Nobel Prize

Odysseus Elytis’ speech at the Nobel Banquet, December 10, 1979 (in French) Sire, Madame, Altesses Royales, Mesdames, Messieurs, Le voyage d’Odysseus, dont il m’a été donné de porter le nom, semble ne devoir jamais s’achever. Et c’est heureux. Comme l’observait un de nos grands poètes contemporains, l’essentiel n’est pas dans le retour à Ithaque, qui…

Isaac Bashevis Singer’s speech at the Nobel Banquet, December 10, 1978 Your Majesties, Your Royal Highnesses, Ladies and Gentlemen, People ask me often, ‘Why do you write in a dying language?’ And I want to explain it in a few words. Firstly, I like to write ghost stories and nothing fits a ghost better than…

Artist: Gunnar Brusewitz Calligrapher: Kerstin Anckers

Works in Yiddish Der sotn in goray. – Warsaw : Yiddish PEN-Klub, 1935 ; New York : Matones, 1943 Di familye moshkat. – 2 vol. – New York : Sklarsky, 1950 Mayn tatns bes-din shtub. – New York : Der Kval, 1956 ; Tel Aviv : Y. L. Perets, 1979 Gimpel tam un andere dertseylungen.…

As the Laureate was unable to be present at the Nobel Banquet, December 10, 1977, the speech of thanks was read by Mr Jorge Padrón (in Spanish) Majestades, Altezas Reales, Señoras y Señores, En esta reunión tan grata para todos, unos, la mayoría, están aquí son su presencia física; alguna como yo con su asistencia…

English December 12, 1977 (Translation)   At a moment like this, so important in the life of a man of letters, I should like to express in the most eloquent words at my command the emotion that a human being feels and the gratitude he experiences in the face of an event such as that…

Credit: ITN Archive/Reuters

Spanish 12 Diciembre, 1977 En una hora como esta, tan importante en la vida de un cultivador de las letras, quisiera expresar, con las palabras más bellas, la emoción que un hombre siente y la gratitud que experimenta en unos actos como los que ahora se desarrollan. Yo nací de una familia burguesa, pero tuve…

Works in Spanish Ámbito. – Málaga : Litoral, 1928 Espadas como labios. – Madrid : Espasa–Calpe, 1932 Pasión de la tierra. – Mexico City : Fábula, 1935 La destrucción o el amor. – Madrid : Signo, 1935. – Rev. ed. 1944 Sombra del paraíso. – Madrid : Adán, 1944 En la vida del poeta. –…

English Eugenio Montale’s speech at the Nobel Banquet, December 10, 1975 (Translation) Your Majesties, Your Royal Highnesses, Ladies and Gentlemen, During a fairly long period of my life, for more than 20 years, freedom of press was somewhat reduced in Italy. But poets were not considered dangerous and they were advised to exercise selfcensorship. At…