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Nobel Prize in Literature, 2009
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Herta Muller, a Romanian-born German novelist, poet and essayist has won the 2009 Nobel Prize for Literature.
The Swedish Academy, which decides the winner of the 10 million Swedish crown (£900,000) prize, recognised Muller, 56, for her ability to depict “with the concentration of poetry and the frankness of prose ... the landscape of the dispossessed”.
She is best known for describing the harsh conditions suffered in Romania under the totalitarian rule of the late communist dictator Nicolae Ceaucescu. She began work as a translator but was reportedly sacked after refusing to co-operate with the country’s notorious secret police.
Under Ceaucescu’s regime she became a dissident writer and vocal critic of the authorities.
She made her literary debut in 1982 with a collection of short stories titled Niederungen, which was promptly censored by the Romanian government. In 1984 an uncensored version was published in Germany and her work depicting life in a small, German-speaking village in Romania was devoured by readers.
That work was followed by Oppressive Tango in Romania.
She left the country with her husband in 1987.
The Nobel Prize - the legacy of the 19th century tycoon Alfred Nobel - was announced in Stockholm, the latest in a week of awards. On Friday the Nobel jury will award the 2009 Peace Prize.
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