Understanding Nobel Prize: The Lost Years

[Ben Jackson]

The Nobel Literature Prize weren't awarded for the years 1914 and 1918 and from 1940---1943 due to the impact of the war. However, after going through the reports from these years, apart from 1942, there were, apparently deliberations for some of the candidates with the hope that if the war should subside, the prize can be awarded.

The first World War began in 1914, some months after the Swedish Academy had received nominations from the distinguished members of the literary community. But with the "blazing flames" spreading across the European continent, there wasn't a chance for the Academy to award the Prize for that year. Instead the prize money was returned to Nobel Foundation. When the war became less intense, the prizes was awarded between 1915--1917, before been reinvested again in 1918. And after the award to Frans Emil Silanpaa in 1939, the Academy had hoped that the war might have subsided so as to award the prize for 1940 and 1941, but it became so terrifying that the Academy didn't bother with deliberations for 1942 prize, only receiving nominations. The Committee resumed deliberations for 1943 when the war became less intense, but the Committee still saw the awarding of the prize as lacking any form of feasibility. With the war gradually coming to a close in 1944, the committee saw it as opportunity for the awarding of the Prize, which was awarded to Danish Modernist writer Johannes V Jensen.

I was initially surprised when I read that there were deliberations for the "lost years." So in my post, I will analyse the shortlisted writers for the lost years.

 

[Ben Jackson]

For the first two years, 1914 and 1918, the shortlisted writers were:

Dmitry Merezhkovsky
W B Yeats (1923 Laureate)
Grazia Deledda (1926 Laureate)
Carl Spitteler (1919 Laureate)

And for the second year, the shortlist were:

W B Yeats (1923 Laureate)
Knut Hamsun (1920 Laureate)
Maxim Gorky

First Time Nominees for 1914
Willem Kloss
Dmitry Merezhkovsky
Vihelm Gronbech
Rene Bazin
Josef Svatopluck Machar

Female Nominees
Grazia Deledda
Dora Melegari

Nominees nominated by Swedish Academy and Nobel Laureates
Juhani Aho, Henri Bergson (Erik Karlfeldt)
Grazia Deledda (Carl Bildt)
Emile Faguet, Vihelm Gronbech (Harald Hjarne)
Edmund Picard, Wilhelm Kloss (Maurice Maeterlinck)
Benito Perez Galdos (Jose Echegaray)

Nominees that would become Laureates
W B Yeats (1923 Laureate)
Karl Gjellerup (1917 Laureate)
Carl Spitteler (1919 Laureate)
Grazia Deledda (1926 Laureate)

Concerning the deliberations for Merezhkovsky, the Slavic Literature expert Alfred Jensen praised the "artistic skill of image, universal content and idealistic direction of the poet." Jensen was commenting on Merezhkovsky's poetry and historical-symbolic novels: Resurrection of the Gods, Death of Gods and his poems which lead the path towards modernistic phase of Russian Literature and for his essays Christ and Anti-Christ in Russian Literature. However, the committee decided to postpone this year's deliberations for the next year. Assuming the war didn't take place, Merezhkovsky could've been the Laureate. There were 24 names in consideration for the prize.

First Time Nominees 1918

Maxim Gorky
Gunnar Gunnarson
Knut Hamsun
Alois Jirasek
Gustav Frenssen

Nominees that would become Laureate
Grazia Deledda (1926 Laureate)
Henri Bergson (1927 Laureate)
Erik Karlfeldt (1931 Laureate)
Carl Spitteler (1919 Laureate)
W B Yeats (1923 Laureate)

Nominees nominated by Swedish Academy members and Laureates
Bertel Gripenberg (Harald Hjarne)
Angel Guimera (Frederik Wulff)
Per Hallstrom (W B Yeats)
Henri Bergson (Verner Heidenstam)
Grazia Deledda (Carl Bildt)
Maxim Gorky, Gustav Frenssen (Bengt Hesselman)

According to Slavic Literature expert Anton Kalgren, Gorky's candidature was rejected "for his noted post-recolutionary work there's no the slightest echo of love for his Homeland and sterile desert. Due to hus cultural and political personality, he has become a squeezed writer. Gorky's anarchism's without doubt fits into framework of Nobel's testament due to his propagandist tenor." Gorky was already a celebrated writer in old Soviet Russia with works like Mother, Lower Depths, and his novellas which adhered to socialist realism. Yeats' lyrical works, earlier rejected for been obscure, was recommend by the Committee to wait for more productions, while the Committee was silent over the works of Hamsun, some of the members praising Growth of the Soil, but not entirely convinced about some of the "difficulties" in earlier works. 17 names were suggested for the prize, the lowest number of Nominees the Academy has ever received for the Prize. This prompted the Academy members to nominate more candidates in the coming years.

