Nobel Prize, Literature, 2019

The Nobel Prize in Literature for the year 2018 was awarded to Polish author Olga Tokarczuk and for the year 2019 was awarded to Austrian author Peter Handke.

Olga Tokarczuk

Olga was born is a Polish writer, activist and public intellectual. She is a trained psychologist from the University of Warsaw. She has published poems, novels. Her books “Flights” won the Nike award. Nike Award is considered as one of hte top literary prizes of Poland. She had also won the German – Polish international Bridge prie for her accomplishments in promotion of peace and democratic development among the Europeans in different nations.

Peter Hanke

Peter is an Austrian novelist, translator and playwright. He has won several awards like International Ibsen award in 2014, Mulheimer Dramatikerpreis in 2012, Fraz Kafka PRize in 2009, etc. HE has also collaborated with directors and written scripts for movies like The Goalkeeper’s Fear of the Penalty, the wrong move, the left handed woman, the absence, etc.

The Nobel prize of literature category was postponed last year due to a scandal

The Scandal

Since 1901 only 14 laureates were women out of 114 winners. This created  criticisms that the Swedish academy is male oriented and Euro – centric. Apart from this, last year a sex scandal forced to postpone the Nobel Prize 2018. It was postponed after the rape accusations made against Jean – Claude Arnault, husband of academy member Katarina Frostenson. The scandal forced many to vacate the seats damaging the century old reputation of Nobel laurels.

The Nobel Prize in Literature has been awarded 110 times since 1901.

Month: Current Affairs - October, 2019