The 1906 Nobel Prize in Literature was awarded to the Italian poet Giosuè Carducci (1835–1907) "not only in consideration of his deep learning and critical research, but above all as a tribute to the creative energy, freshness of style, and lyrical force which characterize his poetic masterpieces." He was the first Italian author to receive the prize and was followed by Grazia Deledda in 1926.
| 1906 Nobel Prize in Literature | |
|---|---|
| Giosuè Carducci | |
"not only in consideration of his deep learning and critical research, but above all as a tribute to the creative energy, freshness of style, and lyrical force which characterize his poetic masterpieces." | |
| Date |
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| Location | Stockholm, Sweden |
| Presented by | Swedish Academy |
| First award | 1901 |
| Website | Official website |
Nobel Prize in Literature | |
Laureate
Carducci started composing poetry while he was young, influenced by both the poets of his own time and those he had studied in the ancient and Italian periods. Rime ("Rhymes", 1857) was his debut book of poetry. In his active life he became an atheist, and the provocative poem Inno a Satana ("Hymn to Satan", 1865) is where he best displays his criticism of Christianity. Carducci confessed his sins and was reconciled to the Catholic Church in 1895. His other well-known poetry collections include Primavere elleniche ("Hellenic Springs", 1872), Odi barbare ("Barbarian Odes", 1877), and Giambi ed Epodi ("Giambi and Epodi", 1882).
Deliberations
Nominations
Carducci was nominated on 9 occasions starting in 1902 by Antonio Fogazzaro, an Italian Senator and author. In 1906, he received four nominations from academics and writers which eventually led him to becoming the year's recipient.
The Nobel Committee of the Swedish Academy received 54 nominations for 24 writers among them Leo Tolstoy, Algernon Charles Swinburne, Selma Lagerlöf (awarded in 1909), Jaroslav Vrchlický, Georg Brandes, and Antonio Fogazzaro. Eleven of the nominees were nominated first-time such as Pedro Pablo Figueroa, Gaston Boissier, Louis Franck, George Lansing Raymond, Borden Parker Bowne, Angelo de Gubernatis, and William Booth. Selma Lagerlöf was the only female nominee recorded.
The authors Émile Boutmy, Eliza Brightwen, Ferdinand Brunetière, Ellen Mary Clerke, Anne Ross Cousin, José María de Pereda, Paul Laurence Dunbar, Max Eyth, Giuseppe Giacosa, Alexander Kielland, Jean Lorrain, Agnes Catherine Maitland, Bartolomé Mitre, Vasile Pogor, Charlotte Riddell, Hendrik Jan Schimmel, Elizabeth Missing Sewell, Eduard von Hartmann, and Adeline Dutton Whitney died in 1906 without having been nominated for the prize.
| No. | Nominee | Country | Genre(s) | Nominator(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Max Bewer (1861–1921) | Germany | poetry, songwriting, essays |
|
| 2 | Gaston Boissier (1823–1908) | France | history, essays, translation | Jacobus Johannes Hartman (1851–1924) |
| 3 | William Booth (1829–1912) | Great Britain | theology, essays, songwriting | Otto Classen (1868–1939) |
| 4 | Borden Parker Bowne (1847–1910) | United States | philosophy, theology, essays |
|
| 5 | Georg Brandes (1842–1927) | Denmark | literary criticism, essays | Troels Frederik Lund (1840–1921) |
| 6 | Giosuè Carducci (1835–1907) | Italy | poetry, literary criticism, biography, essays |
|
| 7 | Houston Stewart Chamberlain (1855–1927) | Great Britain Germany | philosophy | Leopold von Schroeder (1851–1920) |
| 8 | Angelo de Gubernatis (1840–1913) | Italy | drama, essays, philology, poetry |
|
| 9 | Pedro Pablo Figueroa (1857–1909) | Chile | history, biography, essays | Leonardo Eliz y Las Rosas (1861–1939) |
| 10 | Antonio Fogazzaro (1842–1911) | Italy | novel, poetry, short story | Carl Bildt (1850–1931) |
| 11 | Louis Franck (1868–1937) | Belgium | law | Ernest Nys (1851–1920) |
| 12 | Gerhart Hauptmann (1862–1946) | Germany | drama, novel | 35 German and Austrian professors and members of societies |
| 13 | Max Haushofer (1840–1907) | Germany | poetry, drama, short story, essays | Emil Milan (1859–1917) |
| 14 | Selma Lagerlöf (1858–1940) | Sweden | novel, short story |
|
| 15 | George Meredith (1828–1909) | Great Britain | novel, poetry | John Collier (1850–1934) |
| 16 | John Morley (1838–1923) | Great Britain | biography, literary criticism, essays | John Lubbock, 1st Baron Avebury (1858–1929) |
| 17 | Lewis Morris (1833–1907) | Great Britain | poetry, songwriting, essays |
|
| 18 | William Jonathan Neidig (1870–1955) | United States | poetry, short story, essays | Henry Burrowes Lathrop (1867–1936) |
| 19 | George Lansing Raymond (1839–1929) | United States | essays, philosophy |
|
| 20 | Albert Sorel (1842–1906) | France | history, essays |
|
| 21 | Algernon Charles Swinburne (1837–1909) | Great Britain | poetry, drama, literary criticism, novel | 35 members of the Society of Authors |
| 22 | Leo Tolstoy (1828–1910) | Russia | novel, short story, drama, poetry | Ludovic Halévy (1837–1908) |
| 23 | Jaroslav Vrchlický (1853–1912) | Austria-Hungary ( Czechoslovakia) | poetry, drama, translation |
|
| 24 | Joseph Viktor Widmann (1842–1911) | Switzerland | novel, short story, drama, literary criticism |
|
Prize decision
The Swedish Academy voted unanimously for Carducci, a rare occasion by the Academy. The decision to award Carducci is considered one of the least controversial in the history of the Nobel Prize in Literature. He was the first and remain one of the few laureates who got all of the delivered votes from the members of the Swedish Academy.
Award ceremony
At the award ceremony in Stockholm on 10 December 1906, Carl David af Wirsén, permanent secretary of the Swedish Academy said:
Carducci is a learned literary historian who has been nurtured by ancient literature and by Dante and Petrarch. But he cannot be easily classified. He is not devoted to romanticism, but rather to the classical ideal and Petrarchan humanism. Regardless of the criticism which can justly be launched against him, the irrefutable truth remains that a poet who is always moved by patriotism and a love of liberty, who never sacrifices his opinions to gain favour, and who never indulges in base sensualism, is a soul inspired by the highest ideals.
And insofar as his poetry in the aesthetic sense attains a rare force, Carducci can be considered worthy in the highest degree of the Nobel Prize in Literature.
The Swedish Academy thus pays respect to a poet who already enjoys a world-wide reputation, and adds its homage of admiration to the many praises already given him by his country.
Due to Carducci's declining health, he was not able to receive the prize personally in Stockholm. Instead, the Swedish ambassador in Italy received it on his behalf.
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