Stockholm, October 7 (BNA) Tanzanian novelist Abdul Razak Qurna won the 2021 Nobel Prize in Literature.
Qurna, whose novels include “Paradise” and “Hijr”, writes in English and lives in Britain, according to Reuters.
The Swedish Academic Prize is awarded for 10 million Swedish kronor ($1.14 million).
The awards for achievements in science, literature, and peace were created by a will in the will of the Swedish inventor of dynamite and wealthy businessman Alfred Nobel. They’ve been awarded since 1901, with the final prize in the lineup – the economy – a later addition.
Previous winners have mainly been novelists such as Ernest Hemingway, Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Toni Morrison, poets such as Pablo Neruda, Joseph Brodsky and Rabindranath Tagore, or playwrights such as Harold Pinter and Eugene O’Neill.
But writers have also won collections of works that include short stories, histories, essays, autobiographies, or journalism. Winston Churchill for his memoirs, Bertrand Russell for his philosophy, and Bob Dylan for his words. And last year’s award was won by American poet Louise Gluck.
Besides prize money and prestige, the Nobel Prize for Literature generates a great deal of interest for the winning author, often stimulating book sales and introducing lesser-known winners to a wider international audience.
FKN