The 10 Nobel Prize for Literature of the last 10 years – Librujula

The men and women who in the last decade have won the most precious prize in Literature, the Nobel Prize for Literature.

Text: Writing

When we already know the name of the winner Nobel Prize for Literature 2021the tanzanian writer Abdulrazak Gurnahof which the Academy has highlighted his “interest in the effects of colonialism and the fate of refugees and their relationship with cultures and continents”, we take the opportunity to remember the winning authors of this last decade, with controversies included in some cases, and with serious scandals of the Academy of a sexual nature and leaks that led to the resignation of several members of the jury and leaving the 2018 edition on the air.

2011 Tomas Transtromer

The Swedish writer born in Stockholm in 1931 received the Nobel Prize for Literature four years before his death. Psychologist, poet and translator, the jury highlighted from his work “that through his concise and translucent images, he offers access to reality.” Among his books in Spanish are: “Báltico y otros poetas” (Visor), “The tree and the cloud: Poetic work 1954-2004” or “Air mail: correspondence 1964-1990”, both published by Letras Nórdicas.

2012 Mo Yan

Mo Yan, pseudonym of the Chinese writer Guan Moye, was the winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature and, although it was noted that he had won the literature on politics, it was not exempt from controversy, as several voices were raised against accusing the writer of being associated with the Chinese Communist Party. Some of his works are: “The oxen”, “Jubilo” or “A highway under construction”, published in Kailas Literature, or “Changes” (Library Formentor).

2013 Alice Munro

The Canadian writer is a “master of the contemporary short story.” With an extensive body of work and including film adaptations of some of his stories, several of his books can be found in Spanish bookstores such as “Something I wanted to tell you” in Lumen, and in Debolsillo almost all his titles such as “Las lunas de Júpiter ”, “Hate, friendship, courtship, love, marriage” or “The love of a generous woman”.

2014 Patrick Modiano

The French writer already enjoyed great recognition before obtaining the Nobel Prize; He won the French Academy Grand Prize for Novel in 1972 and the Goncourt Prize in 1978. His work is notable for setting it in Nazi-occupied France. He has come to be considered “the Marcel Proust of our time”. Almost all of his works are published in our country, mainly by the Anagrama publishing house.

2015 Svetlana Alexievich

She is the first non-fiction writer to win the Nobel Prize in a century and the fourteenth woman to win it since 1901. The Belarusian investigative journalist and writer captures in her works through interviews and her personal view the most dramatic moments of her country. Some of her books are: “War has no face of a woman” (Debate), “The zinc boys: Soviet voices from the war in Afghanistan” or “Voices from Chernobyl”, both in Debolsillo.

2016 Bob Dylan

The folk song writer was one of the most controversial winners of the Nobel Prize for Literature. The Academy’s choice sparked a debate about whether the songs are literature or not. Apart from the controversy, Bob Dylan, being faithful to his style, did not go to collect the award, although the poetry of his music continues to reach all corners of the planet.

2017 Kazuo Ishiguro

The Japanese-born British author who writes in English began his career writing scripts for television series and short stories. He then began to write novels, in which memory, self-deception or the passage of time have a fundamental weight. “Never leave me”, “When we were orphans” or “The remains of the day”, adapted with great success to the cinema and starring Anthony Hopkins, are some of the titles that are in the bookstores of our country.

2018 Olga Tokarczuk

The Polish writer received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2019 because the sexual and power abuses that were uncovered within the Swedish Academy made 2018 a blank year. Spanish readers will find in the Anagrama publishing house some of her works such as “Los errantes” or “A place called yesteryear” or in the Siruela publishing house: “On the bones of the dead”.

2019 Peter Handke

The Academy’s decision to award the Austrian writer the Nobel Prize was heavily criticized in some media for Peter Handke’s controversial views on the Yugoslav wars. The Academy defended itself, as it had already done in the case of Mo Yan, arguing that literature is rewarded outside of politics. Handke’s extensive work ranges from theater, poetry, novels and essays, and most of it is published in Spanish by Alianza Editorial. He is also a screenwriter and film director; he co-wrote with Wim Wenders films such as “The sky over Berlin”.

2020 Louise Gluck

Of the American poet and essayist, with important prizes to her credit before the Nobel, such as the Pulitzer or the National Essay Medal; the Swedish Academy valued “her characteristic poetic voice, which with her austere beauty makes individual existence universal.” For 14 years, the poetry of Louise Glück was published in Spain by the independent publisher Pre-Textos; After winning the award, the author withdrew the rights. Currently, some of her collections of poems are in the Visor publishing label.