Nobel Prize in Literature
1 appearances
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Edition 22 (1924) Winner
Władysław Reymont
ヴわでぃすわふ・れいもんと
Wladyslaw Reymont
Aliases:
Stanisław Władysław Rejment
Pen Names:
Reymont（Used the altered spelling of his surname (from Rejment to Reymont) at the start of his publishing career）
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1867-05-07 （Kobiele Wielkie, Congress Poland (then part of the Russian Empire)）
- Died
- 1925-12-05 （Warsaw, Poland） age 58
- Nationality
- Polish
- Languages
- Polish
- Religion
- Catholicism
- Residence History
- Tuszyn → Warsaw → Łódź area → Near Koluszki (worked as a gateman) → Lipce (Lipce Reymontowskie) → Kołaczkowo → Zakopane → France (residence/treatment) → Near Poznań (owned property)
Career
- Occupations
- novelist, writer, short story writer, actor (early), tailor (apprentice, early)
- Active Years
- 1896-1924
- Affiliations
- Associated with the Polish People's Party 'Piast' (welcomed at a farmers' meeting in 1925)
- Memberships
- Connected with the Polish People's Party (Piast)
- Influenced By
- Naturalism / Realism traditions, Contemporaries of the Young Poland movement (e.g. Stefan Żeromski), His mother's storytelling and local oral culture
- Influenced
- 20th-century Polish writers, Film directors (influence through adaptations such as The Promised Land and The Peasants), Traditions of socially engaged realism in literature
- Nominations
- Nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature by Anders Österling (1924)
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vocational training (tailoring) | — | — | — | 1880s | Poland (then part of the Russian Empire) |
Vocational training (tailoring)
Period:
1880s
Year of Graduation:
1885
Country:
Poland (then part of the Russian Empire)
Completed journeyman tailor examination; only formal vocational qualification
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1924 | Nobel Prize in Literature | Chłopi (The Peasants) | — | Swedish Academy | winner |
Nobel Prize in Literature
1924
Work:
Chłopi (The Peasants)
Organization:
Swedish Academy
Result:
winner
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
Chłopi (The Peasants)
1909 Realism; epic rural novelA four-volume novel that portrays village life across the seasons, using dialect to depict customs, religious rites and social relations; contrasts the cyclical rhythms of rural community life with individual human dramas.
rural lifereligion and customscommunity vs individualcycles of nature
Adaptations
- [film] The Peasants (film) / E. Modzelewski / Jan Rybkowski (別版) (1973)
- [film] The Peasants (film, 1922) / E. Modzelewski (1922)
Translations
- English translation by Michael Henry Dziewicki (1924–1925)
- English translation by Anna Zaranko (2022)
Ziemia obiecana (The Promised Land)
1899 social novel; urban realismSet in the industrial city of Łódź, follows three ambitious youths (a Pole, a Jew and a German) and exposes the effects of industrialization, labor exploitation and social inequality.
industrializationsocial inequalitycritique of capitalism
Adaptations
- [film] The Promised Land (film, 1975) / Andrzej Wajda (1975)
- [film] The Promised Land (film, 1927) / A. Węgierski / Aleksander Hertz (1927)
Translations
- English translation by Michael Henry Dziewicki (1927)
Bunt (The Revolt / The Revolt of the Animals)
1924 satirical allegory / fableAn allegory of animals revolting and taking over a farm; a metaphor for how revolutionary ideals can degenerate into abuse and terror (an allegory of the 1917 Russian Revolution).
revolution and powerpolitical satire in allegorical form
Translations
- English translation by Charles S. Kraszewski (2022)
Komediantka (The Comédienne)
1896 social novelTells of a provincial girl who joins a traveling theatre troupe and finds intrigue and deceit rather than escape.
art and deceptionaspiration from provinces to the city
Translations
- English translation by Edmund Obecny (1920)
Bibliography
- A Pilgrimage to Jasna Góra (Pielgrzymka do Jasnej Góra) (1894)
- Komediantka (The Comédienne) (1896)
- Fermenty (Ferments) (1897)
- Ziemia obiecana (The Promised Land) (1899)
- Chłopi (The Peasants) (1904–1909)
- Wampir (The Vampire) (1911)
- Rok 1794 trilogy (1911–1917)
- Bunt (The Revolt) (1924)
Adaptations
- The Promised Land – film adaptations in 1927 and 1975 (directors: A. Węgierski / Aleksander Hertz; Andrzej Wajda)
- The Peasants – film adaptations in 1922 and 1973 (directors: E. Modzelewski; Jan Rybkowski)
Translations of Works
- Chłopi English translation by Michael Henry Dziewicki (1924–1925) and others
- The Promised Land English translation by Michael Henry Dziewicki (1927)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- realismelements of naturalismsymbolist elementsuse of local dialect in narration
- Recurring Motifs
- cycles of rural life and seasonssocial inequality and laborreligious rites and folkloreeffects of industrialization
Health
-
Serious injury from a railway accident (1900)1900–1904（執筆活動の一時中断）Treatment after the accident interrupted his writing; he later spent time in France for treatment. In later years a heart condition prevented him from attending the Nobel ceremony.
-
Heart condition (later years)1924–1925Health deterioration prevented him from attending the 1924 award ceremony; his condition worsened and he died in 1925.
Legacy
Władysław Reymont is a leading Polish realist writer known for his epic portrayals of rural life and social denunciation of urban industrialization. Nobel Prize laureate in 1924, he significantly influenced 20th-century Polish literature and film adaptations.
Museums
- Reymont Museum (Lipce Reymontowskie) Lipce Reymontowskie, Poland
Academic Societies
- Polish literary studies societies (various)
Archives
- Manuscripts and materials held in the National Library of Poland and other archives
In Popular Culture
- Film adaptations (The Promised Land, The Peasants, etc.), subjects of school curricula and literary studies
Quotes
-
“Chłopi (The Peasants) is a national epic.”
Source: Reference in the context of the 1924 Nobel Prize award (1924)
Trivia
- He was born with the surname Rejment and changed the spelling to Reymont upon beginning to publish.
- Severely injured in a railway accident in 1900, which affected his writing career.
- His book Bunt (The Revolt) was treated controversially under communist rule and faced restrictions between 1945 and 1989.
- An urn containing his heart was reportedly placed in a pillar at the Holy Cross Church in Warsaw.