Swedish · 1891–1974
Pär Lagerkvist won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1951 for "the artistic vigour and true independence of mind with which he endeavours to find answers to the eternal questions." The Swedish author's "Barabbas" (1950) imagines the thief released instead of Christ, wandering through life unable to believe or disbelieve. "The Dwarf" (1944) is a Renaissance court seen through a malevolent dwarf's eyes. Lagerkvist's work is spare and allegorical.