Abstrakt: | The paper discusses selected reactions to the Nobel Prize for Literature
awarded to Olga Tokarczuk. The author focuses on the dispute about the legitimacy
and justification of the Swedish Academy’s decision, highlighting the sceptical opinions,
in some cases challenging the Academy’s members’ verdict. Referring to a book
by James F. English on cultural prizes, the author recalls the role of public controversies
as an essential tool of influencing the general public. He also compares the situation
of two winners of the Nobel Prize in Literature (Olga Tokarczuk – for 2018, Peter
Handke – for 2019), announced on the same day. Concluding, the author seeks to
present the most important aspects of the dispute on the position and influence of
Tokarczuk’s literary output. |