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In October 1964 the French philosopher and writer Jean-Paul Sartre was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, and he turned it down. He said he refused all official honours, because a writer should not allow himself to be turned into an institution.

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Sartre (1905–1980) was the best-known voice of existentialism, the philosophy that people are free and must give their lives meaning through their own choices. The Swedish Academy praised his work as rich in ideas and filled with the spirit of freedom. A week before the prize was announced on 22 October 1964, Sartre had written to ask not to be chosen, but the decision had already been made. In a statement to the press he explained that he had also refused the Légion d'honneur, France's highest award, in 1945: a writer who accepts such honours becomes tied to the institution that gave them. The Academy replied that his refusal did not change the award, so he is still listed as a laureate, but no presentation took place. Only one other person has voluntarily declined a Nobel Prize: the Vietnamese politician Lê Đức Thọ, in 1973.

Türkçe oku
Fransız filozof ve yazar Jean-Paul Sartre, Ekim 1964'te kendisine verilen Nobel Edebiyat Ödülü'nü geri çevirdi. Resmî hiçbir onuru kabul etmediğini söyledi; ona göre bir yazar kurum hâline gelmemeliydi.

Sartre (1905-1980), varoluşçuluğun en tanınmış sesiydi. Varoluşçuluk, insanın özgür olduğunu ve hayatına anlamı kendi seçimleriyle verdiğini savunan felsefedir. İsveç Akademisi onun eserlerini fikir bakımından zengin ve özgürlük ruhuyla dolu bulmuştu. Ödül 22 Ekim 1964'te açıklandı. Sartre bir hafta önce Akademi'ye mektup yazıp seçilmemeyi istemişti, ama karar çoktan verilmişti. Basına yaptığı açıklamada, 1945'te Fransa'nın en yüksek nişanı Légion d'honneur'ü de geri çevirdiğini hatırlattı: Böyle bir onuru kabul eden yazar, onu veren kuruma bağlanmış olur. Akademi, reddin kararı değiştirmediğini bildirdi; bu yüzden Sartre bugün de Nobel sahipleri arasında sayılır, ama ödül ona hiçbir zaman takdim edilmedi. Nobel'i kendi isteğiyle geri çeviren bir kişi daha var: 1973 Barış Ödülü'nü reddeden Vietnamlı siyasetçi Lê Đức Thọ.

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Background reading: Jean-Paul Sartre
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