This article provides an overview of laureates of the Nobel Prize in Literature from 1925 to 1949. Other articles on this blog cover the periods 1901-1924, 1950-1974, 1975-1999, and 2000-2025.

The Nobel Prize for Literature was awarded to only 20 laureates in the 25 years between 1925 and 1949. No prizes were awarded in 1935, nor during the Second World War years of 1940, 1941, 1942, and 1943. The official explanation by the Swedish Academy seems to be that, in those years, no literary works were considered to be of sufficient importance. A more plausible interpretation is that the Academy was reluctant to take a position during the height of the Second World War. One could argue that it would have been precisely during these barbaric years that a clear affirmation of the value of literature and culture might have been most relevant.

In linguistic terms, English-language writers already dominated this period. Seven out of the twenty laureates (or 35%) wrote primarily in English. French accounts for three laureates, while German and Italian are each represented by two laureates. Spanish, Russian, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, and Finnish are each represented by one laureate.

Geographically, the distribution of laureates is overwhelmingly Eurocentric. Fifteen of the twenty laureates (or 75%) were European authors. Four laureates (20%) came from North America, all of them from the United States. Only one author (5%) came from Latin America. No laureates during this period originated from Asia, Africa, or Australia, which underscores the limited global reach of the Nobel Prize for Literature in this period.

I classify T. S. Eliot, who received the prize in 1948, as a British rather than an American author. This choice is open to debate. Eliot was born in the United States but moved to England at the age of twenty-five and became a British citizen in 1927, renouncing his American citizenship at the age of thirty-nine.

Although many of these authors worked across multiple genres, their principal literary forms show a clear pattern. Thirteen of the twenty laureates (or 65%) are best known as prose writers, primarily novelists. Poetry accounts for three laureates (15%), while drama and playwriting are also the main forms for three laureates (another 15%). One author, Henri Bergson, is best known for philosophy and essays. Prose fiction thus clearly dominates this period, with poetry and drama occupying secondary positions.

In terms of gender representation, sixteen of the twenty laureates in this period (or 80%) were men and four (or 20%) were women. While the imbalance is obvious, it is noteworthy that female representation actually worsened in subsequent decades. Between 1950 and 1974, only 3,7% of laureates were women, and between 1975 and 1999 this figure rose only to 8%. A more detailed examination of this imbalance is offered in a separate article addressing gender disparities in the Nobel Prize for Literature.

For a detailed analysis of regional and linguistic diversity among Nobel Prize for Literature laureates, see my separate blog post.

Overview Winners Nobel Prize for Literature (1925-1949)

 

Year

Author

Language

Nationality

Main genre

1949	William Faulkner	English	American	Novel, short story, screenplay
1948	T. S. Eliot	English	British, American	Poetry, drama, essay
1947	André Gide	French	French	Novel, drama, essay
1946	Hermann Hesse	German	German, Swiss	Novel, poetry
1945	Gabriela Mistral	Spanish	Chilean	Poetry
1944	Johannes V. Jensen	Danish	Danish	Novel, poetry, essay
1939	Frans Eemil Sillanpää	Finnish	Finnish	Novel, short story
1938	Pearl S. Buck	English	American	Novel, short story
1937	Roger Martin du Gard	French	French	Novel, drama
1936	Eugene O’Neill	English	American	Drama
1934	Luigi Pirandello	Italian	Italian	Drama, novel, short story
1933	Ivan Bunin	Russian	Russian	Short story, novel, poetry
1932	John Galsworthy	English	British	Novel, drama
1931	Erik Axel Karlfeldt	Swedish	Swedish	Poetry
1930	Sinclair Lewis	English	American	Novel, short story, drama
1929	Thomas Mann	German	German	Novel, short story, essay
1928	Sigrid Undset	Norwegian	Danish, Norwegian	Novel
1927	Henri Bergson	French	French	Philosophy, essay
1926	Grazia Deledda	Italian	Italian	Novel, short story
1925	George Bernard Shaw	English	Irish	Drama, essay

Nobel Prize in Literature 1949: William Faulkner

Nobel Prize motivation: “for his powerful and artistically unique contribution to the modern American novel.”
Language: English
Nationality: American (North America)
Type of works: Novel, short story, screenplay
Some notable works by William Faulkner: The Sound and the Fury; As I Lay Dying; Light in August; Absalom, Absalom!

