The 1991 Nobel Prize in Literature was awarded to the South African activist and writer Nadine Gordimer (1923–2014) "who through her magnificent epic writing has – in the words of Alfred Nobel – been of very great benefit to humanity." She is the 7th female and first South African recipient of the prize followed by

J. M. Coetzee John Maxwell Coetzee OMG (born 9 February 1940) is a South African–Australian novelist, essayist, linguist, translator and recipient of the 2003 Nobel Prize in Literature. He is one of the most critically acclaimed and decorated authors in ...

in 2003.

Laureate

During the 1960s and 1970s, Nadine Gordimer wrote a number of novels such as '' A World of Strangers'' (1958), ''

Burger's Daughter ''Burger's Daughter'' is a political and historical novel by the South African Nobel Prize in Literature-winner Nadine Gordimer, first published in the United Kingdom in June 1979 by Jonathan Cape. The book was expected to be banned in Sout ...

'' (1979), and ''

July's People ''July's People'' is a 1981 novel by the South African writer Nadine Gordimer. It is set in a near-future version of South Africa where apartheid is ended through a civil war. Gordimer wrote the book before the end of apartheid as her prediction ...

'' (1981) which are set against the backdrop of the emerging resistance movement against

apartheid Apartheid (, especially South African English: , ; , "aparthood") was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. Apartheid was ...

, while the liberated South Africa provides the backdrop for her later works, written in the 1990s. The stories of individuals are always at the center of her narratives, in relation to external limitations and frameworks. Her 1974 novel ''

The Conservationist ''The Conservationist'' is a 1974 novel by the South African writer Nadine Gordimer. The book was a joint winner of the Booker-McConnell Prize for fiction. It is described as more complex in design and technique than Gordimer's earlier novels. ...

'' which garnered numerous literary awards is considered to be her magnum opus. As a whole, Gordimer's literary works create rich imagery of South Africa's historical development. Her other well-known works include ''

The Soft Voice of the Serpent ''The Soft Voice of the Serpent and Other Stories'' is the second short story collection by the South African writer Nadine Gordimer, and her first to be published outside South Africa. It was published on May 23, 1952, by Simon & Schuster in the ...

'' (1952), '' My Son's Story'' (1990), and '' Get a Life'' (2005).Nadine Gordimer – Facts
nobelprize.orgNadine Gordimer
nobelprize.org

Reactions

Nadine Gordimer had been considered by the Swedish Academy for the Nobel Prize in Literature for many years and the choice was well received. In her home country it was celebrated by president F.W. de Klerk, saying "The Nobel Prize for literature is unequaled in prestige in the world. Winning it is a noteworthy achievement from any point of view", and by archbishop Desmond Tutu, saying "She's an outstanding artist, has a way with words but more than anything else she has had this tremendous commitment and caring about people, caring about justice".

References

External links

1991 Press release
nobelprize.org
Award ceremony speech
nobelprize.org {{1991 Nobel Prize winners

1991 File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phi ...

Nadine Gordimer