 

[Ben Jackson]

The Nobel Prizes for 1940 to 1943 were awarded to the impact of the Second World War. Following the award to Silanpaa the previous year in 1939, the following were the shortlisted names for 1940--1943.

The shortlist for 1940 prize became:

Gabriela Mistral (1945 Laureate)
Kostas Palamas
Johannes Jensen (1944 Laureate)


First Time Nominees
Carl Sandburg
Gabriela Mistral
Lin Yutang
Edmund Blunden
Bert Bailey

Female Nominees
Henriette Charasson
Maria Magdalena Martel Patricio
Gabriela Mistral

Nominews nominated by Swedish Academy and Laureates
Stijn Streuvels (Frederik Book)
George Duhamel (Anders Osterling)
Lin Yutang (Pearl Buck and Sven Hedin)
Johan Huizinga (Hjalmar Hammarskjold)
Carl Sandburg (Sinclair Lewis)

Nominees that became Laureates
Gabriela Mistral (1945 Winner)
Johannes Jensen (1944 Winner)

Per Hallstrom's report served as Committee's decision for Gabriela Mistral's for the Latin American poet. Hallstrom in his report wrote that "Latin American contact will serve as means to understanding and recognize worthiness. The principal consideration's the becomes that after 30 years therein there must be present familiarization for world application. The current situation refers with itself already the structure of language when I myself can't understand the original text through which the fog of translation which in itself's not sufficient in Spanish to lift the feelings for safe ear the harmony of speech; which can only be obscure for the associator which's so much for the lyrical beauty. It means that it must endure the possiblity for a just appraisal which means the analysis for original and translated lyrics for comparison."
Concerning Jensen's Island of the Seals and Cornfield, Hallstrom'a report explained that the former work "he solely wished that the book was typical of his entire production," while the latter book "showed scientific foundation gushing to humanity and thereby more sensitive grasp of human things." Palamas was rejected for the similar remarks from 1930.


For 1941, the Academy received 15 names for the prize and the shortlist became:
Carl Sandburg
Johannes Jensen (1944 Laureate)
Edmund Blunden
Felix Timmermans

Nobel Committee explained that Carl Sandburg's poetry contained the humanism and connection to psychology of the people and feelings for ordinariness and everyday circumstances, while Jensen's latest work "Plague of Commemoration", was, according to Hallstrom "presented with an ordinary gushing physical prefeeence to pure soul and intellect that by tirelessly noble and have more human feelings."

First Time Nominees
Manuel Bandeira
Ruth Young
Branislav Petronjevic

Female Nominees
Henriette Charasson
Gabriela Mistral

Nominees nominated by Swedish Academy
Vihelm Ekelund (Par Lagerkvist, Hans Larsson)
Johan Huizinga, Felix Timmermans, Gabriela Mistral (Hjalmar Hammarskjold)

Nominees that became Laureates:
Johannes Jensen
Gabriela Mistral

For 1942, with the Academy receiving 16 names, there was no shortlisted writers for this year.

First Time Nominees
Nikolai Berdyayev
Sigfrid Siwertz
Teixieria de Pascoaes
Charles Morgan
Hans Carossa
Enrique Laretta

Female Nominees
Gabriela Mistral
Maria Magdalena Patricio

Nominees from Swedish Academy
Hans Carossa, George Duhamel, Charles Morgan (Anders Osterling)
Hermann Hesse, Johannes Jensen (Sigfrid Siwertz)
Gabriela Mistral, Antonio Correira de Oliveira (Hjalmar Hammarskjold)

Nominees that became Laureates
Hermann Hesse (1946 Laureate)
Gabriela Mistral (1945 Laureate)
Johannes Jensen (1944 Laureate)

And for 1943, the Academy received 20 names for the prize and the shortlist became:
Johannes Jensen (1944 Laureate)
Gabriela Mistral (1945 Laureate)
Paul Valery

First Time Nominees
John Steinbeck
Sri Aurobindo
Franz Werfel
Elizabeth Bagyrana
Franz Hellens

Female Nominees
Henriette Charasson
Gabriela Mistral
Maria Magdalena Patricio

Nominees from Swedish Academy
John Steinbeck, Charles Morgan, George Duhamel (Sigfrid Siwertz)
Enrique Laretta, Franz Werfel (Anders Osterling)
Gabriela Mistral (Hjalmar Hammarskjold)

