults. The Nobel Committee, in this work in the report, regarded Du Gard as the heir of Flaubert and Goncourt, genuine French narrative art which, almost half a century, has presented the world literature an undisputed masterwork. Shortlisted two years before in 1935, the committe waited for the completion of the sequence, and two years later, Osterling in his report revealed "that defects and flaws of grand works is now conscious in the latter sequence of family chronicle with preservation of tragic horizon of the French novel. The work has vital craft with universal human interest and psychological contact which's hardly found in a counterpart in contemporary literature. DuGard in his procedure as portrayer of life's always clear and firm considerable genuine in aspect of language where he primarily, after plastic simplicity, strive for vigor." Hallstrom also talked about Du Gard "distress of composition, but assessment the subtle and bold exploration of dynamic process of the soul which certainly the outstanding and independent achievement in the art of fiction which depiction of people. However the exploration can be stressful if the gained discovery for the narration doesn't necessary appear through psychological analysis." While some other committee member expressed his delight in Stijn Streuvels works in which "portaryes the nature of his people with lyrical dexterity," Osterling's arguement proved decisive in awarding DuGard. With Claudel rejected for the obscurity of his poetic achievements and Masefield for his uneveness, DuGard was awarded the prize.

 

[Leseratte]

France, in this year, was awarded the Literature since Henri Bergson in 1927, after the completion of DuGard's Roman Fleuve The Thibaults. The Nobel Committee, in this work in the report, regarded Du Gard as the heir of Flaubert and Goncourt, genuine French narrative art which, almost half a century, has presented the world literature an undisputed masterwork. Shortlisted two years before in 1935, the committe waited for the completion of the sequence, and two years later, Osterling in his report revealed "that defects and flaws of grand works is now conscious in the latter sequence of family chronicle with preservation of tragic horizon of the French novel. The work has vital craft with universal human interest and psychological contact which's hardly found in a counterpart in contemporary literature. DuGard in his procedure as portrayer of life's always clear and firm considerable genuine in aspect of language where he primarily, after plastic simplicity, strive for vigor." Hallstrom also talked about Du Gard "distress of composition, but assessment the subtle and bold exploration of dynamic process of the soul which certainly the outstanding and independent achievement in the art of fiction which depiction of people. However the exploration can be stressful if the gained discovery for the narration doesn't necessary appear through psychological analysis." While some other committee member expressed his delight in Stijn Streuvels works in which "portaryes the nature of his people with lyrical dexterity," Osterling's arguement proved decisive in awarding DuGard. With Claudel rejected for the obscurity of his poetic achievements and Masefield for his uneveness, DuGard was awarded the prize.

Du Gard is a great favorite with a user of my German forum. He has read most of his books, even a manuscript.

 

[Ben Jackson]

The Nobel Literature Prize for 1938 was awarded to Pearl Buck "for her rich and truly epic descriptions of peasant life in China and for her biographical masterpieces." Announced on 6th October, 29 names were considered.

Shortlisted writers:

Hermann Hesse (1946 winner same books evaluated in 1931 plus Journey to the East and New Poems)

Stijn Streuvels (same books evaluated the previous year plus Life's Flowers and Prutske's Story Book, not translated into English)

Aldous Huxley
Poems
Crome Yellow
Antic Hay
Brave New World
Eyeless in Gaza
Point Counter Point
Stories

Pearl Buck
The Mother
Good Earth
Exile
Sons
A House Divided
Fighting Angel

Johannes Jensen (1944 winner, same books evaluated in 1925 and 1931 plus Dr Renault and Easter Bath)



First Time Nominees
Pearl Buck
Robert Ritchie Racey
Mohammed Khan
Margaret Mitchell
Arthur Von Schendel
Veikko Koskonnien
Sanjib Chauduri
Mark Aldanov
Henriette Charasson
Hermann Tierlinck
Aldous Huxley

Female writers nominated
Sally Salminen
Talvio Mikkola
Maria Patricio de Martel
Ivana Mazuranic

Nominees by Swedish Academy and Nobel Laureates
Mark Aldanov (Ivan Bunin)
Hermann Hesse (Henrik Schuck and Anders Osterling)
Margaret Mitchell (Sven Hedin)
Sally Salminen (Henrik Schuck)
Pearl Buck (Henrik Schuck, Sven Hedin, Torgen Fogelquist)
Mohammed Khan (Per Hallstrom)
Stijn Streuvels (Frederik Book)
Hermann Tierlinck (Hjalmar Hammrskjold)
Valdemer Rordam (Henrik Pontoppidan)

Nominees that became Laureates
Johannes Jensen (1944 winner)
Frans Silanpaa (1939 winner)
Hermann Hesse (1946 winner)

Edit: Henry Handel Richardson and Margaret Mitchell was longlisted.