Nobel Prize in Literature 1948: T. S. Eliot

Nobel Prize motivation: “for his outstanding, pioneer contribution to present-day poetry.”
Language: English
Nationality: British-American (Europe/North America)
Type of works: Poetry, drama, essay
Some notable works by T. S. Eliot: The Waste Land; The Hollow Men; Four Quartets; The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock; Murder in the Cathedral.

 

Nobel Prize in Literature 1947: André Gide

Nobel Prize motivation: “for his comprehensive and artistically significant writings, in which human problems and conditions have been presented with a fearless love of truth and keen psychological insight.”
Language: French
Nationality: French (Europe)
Type of works: Novel, drama, essay
Some notable works by André Gide: The Counterfeiters (Les Faux-monnayeurs); The Immoralist (L’Immoraliste); Strait is the Gate; The Pastoral Symphony; The Fruits of the Earth.

 

Nobel Prize in Literature 1946: Hermann Hesse

Nobel Prize motivation: “for his inspired writings which, while growing in boldness and penetration, exemplify the classical humanitarian ideals and high qualities of style.”
Language: German
Nationality: German-Swiss (Europe)
Type of works: Novel, poetry
Some notable works by Hermann Hesse: Steppenwolf; Siddhartha; The Glass Bead Game (Magister Ludi); Narcissus and Goldmund; Demian.

 

Nobel Prize in Literature 1945: Gabriela Mistral

Nobel Prize motivation: “for her lyric poetry which, inspired by powerful emotions, has made her name a symbol of the idealistic aspirations of the entire Latin American world.”
Language: Spanish
Nationality: Chilean (South America)
Type of works: Poetry
Some notable works by Gabriela Mistral: Desolation (Desolación); Tenderness (Ternura); Poem of Chile (Poema de Chile).

 

Nobel Prize in Literature 1944: Johannes V. Jensen

Nobel Prize motivation: “for the rare strength and fertility of his poetic imagination with which is combined an intellectual curiosity of wide scope and a bold, freshly creative style.”
Language: Danish
Nationality: Danish (Europe)
Type of works: Novel, poetry, essay
Some notable works by Johannes V. Jensen: The Fall of the King (Kongens Fald); The Long Journey (Den lange rejse).

 

Nobel Prize in Literature 1939: Frans Eemil Sillanpää

Nobel Prize motivation: “for his deep understanding of his country’s peasantry and the exquisite art with which he has portrayed their way of life and their relationship with Nature.”
Language: Finnish
Nationality: Finnish (Europe)
Type of works: Novel, short story
Some notable works by Frans Eemil Sillanpää: Meek Heritage (Hurskas kurjuus); The Maid Silja (Nuorena nukkunut); People in the Summer Night (Ihmiset suviyössä).

 

Nobel Prize in Literature 1938: Pearl S. Buck

Nobel Prize motivation: “for her rich and truly epic descriptions of peasant life in China and for her biographical masterpieces.”
Language: English
Nationality: American (North America)
Type of works: Novel, short story, biography
Some notable works by Pearl S. Buck: The Good Earth; Sons; A House Divided; The Mother.

 

Nobel Prize in Literature 1937: Roger Martin du Gard

Nobel Prize motivation: “for the artistic power and truth with which he has depicted human conflict as well as some fundamental aspects of contemporary life in his novel-cycle Les Thibault.”
Language: French
Nationality: French (Europe)
Type of works: Novel, play
Some notable works by Roger Martin du Gard: The Thibaults; Jean Barois.

 

Nobel Prize in Literature 1936: Eugene O’Neill

Nobel Prize motivation: “for the power, honesty and deep-felt emotions of his dramatic works, which embody an original concept of tragedy.”
Language: English
Nationality: American (North America)
Type of works: Drama/playwriting
Some notable works by Eugene O’Neill: Long Day’s Journey Into Night; The Hairy Ape; The Iceman Cometh; Mourning Becomes Electra; Ah, Wilderness!

