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1907 Nobel Prize in Literature

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1907 Nobel Prize in Literature
Rudyard Kipling
"in consideration of the power of observation, originality of imagination, virility of ideas and remarkable talent for narration which characterize the creations of this world-famous author."
Date
  • 10 October 1907 (announcement)
  • 10 December 1907
    (ceremony)
LocationStockholm, Sweden
Presented bySwedish Academy
First awarded1901
WebsiteOfficial website
← 1906 · Nobel Prize in Literature · 1908 →

The 1907 Nobel Prize in Literature was awarded to the British writer Rudyard Kipling (1865–1936) "in consideration of the power of observation, originality of imagination, virility of ideas and remarkable talent for narration which characterize the creations of this world-famous author."[1] He is the first English-language writer to receive the prize, and being aged 41, is its youngest recipient to date.[2][3]

Laureate

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First edition of The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling and illustrated by John Lockwood Kipling.
Main article: Rudyard Kipling

Rudyard Kipling praised the British colonial empire in his works as a poet, short story author, journalist, and novelist, which made his poetry well-liked in the British Army. Children all across the globe have grown to know and love him as a result of The Jungle Book (1894), especially because of Disney's 1967 motion picture adaptation. The Swedish Academy said that Kipling's human portraits and social environment descriptions that "penetrate to the substance of things" rather than merely repeating the fleeting" were his distinctive qualities.[4][5] His classic literary works include Kim (1901), the Just So Stories (1902) and many short stories, including The Man Who Would Be King (1888).[4][6]

Deliberations

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Nominations

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Kipling was nominated four times beginning in 1904. He was nominated in 1907 by Charles Oman, professor of modern history at the University of Oxford, which later led to him being awarded the Nobel prize.[7]

In total, the Swedish Academy received 37 nominations for 21 writers. The highest number of nominations – five nominations – were for the Italian writer Angelo de Gubernatis followed by American theologian Borden Parker Bowne with four nominations. Eight of the nominees were nominated first-time such as Holger Drachmann, Eduardo Benot, Andrés Manjón,[a] Àngel Guimerà, and Paul Bourget. Selma Lagerlöf is the only female nominee for that year.[8]

The authors Thomas Bailey Aldrich, Mary Elizabeth Coleridge, Mary De Morgan, Charles Guérin, Louise Granberg, Benedikt Sveinbjarnarson Gröndal, Bogdan Petriceicu Hasdeu, Joris-Karl Huysmans, Alfred Jarry, Mkrtich Khrimian, Hector Malot, David Masson, Bertram Fletcher Robinson, André Theuriet, Marko Vovchok, Iosif Vulcan, and Stanisław Wyspiański died in 1907 without having been nominated for the prize. The British minister Ian Maclaren and Spanish academic Eduardo Benot died months before the announcement.

Official list of nominees and their nominators for the prize
No. Nominee Country Genre(s) Nominator(s)
1 Eduardo Benot Rodríguez (1822–1907)  Spain poetry, drama, essays Daniel de Cortázar Larrubia (1844–1927)
2 João Bonança (1836–1924)  Portugal law, essays Teófilo Braga (1843–1924)
3 Paul Bourget (1852–1935)  France novel, short story, literary criticism, essays René Bazin (1853–1932)
4 Borden Parker Bowne (1847–1910)  United States philosophy, theology, essays
5 Georg Brandes (1842–1927)  Denmark literary criticism, essays
6 Angelo de Gubernatis (1840–1913)  Italy drama, essays, philology, poetry
  • Francesco Lorenzo Pullè (1850–1934)
  • Angelo Valdarnini (1847–1930)
  • Paolo Boselli (1838–1932)
  • Gaspare Finali (1829–1914)
  • Tancredi Canonico (1828–1908)
7 Holger Drachmann (1846–1908)  Netherlands poetry, drama Harald Høffding (1843–1931)
8 Antonio Fogazzaro (1842–1911)  Italy novel, poetry, short story Eugène-Melchior de Vogüé (1848–1910)
9 Ángel Guimerá Jorge (1845–1924)  Spain drama, poetry Joaquim Miret i Sans (1858–1919)[c]
10 Rudyard Kipling (1865–1936)  Great Britain short story, novel, poetry Charles Oman (1860–1946)
11 Selma Lagerlöf (1858–1940)  Sweden novel, short story
12 Ian Maclaren (1850–1907)  Great Britain short story, novel, theology, essays Waldemar Rudin (1833–1921)
13 Andrés Manjón y Manjón (1846–1923)  Spain pedagogy, theology, essays, law Ángel Sánchez-Rubio Ibáñez (1852–1910)
14 Marcelino Menéndez Pelayo (1856–1912)  Spain history, philosophy, philology, poetry, translation, literary criticism
15 George Meredith (1828–1909)  Great Britain novel, poetry Mary Augusta Ward (1851–1920)
16 John Morley (1838–1923)  Great Britain biography, literary criticism, essays 15 members of the Incorporated Society of Authors
17 Lewis Morris (1833–1907)  Great Britain poetry, songwriting, essays
18 George Lansing Raymond[e] (1839–1929)  United States essays, philosophy Charles Needham (1848–1935)
19 Georgios Souris[f] (1852–1919)  Kingdom of Greece poetry, songwriting, essays
20 Algernon Charles Swinburne (1837–1909)  Great Britain poetry, drama, literary criticism, novel
21 Jaroslav Vrchlický (1853–1912)  Austria-Hungary
( Czechoslovakia) 		poetry, drama, translation