Nominees that became Laureates
Gabriela Mistral (1945 Laureate)
Johannes Jensen (1944 Laureate)
John Steinbeck (1962 Laureate)

Paul Valery was rejected by Hallstrom who stated in his report that "after few years of reading, he still located the indelibe inaccessibility" of his poetry. Frederik Book, on the other hand, had written an counteracting report stating that Valery's recent works, his essays and aphorisms "had fulfilled eminent degree of idealistic tendency perhaps with everyone else." Hjalmar Hammarskjold had written favorably of Mistral's recent translations and new works, highlighting the "fresh human emotions and address of human issues." Johannes Jensen had gotten the support of both Osterling and Siwertz by calling attention to the more human element recent works of Jensen, a complete departure from his Darwinian influenced early works, and his consistent and visionary outlook. Hallstrom had written report of Jensen's People of Orient, his recent work, as "difficult due to ethnographic views on racial characteristics but good because of its beauty and sympathetic views of primitive world." When it was time for the voting process, Hallstrom decide to abstain from voting, instead it was Osterling and Siwertz voting for Jensen, Hammarskjold voting for Mistral and Book voting for Valery. However, the war provides air of impossibility for awarding the Prize for that year.

 

[Leseratte]

The Nobel Literature Prize weren't awarded for the years 1914 and 1918 and from 1940---1943 due to the impact of the war. However, after going through the reports from these years, apart from 1942, there were, apparently deliberations for some of the candidates with the hope that if the war should subside, the prize can be awarded.

The first World War began in 1914, some months after the Swedish Academy had received nominations from the distinguished members of the literary community. But with the "blazing flames" spreading across the European continent, there wasn't a chance for the Academy to award the Prize for that year. Instead the prize money was returned to Nobel Foundation. When the war became less intense, the prizes was awarded between 1915--1917, before been reinvested again in 1918. And after the award to Frans Emil Silanpaa in 1939, the Academy had hoped that the war might have subsided so as to award the prize for 1940 and 1941, but it became so terrifying that the Academy didn't bother with deliberations for 1942 prize, only receiving nominations. The Committee resumed deliberations for 1943 when the war became less intense, but the Committee still saw the awarding of the prize as lacking any form of feasibility. With the war gradually coming to a close in 1944, the committee saw it as opportunity for the awarding of the Prize, which was awarded to Danish Modernist writer Johannes V Jensen.

I was initially surprised when I read that there were deliberations for the "lost years." So in my post, I will analyse the shortlisted writers for the lost years.

I´m astonished that the committee worked at all an intensively during this time.

 

[Leseratte]

The Nobel Prizes for 1940 to 1943 were awarded to the impact of the Second World War. Following the award to Silanpaa the previous year in 1939, the following were the shortlisted names for 1940--1943.

The shortlist for 1940 prize became:

Gabriela Mistral (1945 Laureate)
Kostas Palamas
Johannes Jensen (1944 Laureate)


First Time Nominees
Carl Sandburg
Gabriela Mistral
Lin Yutang
Edmund Blunden
Bert Bailey

Female Nominees
Henriette Charasson
Maria Magdalena Martel Patricio
Gabriela Mistral

Nominews nominated by Swedish Academy and Laureates
Stijn Streuvels (Frederik Book)
George Duhamel (Anders Osterling)
Lin Yutang (Pearl Buck and Sven Hedin)
Johan Huizinga (Hjalmar Hammarskjold)
Carl Sandburg (Sinclair Lewis)

Nominees that became Laureates
Gabriela Mistral (1945 Winner)
Johannes Jensen (1944 Winner)

Per Hallstrom's report served as Committee's decision for Gabriela Mistral's for the Latin American poet. Hallstrom in his report wrote that "Latin American contact will serve as means to understanding and recognize worthiness. The principal consideration's the becomes that after 30 years therein there must be present familiarization for world application. The current situation refers with itself already the structure of language when I myself can't understand the original text through which the fog of translation which in itself's not sufficient in Spanish to lift the feelings for safe ear the harmony of speech; which can only be obscure for the associator which's so much for the lyrical beauty. It means that it must endure the possiblity for a just appraisal which means the analysis for original and translated lyrics for comparison."
Concerning Jensen's Island of the Seals and Cornfield, Hallstrom'a report explained that the former work "he solely wished that the book was typical of his entire production," while the latter book "showed scientific foundation gushing to humanity and thereby more sensitive grasp of human things." Palamas was rejected for the similar remarks from 1930.


