Has a Politician Ever Won the Nobel Prize in Literature?

The first politician to win the Nobel Prize in Literature was José Echegaray. He shared the Nobel Prize in Literature with Frédéric Mistral in the year 1904. José Echegaray was the Minister of Public Works and Finance Minister in the Spanish government. In addition to his successful government career, he was a prolific playwright and was given the Novel Prize in Literature for his contribution to Spanish drama.

More about the Nobel Prize:

  • All Nobel Prizes are awarded in Stockholm, Sweden except for the Peace Prize, which award creator Alfred Nobel specified without reason be given in Oslo, Norway.
  • The oldest man and woman to ever win Nobel Prizes were honored in the same year: 2007. Economics winner Leonid Hurwicz was 90, and Literature winner Doris Lessing was 87.
  • Four US Presidents have won the Nobel Peace Prize: Barack Obama, Jimmy Carter, Woodrow Wilson, and Theodore Roosevelt, as well as one vice president: Al Gore.

Discussion Comments

anon992115

Although Churchill is very much acclaimed and admired as a great wartime leader, his attitude towards Indians in the Indian subcontinent leave much to be desired. Due to his deliberate and despicable policies, millions died in famine in Bengal which could have been easily avoided. If this had taken place in today's environment, he would have been labelled a racist and also tried for mass murder. I was once a fan of Churchill but now totally gone off him for good.

anon992048

Churchill was a very effective writer, but a very biased one. He sees the British as the geniuses of the world and everyone else as something other than geniuses: incompetent buffoons, evil conspirators against the British crown, or too weak to really matter.

His getting the Nobel Prize was politically motivated due to Churchill's role as a wartime leader. As such, he deserved acclaim.

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