Prix Médicis
1 appearances
-
Edition 11 (1968) Winner
Elie Wiesel
エリー・ウィーゼル
Erii Wīzeru
Pen Names:
Eliezer ('Elie') Wiesel（birth name / common name）
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1928-09-30 （Sighet (now Sighetu Marmației), Romania）
- Died
- 2016-07-02 （New York City (Manhattan), United States） age 87
- Nationality
- Romania, Hungary, United States
- Languages
- French, English, Yiddish, Hebrew, Romanian, Hungarian
- Religion
- Judaism
- Residence History
- France (Paris, etc.) → United States (New York, Greenwich, etc.)
Career
- Occupations
- Writer, Professor, Political activist, Journalist
- Active Years
- 1947-2016
- Affiliations
- Boston University (Professor; Elie Wiesel Center established in his honor), Human Rights Foundation (founding board member)
- Memberships
- American Academy of Arts and Letters
- Influenced By
- François Mauriac, Martin Buber, Jean-Paul Sartre, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Franz Kafka
- Influenced
- Generations of Holocaust scholars and writers, Human rights activists
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Paris (Sorbonne) | Literature / Philosophy / Psychology | Department of Literature, Philosophy and Psychology | — | — | France |
University of Paris (Sorbonne)
Literature / Philosophy / Psychology
/ Department of Literature, Philosophy and Psychology
Country:
France
Studied in Paris after WWII; began writing in French.
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | Nobel Peace Prize | — | — | Norwegian Nobel Committee | 受賞 |
| 1992 | Presidential Medal of Freedom | — | — | President of the United States | 受賞 |
| 1984 | Congressional Gold Medal | — | — | United States Congress | 受賞 |
| 2000 | French Legion of Honour (Grand Cross) | — | — | Government of France | 受賞 |
| 1986 | Medal of Liberty | — | — | United States | 受賞 |
Nobel Peace Prize
1986
Organization:
Norwegian Nobel Committee
Result:
受賞
Presidential Medal of Freedom
1992
Organization:
President of the United States
Result:
受賞
Congressional Gold Medal
1984
Organization:
United States Congress
Result:
受賞
French Legion of Honour (Grand Cross)
2000
Organization:
Government of France
Result:
受賞
Medal of Liberty
1986
Organization:
United States
Result:
受賞
Awards & Nominations
Dayton Literary Peace Prize
1 appearances
-
Edition 2 (2007) Special Award
Works
Major Works
Night
1960 Memoir 120 pagesA short memoir based on Wiesel's experience during the Holocaust, recounting his deportation to Auschwitz and Buchenwald, the loss of family, crisis of faith, and the burden of memory.
MemorySilenceFaith and the existence of GodSurvival and lossCollapse of humanity
Translations
- Translated into more than 30 languages
The Trial of God
1979 Play / DramaA play inspired by Wiesel's experiences, staging a trial against God and questioning justice and theodicy in the aftermath of the Holocaust.
Religious questioningJusticeLoss of faith
Adaptations
- [Theatre / Drama] The Trial of God (stage productions)
All Rivers Run to the Sea
1995 MemoirMemoir covering his life up to 1969.
Life historyMemory
Bibliography
- Night
- The Trial of God
- All Rivers Run to the Sea
- And the Sea Is Never Full
- The Town Beyond the Wall
- A Beggar in Jerusalem
Adaptations
- Stage and screen adaptations of The Trial of God
- Documentaries about Night and Wiesel (e.g. Elie Wiesel Goes Home)
Translations of Works
- Night translated into more than 30 languages
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Testimonial and concise styleUse of symbolism and silenceNarration that includes religious and philosophical reflection
- Recurring Motifs
- Night/darknessSilenceMemoryQuestions of God and faith
Legacy
Elie Wiesel was a globally influential writer and human-rights activist whose testimony as a Holocaust survivor shaped memory and public discourse. As a Nobel Peace Prize laureate he became a symbolic figure for genocide prevention and human dignity, though some of his political positions (notably strong support for aspects of Israeli policy) drew criticism.
Museums
- Elie Wiesel Center for Jewish Studies (Boston University) Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Academic Societies
- American Academy of Arts and Letters
- Numerous universities granting honorary degrees
Archives
- Howard Gotlieb Archival Research Center, Boston University (Elie Wiesel papers)
In Popular Culture
- Honored on a U.S. Postal Service Distinguished Americans stamp
- Featured in documentaries and television programs
Quotes
-
Never shall I forget that night, the first night in camp, which has turned my life into one long night... Never shall I forget those moments which murdered my God and my soul and turned my dreams to dust. Never shall I forget these things, even if I am condemned to live as long as God Himself. Never.
Source: Night (memoir) (1960) -
Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.
Source: Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech and other speeches (1986)
Trivia
- Birth name Eliezer Wiesel; commonly known as Elie.
- Night was first written in Yiddish as a long manuscript, later shortened and written in French; English translation published in 1960.
- The Elie Wiesel Foundation lost significant funds in the Bernard Madoff Ponzi scheme.
- Died in 2016 and buried at Sharon Gardens Cemetery (Valhalla, New York).