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…

Major works in Greek Prosanatolizmi, 1940 Ilios o protos, 1943 Asma heroiko kai penthimo gia ton chameno anthypolochago tes Albanias, 1945 To axion esti, 1959 Exi kai mia tipsis yia ton ourano, 1960 Thanatos ke anastasis tou Konstandinou Paleologhou, 1971 To fotodhendro ke i dhekati tetarti omorfia, 1971 Maria Nefeli, 1978 Tria poiemata me simea…

Excerpt from The Axion Esti From The Gloria /- – -/      PRAISED BE Myrto standing on the stone parapet facing the sea      like a beautiful eight or a clay pitcher holding a straw hat in her hand      The white and porous middle of day the down of sleep lightly ascending      the faded gold inside the…

Artist: Gunnar Brusewitz Calligrapher: Kerstin Anckers

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…

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.…

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…

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…

Credit: ITN Archive/Reuters

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. –…