1997 Nobel Prize in Literature
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- 9 October 1997 (announcement)
- 10 December 1997
(ceremony)
 1997 Nobel Prize in Literature | |
|---|---|
| Dario Fo | |
 "who emulates the jesters of the Middle Ages in scourging authority and upholding the dignity of the downtrodden." | |
| Date |
|
| Location | Stockholm, Sweden |
| Presented by | Swedish Academy |
| First award | 1901 |
| Website | Official website |
The 1997 Nobel Prize in Literature was awarded to the Italian playwright and actor Dario Fo (1926–2016) "who emulates the jesters of the Middle Ages in scourging authority and upholding the dignity of the downtrodden."[1] Fo became the sixth Italian to be selected for the award since Eugenio Montale in 1975 and the first Italian playwright to be chosen since Luigi Pirandello in 1934.[2][3]
Dario Fo is one of modern political theater's leading figures whose works are based on medieval farce and the buffoonery of commedia dell'arte, and which were performed not only in the theater, but also in parks, prisons and schools. Fo was embroiled in many controversies in his native Italy – with the government, the police and the Catholic Church. His most performed plays include Morte accidentale di un anarchico ("Accidental Death of an Anarchist", 1970), Non Si Paga! Non Si Paga! ("Can't Pay? Won't Pay!", 1974), Coppia aperta ("The Open Couple", 1983), and Il Papa e la strega ("The Pope and the Witch", 1989).[4][5]
