The 1975

Nobel Prize in Literature The Nobel Prize in Literature, here meaning ''for'' Literature (), is a Swedish literature prize that is awarded annually, since 1901, to an author from any country who has, in the words of the will of Swedish industrialist Alfred Nobel, "in ...

was awarded to the Italian poet

Eugenio Montale Eugenio Montale (; 12 October 1896 – 12 September 1981) was an Italian poet, prose writer, editor and translator. In 1975, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature for 'for his distinctive poetry which, with great artistic sensitivity, has ...

(1896–1981) "for his distinctive poetry which, with great artistic sensitivity, has interpreted human values under the sign of an outlook on life with no illusions". He is the fifth Italian laureate for the literature prize.

Laureate

Along with

Giuseppe Ungaretti Giuseppe Ungaretti (; 8 February 1888 – 2 June 1970) was an Italian modernist poet, journalist, essayist, critic, academic, and recipient of the inaugural 1970 Neustadt International Prize for Literature. A leading representative of the experi ...

and

Salvatore Quasimodo Salvatore Quasimodo (; 20 August 1901 – 14 June 1968) was an Italian poet and translator, awarded the 1959 Nobel Prize in Literature "for his lyrical poetry, which with classical fire expresses the tragic experience of life in our own times" ...

, Eugenio Montale is associated with the poetic school of hermeticsm, the Italian variant of the French

symbolism Symbolism or symbolist may refer to: *Symbol, any object or sign that represents an idea Arts *Artistic symbol, an element of a literary, visual, or other work of art that represents an idea ** Color symbolism, the use of colors within various c ...

movement, although Montale himself did not consider himself to be part of the hermetic school. His poetry is often compared to

T. S. Eliot Thomas Stearns Eliot (26 September 18884 January 1965) was a poet, essayist and playwright.Bush, Ronald. "T. S. Eliot's Life and Career", in John A Garraty and Mark C. Carnes (eds), ''American National Biography''. New York: Oxford University ...

. When the

Swedish Academy The Swedish Academy (), founded in 1786 by King Gustav III, is one of the Royal Academies of Sweden. Its 18 members, who are elected for life, comprise the highest Swedish language authority. Outside Scandinavia, it is best known as the body t ...

awarded him with the Nobel Prize in 1975, they called him “one of the most important poets of the contemporary West”. His notable oeuvres include ''Ossi di seppia'' ("Cuttlefish Bones", 1925), ''Le occasioni'' ("The Occasions", 1939), ''La bufera e altro'' ("The Storm and Other Things", 1956), ''Satura (1962–1970)'' (1971) and ''Diario del '71 e del '72'' (1973).

Reactions

According to the

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...

, Montale said that award had overwhelmed him and made his life, "which was always unhappy, less unhappy." In Italy, the awarding of the Nobel Prize to Montale was positively received. Their Prime Minister,

Aldo Moro Aldo Moro (; 23 September 1916 – 9 May 1978) was an Italian statesman and prominent member of Christian Democracy (Italy), Christian Democracy (DC) and its centre-left wing. He served as prime minister of Italy in five terms from December 1963 ...

, congratulated him, said that the award "consecrates the validity of your poetical and human message, and, in you, honors the Italian culture," and President

Giovanni Leone Giovanni Leone (; 3 November 1908 – 9 November 2001) was an Italian politician, jurist and university professor who was President of Italy from 1971 to 1978. A founding member of Christian Democracy (Italy), Christian Democracy (DC), Leone br ...

commented that his work's contained "tormented and lucid singling‐out of the anxieties and the aspirations of modern man."

Award ceremony

At the award ceremony on 10 December 1975, Anders Österling of the Swedish Academy said:

Nobel lecture

Eugenio Montale delivered his

Nobel lecture The Nobel Prizes ( ; ; ) are awards administered by the Nobel Foundation and granted in accordance with the principle of "for the greatest benefit to humankind". The prizes were first awarded in 1901, marking the fifth anniversary of Alfred ...

on 12 December 1975. Entitled "Is Poetry Still Possible?", he spoke about the art of

poetry Poetry (from the Greek language, Greek word ''poiesis'', "making") is a form of literature, literary art that uses aesthetics, aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language to evoke meaning (linguistics), meanings in addition to, or in ...

and poetry's place in the modern world of

mass communication Mass communication is the process of imparting and exchanging information through mass media to large population segments. It utilizes various forms of media as technology has made the dissemination of information more efficient. Primary examples o ...

Deliberations

Nominations

Montale was first nominated for the prize in

1955 Events January * January 3 – José Ramón Guizado becomes president of Panama. * January 17 – , the first nuclear-powered submarine, puts to sea for the first time, from Groton, Connecticut. * January 18– 20 – Battle of Yijian ...

by Nobel laureate

. It was followed in

1961 Events January * January 1 – Monetary reform in the Soviet Union, 1961, Monetary reform in the Soviet Union. * January 3 ** United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower announces that the United States has severed diplomatic and cons ...

and from 1966 he became a regular nominee. By 1973 the Nobel committee had received 23 nominations in total before Montale was eventually awarded.

References

External links

Award ceremony speech
nobelprize.org
Eugenio Montale Nobel lecture
nobelprize.org {{Nobel Prize in Literature

1975 It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe. Events January * January 1 – Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...

Nobel