 

[Ben Jackson]

Pearl Buck, in this year, became the first American woman to win the Nobel prize after just eight years from her debut work, her first novel East Wind, West Wind. With seven works in eight years, it became the shortest span to ever clinch the prize. Margaret Mitchell, her competitor, was praised by the Committee for her first and only published novel Gone with the Wind "as possessing keen sense of humanity," but was rejected for having few output. The committee expressed their opinion on Aldous Huxley "enthusiasm in his work is awakened after his change of idealism which was unable to expect," this in part might he due to his dystopian novel Brave New World, but he was recommend for waiting "for more output." Hallstrom expressed his opinion concerning Hesse, questioning his idealistic tendency, especially in his work Steppenwolf "despite his poetic talent in his narrative art, he's pure stylist and unquestionabky a master. However the reluctance to award him the prize is due to the audacity and inaccesibility in his work Steppenwolf." Stijn Streuvels was once again praised by Frederik Book "for his talented gift in portraying nature," but Streuvels was rejected, losing to Pearl Buck.

 

[Leseratte]

Pearl Buck, in this year, became the first American woman to win the Nobel prize after just eight years from her debut work, her first novel East Wind, West Wind. With seven works in eight years, it became the shortest span to ever clinch the prize. Margaret Mitchell, her competitor, was praised by the Committee for her first and only published novel Gone with the Wind "as possessing keen sense of humanity," but was rejected for having few output. The committee expressed their opinion on Aldous Huxley "enthusiasm in his work is awakened after his change of idealism which was unable to expect," this in part might he due to his dystopian novel Brave New World, but he was recommend for waiting "for more output." Hallstrom expressed his opinion concerning Hesse, questioning his idealistic tendency, especially in his work Steppenwolf "despite his poetic talent in his narrative art, he's pure stylist and unquestionabky a master. However the reluctance to award him the prize is due to the audacity and inaccesibility in his work Steppenwolf." Stijn Streuvels was once again praised by Frederik Book "for his talented gift in portraying nature," but Streuvels was rejected, losing to Pearl Buck.

I think her great merit was also creating a proximity between Chinese culture and Chinese way of living and the Western readers. She possibly was the first who did that in the English language.

 

[Ben Jackson]

The Nobel Prize for Literature in 1939 was awarded to Frans Emil Silanpaa "for his deep understanding of his country's peasantry and exquisite art in which he has portrayed their way of life and their relations with nature." Announced on 6th October, 33 names were suggested.

Shortlisted writers
Frans Emil Silanpaa (same books evaluated in 1934 plus Trip to Kvarnbacken)
Hermann Hesse (1946 winner, same books evaluated in 1931 and 1938)
Johan Huizinga
America
Waning of Middle Ages
Erasmus
Shadow of Tomorrow
Homo Ludens
Dutch Civilisation in 19th Century

First Time Nominees
Flavio de Carvalho
Herbert Samuel
Egidio Escudero
Johan Huizinga
Hugh Walpole
Henriette Roland Holst
Eugene Baie
Hu Shih
Maria Dabrowska

Female writers nominated
Maila Mikkola
Sally Salminen
Henry Handel Richardson
Maria Dabrowska
Maria Martel De Patricio

Nominees nominated by Swedish Academy and Nobel Laureates
Sally Salminen (Henrik Schuck)
Henriette Roland Holst, Ramon Menedez Pidal, Jarl Hemmer(Hjalmar Hammarskjold)
Benedetto Croce (Bengt Hasselman)
Eugene Baie (Maurice Maeterlinck)
Correira de Oliveira, Herbert Samuel, Johannes Jensen, Frans Silanpaa (Per Hallstrom)
Mark Aldanov (Ivan Bunin)
Hu Shih (Sven Hedin)
Hermann Hesse (Sigfrid Siwertz)

Nominees that would become Laureates
Hermann Hesse (1946 winner)
Johannes Jensen (1944 winner)

Nobel Committee member during this decade:
Per Hallstrom (Chairman and Permanent Secretary)
Anders Osterling
Erik Karlfeldt
Hans Larsson
Henrik Schuck
Frederik Book
Hjalmar Hammarskjold

 

[Ben Jackson]

Frans Emil Silanpaa became the second Scandanivian to win the Nobel Prize in the decade, and the first from Finland. His major works display the skillful description and insight in the life of countryside of his country, with focus on peasantry, displaying the influences of Darwin, Hardy, Tolstoy and Juhani Aho.

