Nobel Prize in Literature: The Women Who’ve Won It 榮獲諾貝爾文學獎的女作家

夏洛特·倫西 程颋

Svetlana Alexievich has become the 14th female winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature. But who are the other women laureates， and which of their books should you read first？ 斯韋特蘭娜·阿列克謝耶維奇成為第14位榮獲諾貝爾文學獎的女性。其他女性得主都是誰？她們的著作中，應該先讀哪幾本？

By Charlotte Runcie

Svetlana Alexievich， 2015

What the judges said： “for her polyphonic writings1， a monument to suffering and courage in our time.”

The daughter of two village schoolteachers， Alexievich studied journalism in Belarus， which at the time was part of the Soviet Union. Alexievich is notable for her style of intertwining literature and reportage， to create “novels of voices，” in which she’s covered the Chernobyl catastrophe， the Soviet war in Afghanistan and many other events—all based on thousands of interviews with witnesses.

Alice Munro， 2013

What the judges said： “master of the contemporary short story.”

The Canadian author originally began writing short stories as a teen. At the time she felt she was working towards a novel， but soon found new depths and possibilities for the form among her rich but understated pieces， which subtly expose personal experience and the detail of everyday life.

Herta Müller， 2009

What the judges said： “who， with the concentration of poetry and the frankness of prose， depicts the landscape2 of the dispossessed3.”

Born in 1953 in Nitzkydorf， Romania， as a young woman Müller worked as a translator in a factory before being approached to spy for the Romanian secret police. Her refusal cost her a job， and led to the beginning of her writing.

Doris Lessing， 2007

What the judges said： “that epicist of the female experience， who with scepticism， fire and visionary power has subjected a divided civilisation to scrutiny.”

Lessing was born in Persia4 to British parents in 1919. Thanks to a troubled childhood， she was largely self-educated. Her writing documents and challenges the female experience and struggles with individual identity.

Elfriede Jelinek， 2004

What the judges said： “for her musical flow of voices and counter-voices in novels and plays that with extraordinary linguistic zeal reveal the absurdity of society’s clichés and their subjugating5 power.”

Jelinek’s books pick apart the patriarchal structure of her native Austria. Her experimental prose is often deliberately provocative （depicting sexual violence in detail）， dividing critics， while her poetry is widely considered to be starkly vivid and accomplished.

Wislawa Szymborska， 1996

What the judges said： “for poetry that with ironic precision allows the historical and biological context to come to light in fragments of human reality.”

Born in Western Poland in 1923， Szymborska’s poetry collections have been translated into 16 languages. They take a lyrical， direct look at the aftermath of war and its impact on the details of daily life， and show a precision honed during her years as a poetry editor6.

Toni Morrison， 1993

What the judges said： “who in novels characterised by visionary force and poetic import， gives life to an essential aspect of American reality.”

The first black woman to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature， this American novelist has also won awards including a Pulitzer and the National Book Critics Circle Award. She was born in a steel town in Ohio， and read Tolstoy， Dostoevsky， and Jane Austen during her formative years. Her writing is full of poetically rich descriptions of life for black people in America， hallmarked by Morrison’s sharp ear for dialogue.

Nadine Gordimer， 1991

What the judges said： “who through her magnificent epic writing has—in the words of Alfred Nobel—been of very great benefit to humanity.”

Born in South Africa， Gordimer’s novels include A Guest of Honour， The Conservationist， July’s People， The Pickup， None to Accompany Me and Get a Life. Deeply engaged with South African politics， Gordimer writes with sensuousness and complexity about her country and the anxiety of privilege.

Nelly Sachs， 1966

What the judges said： “outstanding lyrical and dramatic writing， which interprets Israel’s destiny with touching strength.”

Born in Berlin in 1891， Sachs escaped the Nazi regime and left for Sweden in 1940. Her poetry， with its grand-scale explorations of Jewish suffering， began to gain recognition when she was around 50. She spent some time in a mental institution， and continued to write there.

Gabriela Mistral， 1945

What the judges said： “lyric poetry which， inspired by powerful emotions， has made her name a symbol of the idealistic aspirations of the entire Latin American world.”

The first Latin American to win the Nobel Prize in Literature， Mistral was a staunch defender of democracy and the rights of women， children and the poor. Her spiritual and emotional writing is a departure from the work of her modernist contemporaries.

Pearl Buck7， 1938

What the judges said： “rich and truly epic descriptions of peasant life in China and for her biographical masterpieces.”

