Swiss · 1845–1924
Carl Spitteler won the 1919 Nobel Prize in Literature for his epic poem "Olympian Spring," which reimagined Greek mythology in modern psychological terms. The Swiss poet wrote in German but remained stubbornly outside German literary circles, pursuing his own vision of verse epic in an era that had largely abandoned the form. His neutrality essay during World War One cost him readers in Germany; the Nobel Prize restored his reputation. Spitteler's work demonstrates that ambitious poetry could survive the twentieth century's skepticism of grand narrative.