Prize decision

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In 1907, the highly influential member of the Nobel committee Carl David af Wirsén advocated a prize for Algernon Charles Swinburne, but ultimately Wirsén chose to support Rudyard Kipling's candidacy as a way of blocking another strong candidate, Selma Lagerlöf, whose writing Wirsén disliked, from being awarded. Hence, Kipling was chosen by the Nobel Committee as the laureate.[10]

Reactions

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The choice of Rudyard Kipling was very well received. Kipling was widely celebrated by both the Swedish press and public crowds when he arrived in Stockholm to accept the prize.[11]

Award Ceremony

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At the award ceremony in Stockholm on 10 December 1907, the Permanent Secretary of the Swedish Academy, Carl David af Wirsén, praised both Kipling and three centuries of English literature, saying:

"The Swedish Academy, in awarding the Nobel Prize in Literature this year to Rudyard Kipling, desires to pay a tribute of homage to the literature of England, so rich in manifold glories, and to the greatest genius in the realm of narrative that that country has produced in our times."[12]

Notes

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  1. ^ Padre Manjón is the first nominee for the Nobel Prize in Literature on process for sainthood within the Roman Catholic Church. He was declared Venerable on November 23, 2020 by Pope Francis.
  2. ^ The nomination was made by Troels Frederik Troels-Lund and 17 other members of the Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters
  3. ^ The nomination was made by Joaquin Miret y Sans and 19 other members of Reial Acadèmia de Bones Lletres de Barcelona in Spain
  4. ^ a b c The nomination was made jointly by J. Rhys , T.H. Warren and W.W. Jackson, all three at the university in Oxford, Great Britain.
  5. ^ Lansing Raymond: The Essentials of Aesthetics (1906)[9]
  6. ^ Souris: Conseiller pour l'instruction publique La Canée, île de Crète ("National Education Advisers in Canée, the Island of Crete")[9]
  7. ^ The nomination was made jointly by Nikolaos Levidis and up to 100 other members of the Greek parliament.
  8. ^ a b The nomination was made jointly by J. Hlávka and B. Rayman.

References

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  1. ^ The Nobel Prize in Literature 1907 nobelprize.org
  2. ^ Alfred Nobel Foundation. "Who is the youngest ever to receive a Nobel Prize, and who is the oldest?". Nobelprize.com. p. 409. Archived from the original on 25 September 2006. Retrieved 21 May 2021.
  3. ^ Facts on the Nobel Prize in Literature nobelprize.org
  4. ^ a b Rudyard Kipling – Facts nobelprize.org
  5. ^ Rudyard Kipling – Poetry Foundation poetryfoundation.org
  6. ^ Rudyard Kipling britannica.com
  7. ^ Nomination archive – Rudyard Kipling nobelprize.org
  8. ^ Nomination archive – 1907 nobelprize.org
  9. ^ a b Svensén, Bo (2001). Nobelpriset i litteratur. Nomineringar och utlåtanden 1901–1950. Svenska Akademien. ISBN 9789113010076. Retrieved 11 November 2020. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  10. ^ Gustav Källstrand Andens Olympiska Spel: Nobelprisets historia, Fri Tanke 2021, p. 191-192
  11. ^ Gustav Källstrand Andens olympiska spel, Fri Tanke 2021 p.189
  12. ^ "Nobel Prize in Literature 1907 – presentation Speech". Nobelprize.org.
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