Buck was born in West Virginia but grew up in China， and her plentiful writing straddles East and West. Her novel The Good Earth， a sweeping8 tale of life in China under the last emperor， won a Pulitzer， and was an American bestseller.

Sigrid Undset， 1928

What the judges said： “powerful descriptions of Northern life during the Middle Ages.”

The Norwegian writer of religious and historical novels was another Nobel laureate to flee the Nazis， moving temporarily to America during World War Two.

Grazia Deledda， 1926

What the judges said： “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.”

Also known as the Voice of Sardinia9， Deledda was born there in 1871. Her writing is marked by religious faith and serenity， with a style rooted in realism， the landscape of the natural world and her characters’ responses to moral dilemmas.

Selma Ottilia Lovisa Lagerl?f， 1909

What the judges said： “lofty idealism， vivid imagination and spiritual perception... characterise her writings.”

The Swedish author， born in 1858， received financial support from the Swedish royal family and the Swedish Academy in order to give up teaching to write full-time. Her work includes historical novels and a popular children’s book， Nils Holgerssons underbara resa genom Sverige （The Wonderful Adventures of Nils）.

斯韋特蘭娜·阿列克謝耶維奇，2015年

獲獎理由：“她的復調作品是對我們這個時代苦難和勇氣的紀念。”

阿列克謝耶維奇的父母是鄉村教師。她曾在白羅斯學習新聞學，那時白羅斯還是蘇聯的一部分。阿列克謝耶維奇以其寫作風格著稱，她將文學作品和新聞報道交織在一起，創造出“聲音的小說”。她采訪了大量親歷者，以數千次采訪為基礎創作了關于切爾諾貝利核電站事故、蘇聯阿富汗戰爭及其他很多事件的作品。

艾麗絲·門羅，2013年

獲獎理由：“堪稱當代短篇小說大師。”

艾麗絲·門羅是加拿大人，她從少女時代就開始了短篇小說的創作生涯。當時她試圖寫一部長篇小說，但很快就發現短篇小說這種形式具有新的深度和可能性。她的作品蘊意豐富且風格樸素，精妙地展現了個人體驗和日常生活的細微之處。

赫塔·米勒，2009年

獲獎理由：“以詩歌的凝練和散文的率真，描繪了被剝奪者的境遇。”

米勒于1953年出生于羅馬尼亞的尼茲基多夫。年輕時她在工廠做過翻譯，后來有人要她為羅馬尼亞秘密警察做密探，她拒絕了，因此失去工作，但也使她從此走上文學創作之路。

多麗絲·萊辛，2007年

獲獎理由：“她用懷疑、熱情、構想的力量來審視一個分裂的文明，其作品如同一部女性經驗的史詩。”

萊辛于1919年出生于波斯，父母是英國人。她的童年生活困苦，主要靠自學成才。萊辛的作品記錄和質疑了女性經驗以及追求個體認同的掙扎。

埃爾弗里德·耶利內克，2004年

獲獎理由：“在她的小說和戲劇中，觀點對立的聲音如音樂般流動。她的作品異常熱衷于運用語言揭示社會陳規舊俗及其脅迫力量的荒謬。”

耶利內克的作品嚴厲批判了她的祖國奧地利的父權結構。她的實驗性散文常常故意寫得挑逗刺激（詳細描述性暴力），評論界對此褒貶不一;而她的詩歌則被公認為樸實生動的成功之作。

維斯拉瓦·辛波斯卡，1996年

獲獎理由：“詩歌中精確的反諷將歷史活動和生物法則展示在人類現實的片段中。”

辛波斯卡于1923年出生于波蘭西部。她的詩集已被翻譯成16種語言。她的詩歌用抒情手法，直視戰爭的后果及其對日常生活細節的影響，并且表現出詩人在多年詩歌編輯生涯中磨礪出的精確性。

托妮·莫里森，1993年

獲獎理由：“她的小說想象力豐富，充滿詩意，鮮活地展示了美國現實社會重要的一面。”

莫里森是美國小說家，她是第一位獲得諾貝爾文學獎的黑人女性，她還獲得過普利策獎和美國國家圖書評論界獎等獎項。莫里森出生于俄亥俄州一個鋼鐵城，托爾斯泰、陀思妥耶夫斯基和簡·奧斯丁的作品伴隨著她的成長。她的作品用詩意的筆調，濃墨重彩地描述了美國黑人生活。對人物語言特點的出色把握是其作品的特征。