Nobel Prize in Literature 1934: Luigi Pirandello

Nobel Prize motivation: “for his bold and ingenious revival of dramatic and scenic art.”
Language: Italian
Nationality: Italian (Europe)
Type of works: Drama, novel, short story
Some notable works by Luigi Pirandello: The Late Mattia Pascal; Six Characters in Search of an Author; Henry IV; One, No One and One Hundred Thousand.

 

Nobel Prize in Literature 1933: Ivan Bunin

Nobel Prize motivation: “for the strict artistry with which he has carried on the classical Russian traditions in prose writing.”
Language: Russian
Nationality: Russian (Europe/Asia)
Type of works: Short story, novel, poetry
Some notable works by Ivan Bunin: The Village; Dry Valley; Dark Avenues; The Life of Arseniev; Cursed Days.

 

Nobel Prize in Literature 1932: John Galsworthy

Nobel Prize motivation: “for his distinguished art of narration which takes its highest form in The Forsyte Saga.”
Language: English
Nationality: British (Europe)
Type of works: Novel, play
Some notable works by John Galsworthy: The Forsyte Saga (The Man of Property); A Modern Comedy; End of the Chapter.

 

Nobel Prize in Literature 1931: Erik Axel Karlfeldt

Nobel Prize motivation: “The poetry of Erik Axel Karlfeldt.”
Language: Swedish
Nationality: Swedish (Europe)
Type of works: Poetry
Some notable works by Erik Axel Karlfeldt: Fridolins visor och andra dikter; Fridolins lustgård och Dalmålningar på rim; Flora och Pomona; Flora och Bellona; Dalmålningar på rim.

 

Nobel Prize in Literature 1930: Sinclair Lewis

Nobel Prize motivation: “for his vigorous and graphic art of description and his ability to create, with wit and humour, new types of characters.”
Language: English
Nationality: American (North America)
Type of works: Novel, short story, drama
Some notable works by Sinclair Lewis: Main Street; Babbitt; Arrowsmith; Elmer Gantry; Dodsworth; It Can’t Happen Here.

 

Nobel Prize in Literature 1929: Thomas Mann

Nobel Prize motivation: “principally for his great novel, Buddenbrooks, which has won steadily increased recognition as one of the classic works of contemporary literature.”
Language: German
Nationality: German (Europe)
Type of works: Novel, short story, essay
Some notable works by Thomas Mann: Buddenbrooks; The Magic Mountain; Death in Venice; Doctor Faustus; Joseph and His Brothers. 

Nobel Prize in Literature 1928: Sigrid Undset

Nobel Prize motivation: “principally for her powerful descriptions of Northern life during the Middle Ages.”
Language: Norwegian
Nationality: Danish-Norwegian (Europe)
Type of works: Novel
Some notable works by Sigrid Undset: Kristin Lavransdatter; The Master of Hestviken; Gunnar’s Daughter; Jenny; The Wild Orchid.

 

Nobel Prize in Literature 1927: Henri Bergson

Nobel Prize motivation: “in recognition of his rich and vitalizing ideas and the brilliant skill with which they have been presented.”
Language: French
Nationality: French (Europe)
Type of works: Philosophy, essay
Some notable works by Henri Bergson: Time and Free Will; Matter and Memory; Creative Evolution.

 

Nobel Prize in Literature 1926: Grazia Deledda

Nobel Prize motivation: “for her idealistically inspired writings which with plastic clarity picture the life on her native island and with depth and sympathy deal with human problems in general.”
Language: Italian
Nationality: Italian (Europe)
Type of works: Novel, short story
Some notable works by Grazia Deledda: Reeds in the Wind (Canne al vento); Elias Portolu; The Mother (La madre); After the Divorce (Dopo il divorzio); Ivy (L’edera); The Dance of the Necklace (La danza della collana).

 

Nobel Prize in Literature 1925: George Bernard Shaw

Nobel Prize motivation: “for his work which is marked by both idealism and humanity, its stimulating satire often being infused with a singular poetic beauty.”
Language: English
Nationality: Irish (Europe)
Type of works: Drama, essay, criticism
Some notable works by George Bernard Shaw: Pygmalion; Saint Joan; Man and Superman; Major Barbara; The Doctor’s Dilemma; Caesar and Cleopatra.