Who was the first person awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature posthumously?

The first person awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature posthumously was Erik Axel Karlfeldt.

Karlfeldt, a Swedish poet, won the 1931 Nobel Prize in Literature after his death. He died in Stockholm on 8 April 1931, and the prize was awarded later that year for “The poetry of Erik Axel Karlfeldt.” His work drew heavily on the landscapes, traditions and speech of Dalarna, the Swedish region where he grew up.

Karlfeldt was not only a poet but also a major figure in Sweden’s literary establishment. He joined the Swedish Academy in 1904 and became its permanent secretary in 1912. His poetry collections included Fridolins visor, Flora och Pomona and Hösthorn. The recurring figure Fridolin served as a kind of poetic alter ego.

His award is also historically unusual because Nobel rules now generally prohibit posthumous prizes. The statutes were changed in 1974, although a person can still receive a prize if they are alive when announced and die before the ceremony. Karlfeldt is sometimes confused with posthumous laureates in other Nobel categories, such as Dag Hammarskjöld, but Karlfeldt was the first in Literature.