| 1973 Nobel Prize in Literature | |
| Subheader: | Patrick White |
| Presenter: | Swedish Academy |
| Year: | 1901 |
| Holder Label: | 1973 laureate |
| Date: |
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| Location: | Stockholm, Sweden |
| Previous: | 1972 |
| Main: | Nobel Prize in Literature |
| Next: | 1974 |
The 1973 Nobel Prize in Literature was awarded to the Australian writer Patrick White (1912–1990) "for an epic and psychological narrative art which has introduced a new continent into literature."[1] [2] He is the first and the only Australian recipient of the prize.[3] [4] [5]
The historical themes of Patrick White's novels and plays focus on his own Australia and its people. During his lifetime, he enjoyed greater acclaim abroad than he did at home, where his critical gaze was occasionally misunderstood. In 1939, he released Happy Valley, his debut novel. The Tree of Man (1955), a book about a farmer and his wife struggling to build a future in rural Australia, was his major literary success. Modern humanity's sense of loneliness and emptiness is a recurrent topic in his literary works. His other well-known works include The Vivisector (1970) and The Eye of the Storm (1973).[3] [6]
In 1973, the Nobel Committee collected 101 writers for their deliberations – the second highest number of nominations revealed so far after 1969.[7] White was first introduced for nomination in 1968 by Muriel Clara Bradbook, professor of English at Cambridge University. Henceforth, he became an annual nominee until he was subsequently awarded with the prize.[8] In 1973, he was endorsed by academics and professors from Australia, New Zealand and Finland.
Eighteen authors were first-time nominees such as Vicente Aleixandre (awarded in 1977), Conrad Aiken, Miodrag Bulatović, Chiang Yee, Albert Cohen, Adolfo Costa du Rels, Eugen Jebeleanu, Yaşar Kemal, Zenta Mauriņa, Henry Miller, John Crowe Ransom, Isaac Bashevis Singer (awarded in 1978), Martin Wickramasinghe and Xu Xu. The highest number of nominations was for Jewish author Elie Wiesel (awarded the 1988 Nobel Peace Prize). The oldest nominee was Estonian poet Marie Under (aged 90) and the youngest was Finnish writer Hannu Salama (aged 37). Six of the nominees were women namely Simone de Beauvoir, Indira Devi Dhanrajgir, Nadine Gordimer (awarded in 1991), Doris Lessing (awarded in 2007), Zenta Mauriņa and Marie Under.[7] The Indian novelist Tarasankar Bandyopadhyay, who died in 1971, was included posthumously by the Nobel Committee.[7]
The authors Samuel Nathaniel Behrman, Arna Bontemps, Faruk Nafiz Çamlıbel, Noël Coward, John Creasey, Roland Dorgelès, Neil Miller Gunn, Egon Hostovský, Benn Levy, Warren Lewis, Lucy Beatrice Malleson (known as Anthony Gilbert), Nancy Mitford, Elma Napier, Robert C. O'Brien, Jirō Osaragi, Vera Panova, William Plomer, Brigitte Reimann, Sergio Tofano, Margaret Wilson and Nobuko Yoshiya died in 1973 without having been nominated for the prize while the American author Conrad Aiken died before the only chance to be awarded.
