The 1946 Nobel Prize in Literature was awarded to the German author Hermann Hesse (1877–1962) "for his inspired writings which, while growing in boldness and penetration, exemplify the classical humanitarian ideals and high qualities of style".
Laureate
Hermann Hesse was a novelist and a poet whose writings are influenced by the likes of Francis of Assisi, Buddha, Nietzsche and Dostoyevsky. His best known works – Demian (1919), Siddhartha (1922), Der Steppenwolf (1927), and Das Glasperlenspiel ("The Glass Bead Game", 1943) – deal with the individual's search for self-knowledge and spirituality, often through mysticism.
Deliberations Nominations Hermann Hesse was nominated for the prize eight times, first in 1931 by the 1929 Nobel Prize laureate Thomas Mann. In 1946 the Nobel committee received one nomination for Hesse by the Swiss literature professor and author Robert Faesi, and one nomination by Anders Österling of the Swedish Academy.
In total, the Nobel committee received 32 nominations for 22 writers including Nikolai Berdyaev, T. S. Eliot (awarded in 1948), E. M. Forster, H. G. Wells, Arnulf Øverland, Georges Duhamel, and Marie Under. Nine of the authors were first-time nominated namely André Gide (awarded in 1947), François Mauriac (awarded in 1952), Winston Churchill (awarded in 1953), Boris Pasternak (awarded in 1958), Sholem Asch, Tarjei Vesaas, Angelos Sikelianos and Ignazio Silone. The Swiss author Charles Ferdinand Ramuz was the most nominated with four nominations. Marie Under and Maria Madalena de Martel Patrício were the only women nominated.
The authors Marion Angus, Octave Aubry, Eduard Bass, John Langalibalele Dube, Ronald Fangen, Constance Garnett, Harley Granville-Barker, Amir Hamzah, Pedro Henríquez Ureña, Violet Jacob, Orrick Glenday Johns, Nikolai Alexandrovich Morozov, Ernest Rhys, Alfred Rosenberg, Damon Runyon, Thomas Scott-Ellis, Edward Sheldon, Mary Amelia St. Clair (known as May Sinclair), Gertrude Stein, Booth Tarkington and Ibn Zaydan died in 1946 without having been nominated for the prize.
Official list of nominees and their nominators for the prize No. Nominee Country Genre(s) Nominator(s)1Sholem Asch (1880–1957)novel, short story, drama, essaysWalter Arthur Berendsohn (1884–1984)2Nikolai Berdyaev (1874–1948)()philosophy, theologyAlf Nyman (1884–1968)3Winston Churchill (1874–1965) history, essays, memoirAxel Romdahl (1880–1951)4Maria Madalena de Martel Patrício (1884–1947) poetry, essaysAntónio Baião (1878–1961)5Georges Duhamel (1884–1966) novel, short story, poetry, drama, literary criticismHjalmar Hammarskjöld (1862–1953)6Thomas Stearns Eliot (1888–1965)poetry, essays, drama7Edward Morgan Forster (1879–1970) novel, short story, drama, essays, biography, literary criticismGustaf Hellström (1882–1953)8André Gide (1869–1951)novel, short story, poetry, drama, memoir, essaysGiuseppe Antonio Borgese (1882–1952)9Herbert J. C. Grierson (1866–1960)essays, literary criticismWilliam James Entwistle (1895–1952)10Hermann Hesse (1877–1962)novel, poetry, essays, short story11Ricarda Huch (1864–1947) history, essays, novel, poetryFritz Strich (1882–1963)12François Mauriac (1885–1970) novel, short story13Charles Langbridge Morgan (1894–1958) drama, novel, essays, poetry14Arvid Mörne (1876–1946) poetry, drama, novel, essays15Arnulf Øverland (1889–1968) poetry, essays16Boris Pasternak (1890–1960) poetry, novel, translationMaurice Bowra (1898–1971)17Charles Ferdinand Ramuz (1878–1947) novel, poetry, short story18Angelos Sikelianos (1884–1951) poetry, dramaAnders Österling (1884–1981)19Ignazio Silone (1900–1978) novel, short story, essays, dramaHjalmar Gullberg (1898–1961)20Marie Under (1883–1980) ()poetryHjalmar Hammarskjöld (1862–1953)21Tarjei Vesaas (1897–1970) poetry, novelOlav Midttun (1883–1972)22Herbert George Wells (1866–1946)novel, short story, essays, history, biographyCarl Adolf Bodelsen (1894–1978)
Prize decision In the Nobel committee's report to the Swedish Academy dated 13 September 1946, committee chairman Per Hallström wrote of Hermann Hesse's candidacy that the committee has "remained with the opinion expressed several times before, that this author's prose works really only reached real stylistic mastery during one of his periods of development, which, however, is not matched by the value of the content. His creations in verse do not give rise to such reservations; he is undoubtedly a very outstanding lyricist, in my opinion, however, not of sufficient magnitude to justify a Nobel Prize." Three other members of the committee Anders Österling, Fredrik Böök and Sigfrid Siwertz, however supported a prize to Hesse. In a separate report, Österling advocated a prize to Hesse, noting that "His storytelling is bold, penetrating and imaginative, even if it is not at the same height in all his works (...) As a lyricist he combines exquisite purity of tone with gripping warmth of feeling, and his noble musical form is unsurpassed in his time."
For the 1946 prize, the French novelist Georges Duhamel were also considered with the committee unanimously stating that he was worthy of the prize, committee member Hjalmar Hammarskjöld however noted that he would place the candidacy of the Swiss writer Charles Ferdinand Ramuz ahead of Duhamel's. Committee member Sigfrid Siewertz proposed François Mauriac, subsequently awarded the 1952 Nobel Prize in Literature, which received some support in the committee. The candidacy of André Gide, subsequently awarded the 1947 Nobel Prize in Literature, was dismissed, as were T. S. Eliot, awarded in 1948,: "With all due respect for Eliot's high and strict idealism, the statement could not, however, advocate the awarding of a Nobel Prize, with its universal purpose, to such a self-isolated and elusive poet.", committee chairman Per Hallström wrote.
On 14 November 1946, the Swedish Academy decided that that year's Nobel Prize in Literature should be awarded to Hermann Hesse "for his inspired writings which, while growing in boldness and penetration, exemplify the classical humanitarian ideals and high qualities of style".
Award ceremony
At the award ceremony in Stockholm on 10 December 1946, Anders Österling, permanent secretary of the Swedish Academy, said:
Reasons of health prevented Hermann Hesse to travel to Stockholm for the award ceremony. In his stead, the prize was accepted by the envoy of the Swiss republic.
References
External links Award ceremony speech nobelprize.org Banquet speech nobelprize.org Hermann Hesse Nobel Prize Nominations nobelprize.org