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Svetlana Alexievich Wins 2015 Nobel Prize In Literature

Svetlana Alexievich Wins Nobel Prize In Literature
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Overnight Editor, HuffPost

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Ulf Andersen via Getty Images

Svetlana Alexievich won the 2015 Nobel Prize in Literature on Thursday.

The 67-year-old Belarusian author, whose work has been published in 19 countries, was honored "for her polyphonic writings, a monument to suffering and courage in our time," the Swedish Academy said.

Born in Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine and currently living in Belarus, Alexievich started out as a teacher and journalist before she began writing books that explored the Soviet identity. 

Her first book, "U vojny ne ženskoe lico" ("War’s Unwomanly Face," 1988), was based on interviews with hundreds of women who fought the Nazis during World War II. According to The Associated Press, it sold more than 2 million copies.

Later books focused on the consequences of the nuclear disaster in Chernobyl, the Soviet Union's 1979-1989 war in Afghanistan and life in the Soviet Union as told from the individual perspective. Alexievich also penned three plays and the screenplays for 21 documentary films. 

Between 1901 and 2014, the literature prize was awarded to 111 Nobel laureates. Until today, only 13 have been women.

Alexievich will receive a cash prize worth approximately $972,000, Reuters reported. She will also receive a diploma and gold medal during the prize ceremony in December.

The Nobel Peace Prize is scheduled to be announced on Friday. The economics prize will be awarded on Monday.

 

Related On HuffPost:

13 Nobel Prize In Literature Winners You Should Read
Selma Lagerlöf(01 of13)
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She's the first woman to win the prize, and is famous for her children's book, "The Wonderful Adventures of Nils," which was commissioned by Sweden's National Teachers Association, and includes fascinating descriptions of the country's wildlife, as well as previously unpublished folklore. (credit:Wikimedia)
Rabindranath Tagore(02 of13)
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Tagore was the first non-European to win, and is responsible for introducing Indian culture to the West. In addition to novels, he wrote songs and "dance dramas." (credit:Wikimedia )
William Butler Yeats(03 of13)
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The Irish poet's work, "The Second Coming," inspired the title of Chinua Achebe's "Things Fall Apart," and the epigraph of Joan Didion's "Slouching Towards Bethlehem." (credit:Wikimedia)
George Bernard Shaw(04 of13)
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Another Irish winner, Shaw was primarily a playwright -- He also won an Oscar for an adaptation of one of his own plays, "Pygmalion."
T. S. Eliot(05 of13)
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British poet and social critic Eliot is known for more than "The Waste Land": We suggest you pick up "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock," too.
Ernest Hemingway(06 of13)
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One of the rare American winners, Hemingway's "The Old Man and he Sea" thrust him back into the spotlight after years of so-so criticism. We suggest starting with his short stories.
Pablo Neruda(07 of13)
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The Chilean poet will win you over with his poignant thoughts on love. (credit:Wikimedia)
Gabriel García Márquez(08 of13)
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The Colombian writer made magical realism a popular thing, and we are so grateful. (credit:Wikimedia)
Naguib Mahfouz(09 of13)
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The first Egyptian writer to tackle Existentialism, Mahfouz introduces Arabic language and contemporary Egyptian culture to the West. (credit:Wikimedia)
Nadine Gordimer(10 of13)
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Gordimer relentlessly wrote about apartheid in South Africa, in spite of many of her titles being banned. We recommend "The Conservationist," which won the Booker in 1974. (credit:Wikimedia)
Orhan Pamuk(11 of13)
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Pamuk's "Istanbul" fights the Western fixation with the city, associating its melancholy with charm. It's also just a beautifully-written memoir, and we highly recommend it, along with his fictional works. He underwent the ambitious task of building an entire museum to complement one of his novels. (credit:Wikimedia)
Doris Lessing(12 of13)
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The British author penned "The Golden Notebook," which Barak Obama has cited as one of his favorites. (credit:Wikimedia)
Tomas Tranströmer(13 of13)
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The Swedish poet and psychologist is known for his odes to the beauty of the natural world. (credit:Wikimedia)

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