The 1952 Nobel Prize in Literature was awarded to the French Catholic writer François Mauriac (1885–1970) "for the deep spiritual insight and the artistic intensity with which he has in his novels penetrated the drama of human life."Nobel Prize in Literature 1952 nobelprize.org He is the eighth French author to receive the prize after the novelist André Gide in 1947.

Laureate

François Mauriac made his breakthrough with the poetry book Les Mains jointes ("Clasped Hands", 1909), but went on to become as a dramatist and novelist. His works are frequently set in and around Bordeaux, France, and investigate human nature through the lens of Catholicism. The characters struggle with money, self-righteousness, and guilt. As a result, Mauriac has been portrayed as a misanthrope at times, but he replied to this criticism by stating that the repeated messages in his writings about divine mercy and compassion were designed to inspire hope and confidence. His most well-known works include La Chair et le Sang ("Flesh and Blood", 1920), Le Désert de l'amour ("The Desert of Love", 1925), Thérèse Desqueyroux (1927), Le Nœud de vipères ("Vipers' Tangle", 1932).François Mauriac – Facts nobelprize.orgFrançois Mauriac britannica.com

Deliberations Nominations In total, the Swedish Academy's Nobel Committee received 57 nominations for 40 writers. Fourteen of the nominees were newly nominated such as Paul Vialar, Juan Ramón Jiménez (awarded in 1956), Walter de la Mare, Julien Benda, Salvador de Madariaga, Albert Schweitzer (awarded the 1952 Nobel Peace Prize), Werner Bergengruen, and Van Wyck Brooks. Only one female author was nominate: Spanish author Concha Espina de la Serna.Nomination archive – 1952 nobelprize.org The English actor and filmmaker Charlie Chaplin was purportedly nominated in 1952, but is not included in the archives.

The authors August Alle, Mariano Azuela, Ioan Alecu Bassarabescu, Margaret Wise Brown, Paul Bujor, Romain Coolus, Annie Sophie Cory, Norman Douglas, Paul Éluard, Jeffery Farnol, Gilbert Frankau, Cicely Hamilton, Aaro Hellaakoski, Masao Kume, Nadezhda Alexandrovna Lokhvitskaya (known as Teffi), Harold John Massingham, Charles Maurras, Ferenc Molnár, Maria Montessori, Pedro Prado, Josephine Tey, Lodewijk van Deyssel, Louis Verneuil, Clara Viebig, and Roger Vitrac died in 1952 without having been nominated for the prize. The Belgian writer Charles Plisnier died months before the announcement.

Official list of nominees and their nominators for the prize No. Nominee Country Genre(s) Nominator(s)1Mark Aldanov (1886–1957)()biography, novel, essays, literary criticism Ivan Bunin (1870–1953)2Louis Artus (1870–1960)drama, novel, literary criticism, essays3Julien Benda (1867–1956) novel, philosophy, essays, literary criticismHans Peter Sørensen (1886–1962)4Werner Bergengruen (1892–1964) novel, short story, poetryHans Neumann (1903–1990)5Jacobus Cornelis Bloem (1887–1966)poetry, essaysThe Dutch PEN-Club6Van Wyck Brooks (1886–1963)literary criticism, biography, history, essays7Albert Camus (1913–1960) ()novel, short story, essays, philosophy, dramaHjalmar Gullberg (1898–1961)8Hans Carossa (1878–1956) poetry, autobiography, essaysHans Heinrich Borcherdt (1887–1964)9Winston Churchill (1874–1965) history, essays, memoir10Benedetto Croce (1866–1952) history, philosophy, law11Walter de la Mare (1873–1956) novel, short story, poetry, literary criticism, essaysHarry Martinson (1904–1978)12Salvador de Madariaga (1886–1978) essays, history, law, novelSigurd Erixon (1888–1968)13Concha Espina de la Serna (1869–1955) novel, short story14José Maria Ferreira de Castro (1898–1978) novelJoão de Barros (1881–1960)15Edward Morgan Forster (1879–1970) novel, short story, drama, essays, biography, literary criticismThe English PEN-Club16Robert Frost (1874–1963) poetry, dramaEdwin Harrison Cady (1917–2003)17Manuel Gálvez (1882–1962) novel, poetry, drama, essays, history, biographySociedad Argentina de Escritores18Jean Giono (1895–1970) novel, short story, essays, poetry, dramaSociété des gens de lettres19Enrique González Martínez (1871–1952) poetryAcademia Mexicana de la Lengua20Graham Greene (1904–1991) novel, short story, autobiography, essaysHjalmar Gullberg (1898–1961)21Taha Hussein (1889–1973) novel, short story, poetry, translationKarl Vilhelm Zetterstéen (1866–1953)22Juan Ramón Jiménez (1881–1958) poetry, novelMaurice Bowra (1898–1971)23Nikos Kazantzakis (1883–1957) novel, philosophy, essays, drama, memoir, translationNorwegian Authors' Union24Halldór Laxness (1902–1998) novel, short story, drama, poetry25André Malraux (1901–1976) novel, essays, literary criticismJean-Marie Carré (1887–1958)26François Mauriac (1885–1970) novel, short story27Ramón Menéndez Pidal (1869–1968) philology, history28Charles Plisnier (1896–1952)novel, short story, poetry, essays29Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan (1888–1975) philosophy, essays, lawThe Indian PEN-Club30Henriette Roland Holst (1869–1952)poetry, essays, biographyThe Dutch PEN-Club31Jules Romains (1885–1972) poetry, drama, screenplay32Carl Sandburg (1878–1967) poetry, essays, biographyAxel Boëthius (1889–1969)33Jean Schlumberger (1877–1968) poetry, essaysInternational Centre of the PEN Club34Albert Schweitzer (1875–1965)(born in )philosophy, theology, essaysNils Ahnlund (1889–1957)35Zalman Shneour (1887–1959)poetry, essays36Tarjei Vesaas (1897–1970) poetry, novelOlav Midttun (1883–1972)37Simon Vestdijk (1898–1971) novel, poetry, essays, translationThe Dutch PEN-Club38Paul Vialar (1898–1996)novel, short story, essays, dramaSociété des gens de lettres39Mika Waltari (1908–1979) short story, novel, poetry, drama, essays, screenplay Aarne Anttila (1892–1952)40John Dover Wilson (1881–1969)essays, literary criticismCharles Jasper Sisson (1885–1966)

Reactions The choice of Mauriac was well received: "the choice of the Royal Swedish Academy will be generally applauded", Émile Henriot of the Académie française stated in Le Monde. "The writer who is today the object of this consecration, which is equivalent to access to a sort of international and ideal Academy, is worthy of this flattering and appreciable distinction. It comes to reward a very fine literary talent, recognized among us even by those who do not agree on all points with the beliefs, the choices, the enmities of Mr. François Mauriac; and similarly recognized as representative and universally valid beyond our borders."

Award ceremony speech At the award ceremony in Stockholm on 10 December 1952, Anders Österling, permanent secretary of the Swedish Academy, praised the artistic qualities of Mauriac's work and said:

References

External links Award Ceremony speech nobelprize.org