Nobel Prize

William Faulkner’s speech at the Nobel Banquet at the City Hall in Stockholm, December 10, 1950 Ladies and gentlemen, I feel that this award was not made to me as a man, but to my work – a life’s work in the agony and sweat of the human spirit, not for glory and least of…

Ers Majestäter, Ers Kungliga högheter, Excellenser, Kära pristagare, Mina damer och herrar, Jag tackar för äran att ha tilldelats Nobelpriset i kemi tillsammans med professor Modrich och professor Sancar. The topic of my brief comments will be the crucial importance of our early mentors and teachers. I had the privilege of attending…

Russian/Belarusian Svetlana Alexievich’s speech at the Nobel Banquet, 10 December 2015. Я благодарю Шведскую академию за высокую награду, которую не смею себе присвоить, я понимаю ее, как поклон многим поколениям советских людей, которые еще недавно жили вместе в огромной стране СССР – марксистской лаборатории светлого будущего.Как поклон их страданиям, их боли. Они уходили ив…

English Svetlana Alexievich’s speech at the Nobel Banquet, 10 December 2015 (translation into English). I would like to thank the Swedish Academy for this distinguished award, which I dare not claim as mine alone. Rather, I see it as a tribute to the many generations who not so very long ago lived…

Your majesties, Your Royal Highnesses, Your Excellencies, Laureates, Ladies and Gentlemen. When I was a boy living in Edinburgh in Scotland, especially in December, when the hours of daylight were few, and it was cold, and often wet, I used to dream of escaping to a tropical magic kingdom. I searched the…

English Nelly Sachs’s speech at the Nobel Banquet at the City Hall in Stockholm, December 10, 1966 (Translation) In the summer of 1939 a German girl friend of mine went to Sweden to visit , to ask her to secure a sanctuary for my mother and myself in that country. Since my youth I had…

English Introductory speech, 7 December 2015, by Sara Danius, Permanent Secretary of the Swedish Academy Ladies and gentlemen – I bid you a warm welcome to the Swedish Academy! Two months ago, in early October, here in the Grand Hall, just before one o’clock in the afternoon, a multitude of journalists had gathered, eager to…

Octavio Paz delivering his banquet speech at the Nobel Prize banquet at the Stockholm City Hall, 10 December 1990. English Octavio Paz’ speech at the Nobel Banquet, December 10, 1990 (Translation) Your Majesties, Ladies and Gentlemen, I shall be brief – but, since time is elastic, I am afraid you are going to hear me…

French Octavio Paz’ speech at the Nobel Banquet, December 10, 1990 (in Spanish) Majestades, Señoras y Señores: Seré breve. Sin embargo, como el tiempo es elástico, ustedes tendrán que oírme durante ciento ochenta largos segundos. Vivimos no sólo el fin de un siglo sino de un período histórico. ¿Qué nacerá del derrumbe de las ideologías?…

Spanish Miguel Angel Asturias’ speech at the Nobel Banquet at the City Hall in Stockholm, December 10, 1967 (in Spanish) Majestad, Altezas Reales, Señoras y Señores: Mi voz en el umbral. Mi voz llegada de muy lejos, de mi Guatemala natal. Mi voz en el umbral de esta . Es difícil entrar a formar parte…