Did Ryszard Kapuściński win the Nobel Prize?
Ryszard Kapuściński never received the Nobel Prize, although for years he was named as one of the candidates for the Nobel Prize in Literature. We explain the facts and dispel the myths.
This is one of the most frequently asked questions about Ryszard Kapuściński. The answer is short and unambiguous: no, Kapuściński never received the Nobel Prize. He was, however, so well known and esteemed worldwide that his name repeatedly appeared in press predictions of candidates for the Nobel Prize in Literature, especially in the first decade of the 21st century.
In short: Kapuściński was named as a candidate, but did not win the prize. He did win many other prestigious international honours. Below we explain where the myth of a “Nobel nomination” came from and which awards Kapuściński actually received.
📖 See also: Facts about Kapuściński · Biography of Kapuściński
A candidate, but not a laureate
In the years when Kapuściński’s global fame was at its height, his name regularly appeared in the media around the announcement of the Nobel Prize in Literature. Journalists and critics named him among the favourites, emphasising the importance of The Emperor, The Shadow of the Sun and Imperium, and his role in raising reportage to the rank of literature. It is from these predictions that the popular image of Kapuściński as an “eternal Nobel candidate” arose.
One must, however, distinguish press predictions from official nominations. The lists of candidates submitted for the Nobel Prize in Literature remain secret for 50 years. This means there is no publicly confirmed information about official nominations of Kapuściński — only numerous opinions, bookmakers’ odds and critics’ comments. To say that he “was nominated” is therefore a simplification. It is more careful and more honest to say that he was seriously named as a candidate.
Why didn’t he win the Nobel Prize?
There is no certain answer, because the deliberations of the Swedish Academy are confidential. One can only point to a few possible contexts. Reportage as a genre is less often awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature than poetry or fiction, although there are exceptions. Kapuściński died in 2007, and the Nobel Prize is not awarded posthumously, which finally closed the matter. Finally, disputes about the limits of fact and literature surrounded his work and may have affected his international reception.
Which awards Kapuściński actually won
Although he did not receive the Nobel Prize, Kapuściński was one of the most frequently awarded Polish writers and reporters on the international stage. His honours included, among others:
- the Italian Premio Viareggio,
- the Spanish Prince of Asturias Award (Premio Príncipe de Asturias),
- numerous Polish awards and honorary doctorates from Polish and foreign universities.
It is also worth remembering that an award was named after him — the Ryszard Kapuściński Award for Literary Reportage — one of the most important honours for reporters in the world.
See also
source: kapuscinski.info