Stockholm - The Nobel Prize in Literature 2020 on Thursday was awarded to the American poet Louise Gluck "for her unmistakable poetic voice that with austere beauty makes individual existence universal."
Gluck, a professor of English at Yale University was born in 1943 in New York City. Presently she lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Gluck was born in 1943 in New York City. Presently she lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts. She is also a professor of English at Yale University.
Her writing is characterized by a striving for clarity and focuses on themes of childhood and family relationships, according to Anders Olsson, Chairman of the Nobel Committee, CNN reported.
Only 15 women before today have won the Nobel in Literature since it was first awarded in 1901, according to the Washington Post.
The Swedish Academy, which selects the winner had been mired in a sexual abuse scandal and financial misconduct allegations and was postponed in the year 2018.
This year's Nobel Prize Laureate gained prominence in American contemporary literature after her debut with 'Firstborn' in 1968. Gluck has published 12 collections of poetry, mostly centered around childhood, and familial relations. She takes inspiration from myths and classical motifs which is evident in her work.
"She seeks the universal, taking inspiration from classical motifs... Gluck's voice is unmistakable. It is candid and uncompromising, and it signals that this poet wants to be understood -- but it is also a voice full of humor and biting wit," Washington Post quoted the Judges who made the announcement.
The cash prize approximately amounts to USD 1.12 million. Apart from this, the only other living US winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature is the legendary musician Bob Dylan.
Gluck has received several esteemed awards, including the Pulitzer Prize in 1993 and the National Book Award in 2014.