| scope=col | No. | scope=col | Nominee | scope=col | Country | scope=col | Genre(s) | scope=col | Nominator(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Conrad Aiken (1889–1973) |  United States | poetry, novel, short story, literary criticism, autobiography | Samuel Frederick Johnson (1918–2005) | |||||
| 2 | Vicente Aleixandre (1898–1984) | poetry | Dámaso Alonso (1898–1990) | ||||||
| 3 | Jorge Amado (1912–2001) |  Brazil | novel, short story | Antônio Olinto (1919–2009) | |||||
| 4 | Antonio Aniante (1900–1973) |  Italy | drama | Vittorio Vettori (1920–2004) | |||||
| 5 | Wystan Hugh Auden (1907–1973) |  United Kingdom United States | poetry, essays, screenplay | ||||||
| 6 | Riccardo Bacchelli (1891–1985) | Italy | novel, drama, essays | ||||||
| 7 | Tarasankar Bandyopadhyay (1898–1971) (posthumous nomination) |  India | novel, short story, drama, essays, autobiography, songwriting | Nobel Committee | |||||
| 8 | Simone de Beauvoir (1908–1986) |  France | novel, drama, memoir, philosophy, essays, short story | Walter Ralph Johnson (born 1933) | |||||
| 9 | Saul Bellow (1915–2005) |  Canada United States | novel, short story, memoir, essays | Roger Asselineau (1915–2002) | |||||
| 10 | Louis Paul Boon (1912–1979) |  Belgium | novel, essays, short story, poetry | ||||||
| 11 | Jorge Luis Borges (1899–1986) |  Argentina | poetry, essays, translation, short story | ||||||
| 12 | Miodrag Bulatović (1930–1991) | novel, short story, drama, essays | Allan Philip (1927–2004) | ||||||
| 13 | Anthony Burgess (1917–1993) | United Kingdom | novel, poetry, drama, screenplay, autobiography, biography, essays, literary criticism, translation | Artur Lundkvist (1906–1991) | |||||
| 14 | Michel Butor (1926–2016) | France | poetry, novel, essays, translation | Leon Samuel Roudiez (1917–2004) | |||||
| 15 | Elias Canetti (1905–1994) | United Kingdom | novel, drama, memoir, essays | ||||||
| 16 | Camilo José Cela (1916–2002) | novel, short story, essay, poetry, drama, memoir | |||||||
| 17 | André Chamson (1900–1983) | France | novel, essays | ||||||
| 18 | René Char (1907–1988) | France | poetry | ||||||
| 19 | Suniti Kumar Chatterji (1890–1977) | India | essays, pedagogy, literary criticism | Nobel Committee | |||||
| 20 | Chiang Yee (1903–1977) |  China | memoir, poetry, essays | Lo Hsiang-lin (1906–1978) | |||||
| 21 | Sri Chinmoy (1931–2007) | India United States | poetry, drama, short story, essays, songwriting | ||||||
| 22 | Albert Cohen (1895–1981) |  Switzerland | novel, drama, essays | Joseph Kessel (1898–1979) | |||||
| 23 | Adolfo Costa du Rels (1891–1980) | novel, short story, drama, poetry, essays | Humberto Palza (1900–1975) | ||||||
| 24 | Fazıl Hüsnü Dağlarca (1914–2008) |  Turkey | poetry | Yaşar Nabi Nayır (1908–1981) | |||||
| 25 | Indira Devi Dhanrajgir (born 1930) | India | poetry, essays | Krishna Srinivas (1913–2007) | |||||
| 26 | Friedrich Dürrenmatt (1921–1990) | Switzerland | drama, novel, short story, essays | Werner Betz (1912–1980) | |||||
| 27 | Odysseas Elytis (1911–1996) | poetry, essays, translation | Nobel Committee | ||||||
| 28 | Rabbe Enckell (1903–1974) |  Finland | short story, poetry | Eeva Kilpi (born 1928) | |||||
| 29 | Salvador Espriu (1913–1985) | drama, novel, poetry | Antoni Comas i Pujol (1931–1981) | ||||||
| 30 | James Thomas Farrell (1904–1979) | United Kingdom | novel, short story, poetry | Duane Schneider (1937–2012) | |||||
| 31 | José Maria Ferreira de Castro (1898–1978) | novel | Antônio Olinto (1919–2009) | ||||||
| 32 | Max Frisch (1911–1991) | Switzerland | novel, drama | Wolfram Naumann (1921–2021) | |||||
| 33 | Romain Gary (1914–1980) | France | novel, essays, literary criticism, screenplay | Walther Hinz (1906–1992) | |||||
