GREEKS AND NOBEL PRICES

We have always heard about the beauty and vastness of Greek culture and the work it has given to the rest of the world. Its offer is not limited to the level of science or language culture, but also in the field of arts, focusing on literature. Hundreds of writers born here have made a name for themselves and their books have been read worldwide, and some of them have been awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature, and many more have been nominated for the Nobel prize. they approached it for a while but were unable to touch it.

George Seferis (1963) Nobel Prize in Literature. He was the first Greek writer to be awarded the Nobel Prize. He has written poems, novels, essays and translated works into foreign languages. He was nominated for the Nobel twice (in 1955 and 1961) and finally won it in 1963 with the reasoning of the Swedish Academy being the following: “for his wonderful lyrical style, which is inspired by a deep feeling for the Greek cultural ideal”.

Odysseas Elytis (1979) Nobel Prize in Literature. He wrote poems, essays and translations. According to the Swedish Academy, he was awarded “for his poetry, which, against the backdrop of the Greek tradition, enlivens with sensual power and spiritual clarity of view the struggle of modern man for freedom and creativity.”

Nominees for the Nobel Prize in Literature

Giannis Ritsos He was nominated for the Nobel Prize four times in a row, and in 1979 the Swedish Academy suggested that he and Elytis share the prize. They both refused, without implying that they were rivals, and many representatives of the intellectual community agreed on the way the two poets dealt with the issue. After the awarding of the prize to Elytis, Ritsos stated that “The awarding of the Nobel Prize to our great Greek poet Odysseus Elytis is not an honor to Elytis, but an honor to the Nobel itself.”

Nikos Kazantzakis Perhaps the most important Greek writer of modern Greece, he was criticized more than anyone else for his work and was considered, among others, an atheist, a communist, a corruptor of the youth and a public danger. While his books were hugely successful abroad, in Greece they were not only not appreciated, but were also published with difficulty or criticized. He was nominated for the Nobel Prize nine times, while Greece itself was the one who helped his final rejection from the position of winner.

George Souris He is one of the most important satirical poets of modern Greece and was characterized by many as “modern Aristophanes”. He was nominated for the award every year from 1907 to 1912, except 1910 (a total of five times).

Kostis Palamas He was one of the most prolific Greek writers and contributed significantly to the renewal and evolution of modern Greek poetry. He was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature fourteen times (every year from 1926 to 1940, except 1939).

George Theotokas He was one of the leading figures of the generation of the ’30s and was once nominated for the Nobel Prize in 1945. George Drosinis (once a candidate) Grigorios Xenopoulos, Angelos Sikelianos , In 1947, these three Greek writers were nominated for the Nobel Prize together with Nikos Kazantzakis. Stratis Myrivilis ,one of the most important novelists of the generation of the ’30s and was three-time nominated for the Nobel Prize.