SOURCE: Espmark, Kjell. “Intended for the Literature of the Whole World.” In The Nobel Prize in Literature: A Study of the Criteria behind the Choices, pp. 131-44. Boston: G. K. Hall & Co., 1986.

In the following excerpt, Espmark explores the Nobel Prizes in Literature awarded after World War II, concluding that the committee's choices during that period reflect a new tolerance for different writing styles and literary movements.

The Nobel Prize in Literature seemed for a long time to be a European affair. Nobel's will indicated that the prize was to have an international aim, but in cautious wording: “It is my express wish that in awarding the prizes no consideration whatever shall be given to the nationality of the candidates, but that the most worthy shall receive the prize, whether he be a Scandinavian or not.” The emphasis in the last clause on Scandinavian authors was reflected in...