| 34 | William Golding (1911–1993) | United Kingdom | novel, poetry, drama, essays | Erik Frykman (1919–2010) | |||||
| 35 | Nadine Gordimer (1923–2014) |  South Africa | novel, short story, essay, drama | Artur Lundkvist (1906–1991) | |||||
| 36 | Julien Gracq (1910–2007) | France | novel, drama, poetry, essays | Georges Matoré (1908–1998) | |||||
| 37 | Günter Grass (1927–2015) |  Germany | novel, drama, poetry, essays | Manfred Windfuhr (born 1930) | |||||
| 38 | Robert Graves (1895–1985) | United Kingdom | history, novel, poetry, literary criticism, essays | Ellsworth Mason (1917–2013) | |||||
| 39 | Julien Green (1900–1998) | France | novel, autobiography, essays | ||||||
| 40 | Graham Greene (1904–1991) | United Kingdom | novel, short story, autobiography, essays | ||||||
| 41 | Jorge Guillén (1893–1984) | poetry, literary criticism | Kasimir Geza Werner (1900–1985) | ||||||
| 42 | Paavo Haavikko (1931–2008) | Finland | poetry, drama, essays | Eeva Kilpi (born 1928) | |||||
| 43 | William Heinesen (1900–1991) |  Faroe Islands | poetry, short story, novel | ||||||
| 44 | Vladimír Holan (1905–1980) | poetry, essays | Nobel Committee | ||||||
| 45 | Taha Hussein (1889–1973) |  Egypt | novel, short story, poetry, translation | Ibrāhīm Madkūr (1902–1995) | |||||
| 46 | Gyula Illyés (1902–1983) | poetry, novel, drama, essays | |||||||
| 47 | Eugen Jebeleanu (1911–1991) | poetry, essays, translation | |||||||
| 48 | Eyvind Johnson (1900–1976) |  Sweden | novel, short story | ||||||
| 49 | Ferenc Juhász (1928–2015) | poetry | Artur Lundkvist (1906–1991) | ||||||
| 50 | Yaşar Kemal (1923–2015) | Turkey | novel, essays | ||||||
| 51 | Erich Kästner (1899–1974) | Germany | poetry, screenplay, autobiography | Hermann Kesten (1900–1996) | |||||
| 52 | Miroslav Krleža (1893–1981) | poetry, drama, short story, novel, essays | Nobel Committee | ||||||
| 53 | Manbohdan Lal (?) | India | |||||||
| 54 | Frank Raymond Leavis (1895–1978) | United Kingdom | literary criticism, essays | Mary Renault (1905–1983) | |||||
| 55 | Doris Lessing (1919–2013) | United Kingdom | novel, short story, memoirs, drama, poetry, essays | Artur Lundkvist (1906–1991) | |||||
| 56 | Lin Yutang (1895–1976) | China | novel, philosophy, essays, translation | José María Acosta Acosta (?) | |||||
| 57 | Väinö Linna (1920–1992) | Finland | novel | Eeva Kilpi (born 1928) | |||||
| 58 | Robert Lowell (1917–1977) | United States | poetry, translation | Hans Galinsky (1909–1991) | |||||
| 59 | Salvador de Madariaga (1886–1978) | essays, history, law, novel | Julián Gorkin (1901–1987) | ||||||
| 60 | Norman Mailer (1923–2007) | United States | novel, short story, poetry, essays, biography, drama, screenplay | ||||||
| 61 | Bernard Malamud (1914–1986) | United States | novel, short story | Nobel Committee | |||||
| 62 | André Malraux (1901–1976) | France | novel, essays, literary criticism | ||||||
| 63 | Frederick Manfred (1912–1994) | United States | novel, essays | ||||||
| 64 | Gustave Lucien Martin-Saint-René (1888–1973) | France | poetry, novel, essays, literary criticism, drama, songwriting, short story | Henri Guiter (1909–1994) | |||||
| 65 | Harry Martinson (1904–1978) | Sweden | poetry, novel, drama, essays | ||||||
| 66 | Zenta Mauriņa (1897–1978) | short story, autobiography, essays, translation, philology | Mārtiņš Zīverts (1903–1990) | ||||||
| 67 | László Mécs (1895–1978) | poetry, essays | |||||||
| 68 | Veijo Meri (1928–2015) | Finland | novel, short story, poetry, essays | Nobel Committee | |||||
| 69 | Henri Michaux (1899–1984) | Belgium France | poetry, essays | Lars Forssell (1928–2007) | |||||
