American Poet Louise Glück Wins The 2020 Nobel Prize In Literature

Louise Glück, an imminent American poet, was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature for 2020. As per the Nobel Prize official website, the poet has received the honour for her “unmistakable poetic voice that with austere beauty makes individual existence universal.” The win has made Glück the 16th woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature.

BREAKING NEWS:
The 2020 Nobel Prize in Literature is awarded to the American poet Louise Glück “for her unmistakable poetic voice that with austere beauty makes individual existence universal.”#NobelPrize pic.twitter.com/Wbgz5Gkv8C

— The Nobel Prize (@NobelPrize) October 8, 2020

Anders Olsson, the Chairman of the Nobel Committee, described Glück as “a poet of radical change and rebirth, where the leap forward is made from a deep sense of loss.”

What You Should Know: 

• American poet Louise Glück was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature for 2020.
• As per the Nobel Prize official website, the poet has received the honour for her “unmistakable poetic voice that with austere beauty makes individual existence universal.”
• The win has made Glück the 16th woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature.

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Louise Glück Wins The Nobel Prize In Literature For 2020

Louise Glück was born in 1943 in New York. She debuted in the writing world in 1968 with Firstborn, a disturbingly imaginative collection of poetry. Throughout her illustrious career, she has published twelve collections of poetry as well as some volumes of essays on poetry. With critically acclaimed collections like The Triumph of Achilles (1985) and Ararat (1990), Louise Glück cemented her position as one of the most prominent poets in American contemporary literature. Previously, she has won the Pulitzer Prize in 1993 for one of her most lauded collection, The Wild Iris. Additionally, she was also the recipient of the National Book Award in 2014 for her latest collection, Faithful and Virtuous Night.

The Nobel Laureate’s writing explores themes like childhood, family life, and one’s close bond with parents and siblings. Her poems are also inspired by various myths and classical motifs. Glück’s extraordinary words and ideas have been likened to those of another great female poet, Emily Dickinson. Currently, the American poet resides in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Apart from being a writer, she is also a professor of English at Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut.

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Past Female Nobel Laureates In Literature

Before Louise Glück, 15 other women have been honoured with the prestigious Nobel Prize In Literature. Some names include Toni Morrison (1993), Selma Lagerlof (1909), Doris Lessing (2007), and Olga Tokarczuk (2018).

Notably, the Nobel Prize in Literature also comes with a 10 million kronor (more than $1.1 million) cash prize. It was highly anticipated this year after being marred by controversies in the past few years. In 2018, the Swedish Academy postponed the prize’s announcement after facing sex abuse allegations. Consequently, the academy also drew flak for its choice of Peter Handke as the winner in 2019. Many condemned Handke as a strong supporter of the Serbs during the 1990s Balkan wars and an apologist for Serbian war crimes.

Also Read: Olga Tokarczuk Wins The Nobel Prize In Literature 2018

Picture Credits: BBC

Tarini Gandhiok is an intern with SheThePeople.TV