The Nobel Prize in Literature was first awarded in 1901.
The inaugural laureate was French poet Sully Prudhomme, whose full name was René François Armand Prudhomme. He received the prize for his poetic idealism, artistic quality, and combination of intellectual and emotional qualities.
The prize began according to Alfred Nobel’s will, signed in 1895. Nobel directed that part of his fortune should fund annual prizes for achievements benefiting humanity, including one for literature. The first awards were presented in 1901, five years after Nobel’s death.
The Nobel Prize in Literature is one of the original five Nobel Prizes. The Swedish Academy selects the literature laureate, while the Nobel Foundation administers the prize. The award has sometimes been postponed or left unawarded, but its inaugural year remains 1901.