| 70 | Arthur Miller (1915–2005) | United States | drama, screenplay, essays | Andri Peer (1921–1985) | |||||
| 71 | Henry Miller (1891–1980) | United States | novel, short story, memoir, essays | Allan Philip (1927–2004) | |||||
| 72 | Vilhelm Moberg (1898–1973) | Sweden | novel, drama, history | Gunnar Tilander (1894–1973) | |||||
| 73 | Eugenio Montale (1896–1981) | Italy | poetry, translation | ||||||
| 74 | Alberto Moravia (1907–1990) | Italy | novel, literary criticism, essays, drama | Jacques Robichez (1914–1999) | |||||
| 75 | Vladimir Nabokov (1899–1977) | United States | novel, short story, poetry, drama, translation, literary criticism, memoir | ||||||
| 76 | Vidiadhar Surajprasad Naipaul (1932–2018) |  Trinidad and Tobago United Kingdom | novel, short story, essays | Artur Lundkvist (1906–1991) | |||||
| 77 | José María Pemán (1897–1981) | poetry, drama, novel, essays, screenplay | Manuel Halcón (1900–1989) | ||||||
| 78 | Zayn al-ʻĀbidīn Rahnamā (1894–1990) | history, essays, translation | Manouchehr Eghbal (1909–1977) | ||||||
| 79 | John Crowe Ransom (1888–1974) | United States | poetry, essays, literary criticism | Samuel Frederick Johnson (1918–2005) | |||||
| 80 | Evaristo Ribera Chevremont (1890–1976) |  Puerto Rico | poetry | Ernesto Juan Fonfrías (1909–1990) | |||||
| 81 | Yannis Ritsos (1909–1990) | poetry, songwriting | Nobel Committee | ||||||
| 82 | Tadeusz Rózewicz (1921–2014) | poetry, drama, translation | Józef Trypućko (1910–1983) | ||||||
| 83 | Hans Ruin (1891–1980) | Finland Sweden | philosophy | Arthur Arnholtz (1901–1973) | |||||
| 84 | Hannu Salama (born 1936) | Finland | novel, short story, poetry | Magnus von Platen (1920–2020) | |||||
| 85 | Léopold Sédar Senghor (1906–2001) |  Senegal | poetry, essays | Roger Asselineau (1915–2002) | |||||
| 86 | Claude Simon (1913–2005) | France | novel, essays | ||||||
| 87 | Isaac Bashevis Singer (1902–1991) | United States | novel, short story, autobiography, essays | Moshe Starkman (1906–1975) | |||||
| 88 | Zaharia Stancu (1902–1974) | poetry, novel, philosophy, essays | |||||||
| 89 | Pratap Narayan Tandon (?) | India | novel, short story | Brij Behari Nayak (?) | |||||
| 90 | Marie Under (1883–1980) | poetry | |||||||
| 91 | José García Villa (1908–1997) |  Philippines United States | poetry, essays | Purita Kalaw Ledesma (1914–2005) | |||||
| 92 | Paul Voivenel (1880–1975) | France | memoir, essays | Roland Dorgelès (1885–1973) | |||||
| 93 | Gerard Walschap (1898–1989) | Belgium | novel, drama, essays | ||||||
| 94 | Sándor Weöres (1913–1989) | poetry, translation | Áron Kibédi Varga (1930–2018) | ||||||
| 95 | Patrick White (1912–1990) |  Australia | novel, short story, drama, poetry, autobiography | ||||||
| 96 | Martin Wickramasinghe (1890–1976) |  Sri Lanka | novel, short story, drama, literary criticism, essays, philosophy, autobiography, biography, history | Ediriweera Sarachchandra (1914–1996) | |||||
| 97 | Elie Wiesel (1928–2016) | United States | memoir, essays, novel, drama | ||||||
| 98 | Thornton Wilder (1897–1975) | United States | drama, novel, short story | Wolfgang Clemen (1909–1990) | |||||
| 99 | Xu Xu (1908–1980) | China Hong Kong | novel, poetry, drama, essays, literary criticism | Lee Chiu-seng (?) | |||||
| 100 | Amado Yuzon (1906–1979) | poetry, essays | Emeterio Barcelon Barcelo-Soriano (1897-1978) | ||||||
| 101 | Carl Zuckmayer (1896–1977) | Germany | drama, screenplay | Erich Ruprecht (1965–1972) |
Nobel Committee chair, Karl Ragnar Gierow, expressed that setting the shortlist "the committee agreed on Patrick White, Saul Bellow also had five votes, Yiannis Ritsos got four, Anthony Burgess, William Golding and Eugenio Montale each got three."[9]