Kjell Espmark

The Nobel Prize in Literature. In Pursuit of Alfred Nobel´s Vision

‘Indeed, the history of the Nobel Prize in Literature appears to be a series of attempts to interpret an unclear will.’

How does one appraise literary quality and just what did Alfred Nobel have in mind when he wrote in his will that his Literature Prize be awarded to a person who had ‘produced the most outstand­ing work in an ideal direction’? Why was the very first recipient of the Nobel Prize in Literature Sully Prudhomme, while Lev Tolstoy was overlooked? How have the winners been chosen? In this vol­ume, Kjell Espmark adeptly surveys the first 120 years of the prize and presents the Nobel Committee’s reasoning. His deep knowl­edge of the Nobel Prize in Literature and personal experience of deciding the winners give unprecedented insight into the work­ings of the prize. The final chapters focus on the Committee’s broadened horizons and revised modus operandi, as well as the most propitious choice of Nobel laureate of all time.

The book is a translation of Litteraturpriset. 120 år med Nobels uppdrag (2025), translator: Ian Giles.

2025. 380 PP., Paperback. ISBN 978-91-1-1314508-2