|
|
|
vhvt |
freedom for thinking and creation |
The Nobel Prize |
|
|
"in special recognition of his poetic composition, which gives evidence of lofty idealism, artistic perfection and a rare combination of the qualities of both heart and intellect"
The Nobel Prize in Literature 1901Presentation Speech by C.D. af Wirsén, Permanent Secretary of the Swedish Academy, on December 10, 1901 When Alfred Nobel decided to make the
great donation which has justly received much attention, his entire life's
work led him to favour the study of nature and to reward discoveries in some
of the sciences concerned with it. Likewise, his cosmopolitan aspirations
made him an advocate of peace and of the brotherhood of nations. In his will
he also included literature, although he placed it after the sciences, to
which he felt most drawn. At the banquet, C.D. af Wirsén addressed himself to the Minister of France and asked him to convey the homage intended for the French poet who has combined, to such a notable degree, the best qualities of the heart and the mind. Also, he asked the Minister to present to the French Academy greetings from her younger Swedish sister, who was proud to be able to send from the country of Tegnér and Geijer testimony of esteem to the country which had witnessed the births of Racine, Corneille, and Victor Hugo. The Minister of France, Mr. Marchand, answered in a lively and spirited speech.
Sully Prudhomme – Biography
This autobiography/biography was written at the time of the award and later published in the book series Les Prix Nobel/Nobel Lectures. The information is sometimes updated with an addendum submitted by the Laureate. To cite this document, always state the source as shown above.
Sully Prudhomme French poet, who won the first Nobel Prize for Literature in 1901. The decision arose much debate - Sully-Prudhomme had not published much poetry after 1888. Today Sully-Prudhomme is also relatively little read either in France or abroad. His early works were lyrical and expressed melancholic view of the world - in later volumes he favored the calm, impersonal techniques of the Parnassians, who reacted against the excessive emotion and subjectivity of Romaticism.
René François Armand Sully-Prudhomme was born in Paris. His parents had been engaged for ten years, and after gaining financial security they married. At the age of two Sully-Prudhomme lost his father, and he grew up in his uncle's house, where mother moved. His father was called 'Sully' and the poet joined it with his surname Prudhomme. At school he was interested in classic literature and mathematics, but severe eye disorder caused him to abandon his plans to study engineering. He also thought seriously of entering the Dominican order. After graduating from the Lycée Bonaparte he became a factory correspondence at the industrial firm of Schneider-Creuzot. Sully-Prudhomme studied law and by 1860 he worked in a notary's office. Inspired by an unhappy love affair - he remained a lifelong bachelor - he studied in the evenings philosophy and wrote poetry. The poet Leconte de Lisle encouraged his first efforts, although he noted that his protégée was not faithful to the Parnassian ideals of classical elegance, but preferred to depict his own inner feelings. His first book, STANCES ET POÉMES, when he was 26. The collection of sorrowful poems was well received. It contained his best-known poem, 'The Broken Vase'. "Le vase où meurt cette vervaine / D'un coup d'éventail fut fêlé; / Le coup dut l'effleurer à peine, / Aucun bruit ne l'a révélé. " In 1886 Sully-Prudhomme was among the contributors to the anthology LE PARNASSE CONTEMPORAIN, and produced then LES ÉCURIAS D'AUGIAS (1866), CROQUIS ITALENS (1866-68), and LES SOLITUDES (1869). Sully-Prudhomme wanted to restore the classical standards of elegance in poetry. The Roman poet and philosopher Lucretius (99-55 B.C.) influenced deeply Sully-Prudhomme. He published a verse translation of the first volume of Lucretius's On the Nature of Things (De Rerum Natura), together with the accompanying preface. Lucretius advocated in the didactic poem Epicurean doctrines and stated that "one should guide his life by true principles, man's greatest wealth is to live on little with contended mind; for a little is never lacking." Later Sully-Prudhomme became interested in expressing his philosophical thoughts, sometimes perhaps difficult to understand, through poetry. Sometimes this led to didactic use of images - he explained his symbols instead of letting the reader interpret them. When the Franco-Prussian War began, Sully-Prudhomme enlisted in the militia and wrote IMPRESSIONS DE LA GUERRE (1870). In the same year his mother, uncle, and aunt died, and the poet had a stroke, which nearly paralyzed his lower body, a a condition with which he would struggle for the rest of his life. During that decade appeared also LES VAINES TENDRESSESS (1875) and LA JUSTICE (1878). 'Le Zénith', published in the Revue des deux mondes, dealt with the fatal ascent of three balloonists. In 1881 he was elected to the French Academy.
Among Sully-Prudhomme's later works are 4 000 line epic LE BONHEUR (1888), a Faustian search for love and knowledge, and an ambitious attempt to create the so-called scientific-philosophic poem. For the rest of his career he devoted to the philosophy of poetry. In LE TESTAMENTE POÉTIQUE (1900) the poet registered his objections both to free verse and the work of the symbolists. LA VRAIERELIGION SELON PASCAL (1905), was about Blaise Pascal's Christian views, and in LA PSYCHOLOGIE DE LIBRE ARBITRE (1906) he concluded that the concept of free will is objectively grounded in nature and must therefore be true. During the last years of his life Sully-Prudhomme was seriously disabled by paralysis. He died at his villa in Châtenay-Malabry, near Paris, on September 7, 1907. The money from his Nobel award he donated to the French writers' association to help aspiring poets with the publication of their first book.
Selected works:
|
|
|
97-
The Nobel Peace Prize 1901
|
Rene Francois Armand Prudhomme (1839-1907) was the son of a French
shopkeeper. He wanted to become an engineer, but an eye disease terminated
his training at a polytechnic institute. He studied literature, and after a
brief and unsuccessful interlude in industry, he took up law, though without
much conviction, and worked in a solicitor's office. Sully Prudhomme was a
member of the «Conference La Bruyère», a distinguished student society, and
the favourable reception that his fellow members gave to his juvenilia
encouraged him to go on writing poetry. His first volume, Stances et
Poèmes (1865) [Stanzas and Poems], was well reviewed by Sainte-Beuve and
established his reputation. Sully Prudhomme combined a Parnassian regard for
formal perfection and elegance with philosophic and scientific interests,
which are revealed, for instance, in his translation of the first book of
Lucretius' De Rerum Natura (1878-79). Some of his other poetic works
are: Croquis Italiens (1866-68) [Italian Notebook]; Solitudes
(1869); Impressions de la guerre (1870) [Impressions of War]; Les
Destins (1872) [Destinies]; La Révolte des fleurs (1872) [Revolt
of the Flowers ]; La France (1874); Les Vaines Tendresses
(1875) [Vain Endearments]; La Justice (1878); and Le Bonheur
(1888) [Happiness]. Les Epaves (1908) [Flotsam], published
posthumously, was a collection of miscellaneous poems. A collected edition
of his writings in five volumes appeared in 1900-01. He also wrote essays
and a book on Pascal, La Vraie Religion selon Pascal (1905) [Pascal
on true Religion]. Sully Prudhomme was a member of the French Academy from
1881 until his deah in 1907.
