Dr. Salar Othman
People around the world have spoken a great deal about the Nobel Prize, while we Kurds have discussed it much less. Perhaps many people still do not know why this prize was originally established. Therefore, it is worth briefly telling the story behind the creation of the Nobel Prize, especially since this year’s Nobel Prize in Literature was awarded to Anne Carson, the 76-year-old Canadian writer, poet and translator.
On October 8, 2026, Carson surprised the world when the Swedish Academy in Stockholm awarded her the prize in recognition of her bold and creative works, which have given modern literature a new form through a playful dialogue with ancient classics.
Carson, who has taught ancient Greek at Princeton University and the University of Michigan, was born in Toronto in 1950. She is known for major works such as Autobiography of Red (1998), Eros the Bittersweet, and Men in the Off Hours. Her writing offers a modern combination of poetry, essays and translations of works by Sappho and Sophocles.
When she was in Iceland and received a congratulatory phone call, she responded with her usual simple and natural manner, saying, “I’m listening to the wind.” Expressing her disbelief at receiving the prize, she also said, “I think they’re all crazy.”
With this achievement, Carson became the second Canadian writer to reach this highest level of literary recognition, following Alice Munro in 2013.
The story behind the Nobel Prize
Alfred Nobel was a Swedish inventor best known for inventing dynamite. When his brother died, a newspaper mistakenly published an obituary about Alfred himself, announcing, “A businessman has died!” The newspaper also described him as the “merchant of death.”
Alfred Nobel, who lived from 1833 to 1896, was deeply upset and angered by this false and misleading news. As a result, he decided to do something that would help prevent lies, deception and misinformation.
He came up with the idea of setting aside part of his enormous fortune in his will to establish a prize. The prize would be awarded every year to the greatest inventors and individuals whose work benefited humanity.
This is how the prize was established and named the Nobel Prize. The first Nobel Prizes were awarded in 1901.
About the Nobel Prize
The Nobel Prize is one of the world’s greatest and most prestigious international awards in literature, science and peace. It includes a gold medal, a diploma and a cash award, which this year has reached 12 million Swedish kronor, approximately $1.2 million.
One of the conditions for receiving the prize is that the winner must be alive. It is not awarded to people who have died, except when a person dies after being officially announced as a winner.
This prestigious prize is presented to the winners every year on December 10, the anniversary of Alfred Nobel’s death, not his birthday.
According to the philosophy behind the prize, winning a Nobel Prize means reaching the highest level of achievement in one’s field.
Finally, we must say that lies, mistakes, deception and attempts to damage people’s reputations have become part of everyday life. Unfortunately, this problem has not yet been properly addressed in Kurdistan, where it continues to spread like poison.
The relevant authorities must take action through laws and appropriate measures to put an end to this poison and dangerous social problem.