American poet Louise Gluck has been awarded the 2020 Nobel Prize in Literature, with judges praising “her unmistakable poetic voice”.
The 10 million Swedish crown ($1.1mn) prize is named after dynamite inventor and businessman Alfred Nobel and has been awarded since 1901 for achievements in science, literature and peace in accordance with his will.
The Swedish Academy said Gluck was honoured “for her unmistakable poetic voice that with austere beauty makes individual existence universal.”
The Swedish Academy often seems to shun bestselling mainstream authors, opting to shine its spotlight on lesser-known names.
Last year’s choice of Austrian novelist Peter Handke unleashed a flood of criticism, leaving many wondering how it could award a writer known for supporting Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic in the Balkan wars and playing down his army’s atrocities.
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