The first candidate the committe dealt with was Johan Huizinga. Huzinga, regarded as one of the leading cultural historians, was rejected in similar circumstances of his works not belonging to literature. The question of the winter invasion of Soviet Union was heavily debated in the committee. However, Per Hallstrom expressed that "the events happening in the world does not bear any significance to the Laureate or his countrymen and that his unbending heart and extreme duty to the people opposed the shudders of the decade, and in turn has earned further admiration and movement to his people." Hermann Hesse's works, according to Per Hallstrom, "display richness of narrative art and showcases the pure stylist and mastery in his field. His poetic character is impressive, but the judgement becomes, however, quite reluctant especially in regards to idealistic tendency especially with the literary presence of Steppenwolf, which is ingenious in worth of message compared to the work with artistic superificality, the virtuoso piece of similarity in audacity of Germany, admired as heir of Hamsun. The issue's that Hesse doesn't have the emotionalism of the Norwegian." Anders Osterling's opinion, despite the support of Siwertz for Hesse, dismissed "history of such assumption, regarding the invasion, shouldn't be considered. And if the Academy should carry out their decision without being conscious of political tension, through the heroic battle Finland against the influence of oppressive superpowers, then it should be done." And the Committee went ahead to award the prize for Silanpaa, after these deliberations.

 

[The Common Reader]

The Nobel Prizes for 1937, 1938 and 1939 were awarded to Roger Martin Du Gard, Pearl Buck and Frans Emil Silanpaa. The writers shortlisted for the Nobel in 1937 were Du Gard, Paul Claudel and Stijn Streuvels, the 1938 prize shortlist consisted of Johannes Jensen, Stijn Streuvels and Pearl Buck, while 1939 Nobel Prize shortlist consisted of Silanpaa, Hesse and Johan Huizinga.

Paul Claudel was dismissed for his esoteric poetry. The Committee, despite praising Du Gard for his work, the roman fleuve masterpiece The Thibaults, opted instead for Flemish novelist Stijn Streuvels. Streuvels candidature was dismissed by the Swedish Academy, who instead awarded Roger Martin Du Gard. It was one of those choices that Academy established a discord with the Committee. In 1966, the committee voted Yasunari Kawabata, but the Academy instead opted for Sachs/Agnon Yosef.

The Committee in 1938, upon reading the recent published Collected Poems of Johannes Jensen, heaped praises on the volume, highlighting the imaginative style, and classical diction, which recalls the beautiful poems of Scandinivian Golden Age. The committee also praised The Jutland, a novel with fascinating qualities, richness of colour and radiance, but his earlier works, which demonstrated Darwinian influences, wasn't able to convince the committee. The committee was split over giving the Nobel to Streuvels and Buck. Selma Lagerolf, Nobel Laureate and Academy Member, was reluctant to vote at first, but later on changed her mind and voted for Buck. Swiertz, another Academy member, believed that Buck didn't possess the qualities deserving of the Nobel, but ten out of eighteen members of Academy, including Lagerolf, voted in favour of Buck.

The 1939 Prize was a compromise choice. Hesse, according to Hallstrom, was a dignified and unconventional representationve of hard-pressed but tenacious humanism. Hesse status as a Swiss citizen was already confirmed by this time (as the wind of World War ll was blowing across Europe), but Hallstrom felt his work wasn't idealistic. He opted instead for Huizinga or Silanpaa. The other members of the Academy divided into the camp of Huizinga and Hesse, with praises heaped on Huizinga's Waning of the Middle Ages as one of the finest "historical records of our time." At the end, the committee came to agreement with deciding to award Silanpaa, which is interpreted according to critics as a political decision (Soviet Union invaded Finland few weeks before the Nobel committee's decision). There wasn't Nobel Prize until 1944.

Thank you for all of this history, Ben! Whatever we may think of the SA's particular choices in a given year, it is fascinating to have it all spread out like this.