For 1941, the Academy received 15 names for the prize and the shortlist became:
Carl Sandburg
Johannes Jensen (1944 Laureate)
Edmund Blunden
Felix Timmermans

Nobel Committee explained that Carl Sandburg's poetry contained the humanism and connection to psychology of the people and feelings for ordinariness and everyday circumstances, while Jensen's latest work "Plague of Commemoration", was, according to Hallstrom "presented with an ordinary gushing physical prefeeence to pure soul and intellect that by tirelessly noble and have more human feelings."

First Time Nominees
Manuel Bandeira
Ruth Young
Branislav Petronjevic

Female Nominees
Henriette Charasson
Gabriela Mistral

Nominees nominated by Swedish Academy
Vihelm Ekelund (Par Lagerkvist, Hans Larsson)
Johan Huizinga, Felix Timmermans, Gabriela Mistral (Hjalmar Hammarskjold)

Nominees that became Laureates:
Johannes Jensen
Gabriela Mistral

For 1942, with the Academy receiving 16 names, there was no shortlisted writers for this year.

First Time Nominees
Nikolai Berdyayev
Sigfrid Siwertz
Teixieria de Pascoaes
Charles Morgan
Hans Carossa
Enrique Laretta

Female Nominees
Gabriela Mistral
Maria Magdalena Patricio

Nominees from Swedish Academy
Hans Carossa, George Duhamel, Charles Morgan (Anders Osterling)
Hermann Hesse, Johannes Jensen (Sigfrid Siwertz)
Gabriela Mistral, Antonio Correira de Oliveira (Hjalmar Hammarskjold)

Nominees that became Laureates
Hermann Hesse (1946 Laureate)
Gabriela Mistral (1945 Laureate)
Johannes Jensen (1944 Laureate)

And for 1943, the Academy received 20 names for the prize and the shortlist became:
Johannes Jensen (1944 Laureate)
Gabriela Mistral (1945 Laureate)
Paul Valery

First Time Nominees
John Steinbeck
Sri Aurobindo
Franz Werfel
Elizabeth Bagyrana
Franz Hellens

Female Nominees
Henriette Charasson
Gabriela Mistral
Maria Magdalena Patricio

Nominees from Swedish Academy
John Steinbeck, Charles Morgan, George Duhamel (Sigfrid Siwertz)
Enrique Laretta, Franz Werfel (Anders Osterling)
Gabriela Mistral (Hjalmar Hammarskjold)

Nominees that became Laureates
Gabriela Mistral (1945 Laureate)
Johannes Jensen (1944 Laureate)
John Steinbeck (1962 Laureate)

Paul Valery was rejected by Hallstrom who stated in his report that "after few years of reading, he still located the indelibe inaccessibility" of his poetry. Frederik Book, on the other hand, had written an counteracting report stating that Valery's recent works, his essays and aphorisms "had fulfilled eminent degree of idealistic tendency perhaps with everyone else." Hjalmar Hammarskjold had written favorably of Mistral's recent translations and new works, highlighting the "fresh human emotions and address of human issues." Johannes Jensen had gotten the support of both Osterling and Siwertz by calling attention to the more human element recent works of Jensen, a complete departure from his Darwinian influenced early works, and his consistent and visionary outlook. Hallstrom had written report of Jensen's People of Orient, his recent work, as "difficult due to ethnographic views on racial characteristics but good because of its beauty and sympathetic views of primitive world." When it was time for the voting process, Hallstrom decide to abstain from voting, instead it was Osterling and Siwertz voting for Jensen, Hammarskjold voting for Mistral and Book voting for Valery. However, the war provides air of impossibility for awarding the Prize for that year.

So glad that the great Manuel Bandeira was at least nominated.

 

[Ben Jackson]

So glad that the great Manuel Bandeira was at least nominated.

I was about to ask you (or Benny or Bartleby) if any of you guys can do a little introduction of Bandeira.

I'm surprised as you when I found out about the committee working during the war years. The Academy was hoping that they could still award candidates during the war, but the tension was too much so it had to be postponed.

 

[Leseratte]

I was about to ask you (or Benny or Bartleby) if any of you guys can do a little introduction of Bandeira.

I'm surprised as you when I found out about the committee working during the war years. The Academy was hoping that they could still award candidates during the war, but the tension was too much so it had to be postponed.

Actually Cleanthess opened a thread for Bandeira and translated several of his poems. There are several posts, you contributed the poem "Apple " https://www.worldliteratureforum.com/forum/index.php?threads/manuel-bandeira.56725/#post-183752