The Nobel Prize and the Formation of Contemporary World Literature

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An exploration of the history, ambitions, and impact of the Nobel Prize in literature as it gained a central position in 20th-century global literary culture. Few scholars would deny that the Nobel Prize is the most prestigious literary award in the world. But what mechanisms made it possible for 18 Swedish intellectuals to become the worlds most influential literary critics Paul Tenngart argues that the Nobel Prize in literature has become a special kind of international canonization: exerted from a non-central, semi-peripheral position, the award sometimes confirms and reinforces hierarchical relations between literary languages and cultures, and sometimes disturbs established patterns of dominance and dependence. Drawing from a wide range of contemporary theories and methods, this multifaceted history of the Nobel Prize questions how the Swedish Academy has managed to keep the prize's global status through all the violent international crises of the last 120 years; how the selection of laureates shaped the idea of 'universal' literary values and defined literary quality across languages and cultures; and what impact the prize has had on the distribution and significance of particular works, literatures and languages. The Nobel Prize and the Formation of Contemporary World Literature explores the history and impact of the Nobel Prize in literature from the first award in 1901 through recent controversies involving Bob Dylan and #MeToo, arguing that the prize is a unique performative act that has been and still is central in our continual and collective construction of world literature.

Reviews

How did the annual announcement of the Nobel Prize in Literature become the main event in world literature Combining detailed historical knowledge with a unique helicopter view, Paul Tenngart's authoritative account is the first to fully map the Prize's astounding literary and cultural footprint. Expertly attuned to the Prize's Swedish and global contexts, this book is essential reading for all scholars of contemporary literature. * Pieter Vermeulen, Associate Professor of American and Comparative Literature, University of Leuven, Belgium *
Myths about the Nobel Prize for literature have flourished for years, but solid knowledge has been in short supply. With his tremendously well-researched book, Paul Tenngart sets the record straight by examining the history and future of the prize from six different angles. Combining a privileged vantage point in Sweden with updated theoretical approaches to world literature and translation, Tenngart generously accounts for the ups and downs of the prize, and demonstrates how its relation to the 'world republic of letters' is more idiosyncratic than often assumed. Written with clarity and verve, The Nobel Prize and the Formation of Contemporary World Literature promises to be a standard reference for years to come. * Stefan Helgesson, Professor of English, Stockholm University, Sweden *
The award of the prestigious literary Nobel Prize by the Swedish Academy is a crucial marker of contemporary developments in the assessment of literary production across the globe. In this highly informative yet also highly accessible book, Paul Tenngart convincingly chronicles how the Nobel Prize in Literature has shaped and continues to shape the world literature canon. Tenngart expertly details the different contexts in which the Nobel Prize Committee of the Swedish Academy operates and does not shy away from addressing recent controversies surrounding its workings. A must-read for anyone interested in world literature studies. * Helena Buescu, Professor Emerita of Comparative Literature, University of Lisbon, Portugal *
Paul Tenngarts The Nobel Prize and the Formation of Contemporary World Literature is a comprehensive, insightful, and well-written volume which represents an important contribution to research on the study of international literary prizes and awards and their role in world literature. * English Studies *

Author Bio

Paul Tenngart is Associate Professor in Comparative and Swedish Literature at Lund University, Sweden. He is co-editor of AnthropoScenes: A Climate Fiction Competition (2020) and co-author of Northern Crossings: Translation, Circulation and the Literary Semi-periphery (Bloomsbury, 2022).