納丁·戈迪默，1991年

獲獎理由：“她史詩般壯麗的作品，用阿爾弗雷德·諾貝爾的話來說，對人類大有裨益。”

戈迪默出生于南非，創作了《貴客》《保守的人》《七月的人民》《偶遇者》《無人伴隨我》和《新生》等小說。戈迪默密切關注南非政治，她采用充滿感性的筆觸和復雜的敘事結構描述了她的祖國以及對特權的焦慮。

奈麗·薩克斯，1966年

獲獎理由：“她出色的抒情詩和戲劇作品，以觸動人心的力量詮釋了以色列的命運。”

薩克斯于1891年出生于柏林。1940年，為了逃避納粹政權，她流亡瑞典。她創作了大量探討猶太民族苦難的詩歌，50歲左右時，這些詩歌開始得到世人賞識。薩克斯曾在精神病院住過一段時間，期間仍堅持寫作。

加夫列拉·米斯特拉爾，1945年

獲獎理由：“她那由強烈感情孕育而成的抒情詩，已經使得她的名字成為整個拉丁美洲世界渴求理想的象征。”

米斯特拉爾是拉丁美洲第一位諾貝爾文學獎獲得者。她堅定地擁護民主，維護婦女、兒童和窮人的權利。她那充滿靈性和感情的詩歌不同于和她同時代的現代主義作家的作品。

賽珍珠，1938年

獲獎理由：“她對中國農民生活豐富而真正史詩氣概的描述，及她自傳性的杰作。”

賽珍珠出生于美國西弗吉尼亞州，但在中國長大，她的很多作品都橫跨東西方兩個世界。她的小說《大地》講述了中國末代皇帝時期發生的故事。該書影響廣泛，獲得了普利策獎，并成為全美暢銷書。

西格麗德·溫塞特，1928年

獲獎理由：“主要是由于她對中世紀北國生活的有力描繪。”

溫塞特是挪威宗教和歷史小說家。她是另一位為了逃避納粹政權而流亡他國的諾貝爾獎得主，第二次世界大戰期間暫居于美國。

格拉齊婭·黛萊達，1926年

獲獎理由：“她那由理想主義所激發的作品，以渾柔的透徹描繪了她所生長的島嶼上的生活，在洞察人類共同問題上表現出深度與憐憫。”

黛萊達于1871年出生于撒丁島，人們稱她為“撒丁島之聲”。她的作品既包括以根植于現實主義的文風表達宗教信仰及平和心境的，也有描述自然風光及人物面對道德困境反應的。

塞爾瑪·奧蒂莉亞·洛維薩·拉格洛夫，1909年

獲獎理由：“由于她作品中特有的崇高的理想主義、豐饒的想象力和心靈的感知力。”

拉格洛夫是瑞典作家，出生于1858年。她受到了瑞典王室和瑞典文學院的經濟資助，得以放棄教學工作，成為全職作家。她的作品有歷史小說和一部廣受歡迎的兒童讀物《尼爾斯騎鵝旅行記》。? ? ? ? ? □

（譯者為“《英語世界》杯”翻譯大賽獲獎選手）

1復調小說是蘇聯學者巴赫金創設的概念。“復調”也叫“多聲部”，本為音樂術語，指歐洲18世紀（古典主義）以前廣泛運用的一種音樂體裁，它與和弦及十二音律音樂不同，沒有主旋律和伴聲之分，所有聲音都按自己的聲部行進，相互層疊，構成復調體音樂。巴赫金借用這一術語來概括陀斯妥耶夫斯基小說的特征，用來區別那種基本上屬于獨白型（單旋律）的已經定型的歐洲小說模式。“復調小說”的概念是現代文論的一個重大飛躍，對讀者反映論、接受美學、解構主義等都有深刻影響。

2 landscape形勢;境況。? 3 dispossessed被剝奪者（指在專制統治下被剝奪了政治權利、自由、安全、生產生活資料的人）。

4波斯，伊朗以前的名稱。? 5 subjugate征服。

6 1953—1981年間辛波斯卡擔任克拉科夫（波蘭南部的一座城市）文學周刊《文學生活》（Zycie Literackie）的詩歌編輯和專欄作家。

7珀爾·巴克，中文名賽珍珠，美國作家。? 8 sweeping有廣泛影響的;深遠的。? 9意大利在地中海上的一大島。