Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

Hot on Facebook
Guy Buys $123 Safe on eBay, Finds $26,000 Inside Seller tries to get half the cash back, fails »

A Decade of Nobel Literature Laureates

By Kevin Spak,  Newser Staff

Posted Oct 8, 2009 3:42 PM CDT
Email

(Newser) – With Herta Mueller joining the ranks of Nobel laureates today, it seems like a good time to look back at some of the other literary giants that have been honored since the turn of the century. For a full list of all the winners since 1960, check the AP source. View photos at left.

Doris Lessing talks to the media after winning the 2007 prize. The award took the prolific Brit by surprise, because the committee had specifically told her she'd never win it 40 years earlier.
Doris Lessing talks to the media after winning the 2007 prize. The award took the prolific Brit by surprise, because the committee had specifically told her she'd never win it 40 years earlier.   (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)
Outspoken British playwright Harold Pinter won in 2005. The judges said his work uncovers the precipice under everyday prattle and forces entry into oppression's closed rooms.
Outspoken British playwright Harold Pinter won in 2005. The judges said his work "uncovers the precipice under everyday prattle and forces entry into oppression's closed rooms."   (AP File Photo)
This year's winner, German writer Herta Mueller, a little-known Romanian-born author who was persecuted for her critical depictions of life behind the Iron Curtain.
This year's winner, German writer Herta Mueller, a little-known Romanian-born author who was persecuted for her critical depictions of life behind the Iron Curtain.   (AP Photo/Michael Sohn)
Globe-trotting French writer Jean-Marie Gustave Le Clezioof won last year for his much-translated avant-garde books like Le Proc?s-Verbal.
Globe-trotting French writer Jean-Marie Gustave Le Clezioof won last year for his much-translated avant-garde books like "Le Proc?s-Verbal."   (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
Turkish author Orhan Pamuk won in 2006 for works like Snow and My Name Is Red. A year earlier he'd been on trial for insulting Turkish identity by discussing the slaughter of Kurds and Armenians.
Turkish author Orhan Pamuk won in 2006 for works like "Snow" and "My Name Is Red." A year earlier he'd been on trial for insulting Turkish identity by discussing the slaughter of Kurds and Armenians.   (AP Photo/Torsten Silz,Pool)
J.M. Coetzee, South African author of Diary of a Bad Year, has won the Booker prize twice, along with the Commonwealth Writers' Prize for Disgrace in 2000. He's known for avoiding the media.
J.M. Coetzee, South African author of "Diary of a Bad Year," has won the Booker prize twice, along with the Commonwealth Writers' Prize for Disgrace in 2000. He's known for avoiding the media.   (AP Photo/Viking Penguin)
Hungary's Imre Kertesz, best known for his writings about his time in Nazi concentration camps, won in 2002.
Hungary's Imre Kertesz, best known for his writings about his time in Nazi concentration camps, won in 2002.   (AP Photo/Marcel Mettelsiefen,Pool)
The top novelist in the English-speaking Carribean, VS Naipaul won in 2001. His work explores third world cultures and, in the judges' words, compel us to see the presence of suppressed histories.
The top novelist in the English-speaking Carribean, VS Naipaul won in 2001. His work explores third world cultures and, in the judges' words, "compel us to see the presence of suppressed histories."   (AP Photo/John McConnico)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
To report an error on this story, notify our editors.
A snapshot of the day's best news stories.
 
COMMENTS
Showing 2 of 2 comments
kokuaguy
Oct 8, 2009 9:48 AM CDT
Gotta put this on my "read before I die" list. I'm hoping it will help me live a little longer. When I can no longer enjoy literature (the life of the mind) my caregivers will know the time has come. Another thing I have to work on of course is an assisted suicide law that will insure me a dignified exit at that time. Or perhaps I'll move to Switzerland. ; ^)
brawne
Oct 8, 2009 9:46 AM CDT
At least Lessing got her due. I first read her when I was thirteen. So much for romance. Poor Isak, they told her the same thing and meant it. But, we do have Out of Africa.

 
Nobel Prize • Doris Lessing • Harold Pinter • Nobel Prize for Literature • Herta Mueller

More Newser Stories

German Novelist Herta Mueller Wins Nobel for Literature

Why Tolkien Wasn't Given Nobel Prize: Bad Writing

Nobel Prize for Literature Goes to Tomas Transtromer

Vargas Llosa Wins Nobel in Literature

Above All, Pinter Was Remarkable, Loyal Friend
NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS
Other Sites We Like:   24/7 Wall St.   |   Betty Confidential   |   BuzzFeed   |   Cracked   |   Fark   |   Timelines   |   The Frisky   |   Geek Sugar   |   NewsOne