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Patrick Modiano wins Nobel Prize in Literature | Patrick Modiano wins Nobel Prize in Literature |
(35 minutes later) | |
Patrick Modiano was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, the world’s highest literary honor, on Thursday. | Patrick Modiano was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, the world’s highest literary honor, on Thursday. |
The Swedish committee praised the 69-year-old French writer for “the art of memory with which he has evoked the most ungraspable human destinies and uncovered the life-world of the occupation.” | |
Peter Englund, the permanent secretary of the Swedish Academy, recommended that readers unfamiliar with Modiano’s work begin with “Missing Person” (“Rue des boutiques obscures”), a novel from 1978 that describes a man who lost his identity during the Paris Occupation. “It’s a fun book,” Englund said. “He’s playing with the genre.” | |
“His books are always variations of the same theme,” Englund said, “about memory, about loss, about identity, about seeking. I don’t think he’s difficult to read. You can read him easily, one of his books in the afternoon, have dinner, and read another in the evening.” | |
Modiano, who lives in Paris, has previously won the Grand prix du roman de l’Académie française and the Prix Goncourt. | |
Although he has published more than 20 books, and children’s books, few of them are available in translation in the United States. “He’s a well known name in France — not anywhere else,” Englund said. | |
“Missing Person” was published here by a small indie press owned by David Godine. This is the second Nobel Prize winner that Godine has published. | |
Modiano is 11th Literature Laureate born in France. | Modiano is 11th Literature Laureate born in France. |
The $1.2 million prize is given in recognition of an author’s lifetime of work. The award will be formally conferred at a ceremony in Stockholm in December. | The $1.2 million prize is given in recognition of an author’s lifetime of work. The award will be formally conferred at a ceremony in Stockholm in December. |
The Swedish Academy received 210 nominations for this year’s Literature prize — 36 were first-time nominees. The committee’s deliberations are confidential and kept sealed for 50 years. | The Swedish Academy received 210 nominations for this year’s Literature prize — 36 were first-time nominees. The committee’s deliberations are confidential and kept sealed for 50 years. |
Last year’s Nobel literature award went to Canadian writer Alice Munro. No American has won the literature prize since Toni Morrison in 1993. | Last year’s Nobel literature award went to Canadian writer Alice Munro. No American has won the literature prize since Toni Morrison in 1993. |
On Friday, the Nobel Peace Prize will be announced. | On Friday, the Nobel Peace Prize will be announced. |