Nobel Prize in Literature our age". Steinbeck himself, when asked if he deserved the Nobel on the day of the announcement, replied: "Frankly, no." In 2012 (50 years later), the Nobel Prize opened its archives and it was revealed that Steinbeck was a "compromise choice" among a shortlist consisting of Steinbeck, British authors Robert Graves and Lawrence Durrell, French dramatist Jean Anouilh and Danish author Karen Blixen. The declassified documents showed that he was chosen as the best of a bad lot: "There aren't any obvious candidates for the Nobel prize and the prize committee is in an unenviable situation," wrote committee member Henry
Miguel Ángel Asturias National Prize in Literature Miguel Ángel Asturias National Prize in Literature The Miguel Ángel Asturias National Prize in Literature (officially in Spanish language: "Premio Nacional de Literatura "Miguel Ángel Asturias"") is the most important literary award in Guatemala. Sometimes referred to as the "National Literary Prize", it is dedicated to the memory of the Guatemalan writer, statesman, and Nobel Prize winner Miguel Ángel Asturias and is a one-time only award that recognizes an individual writer's body of work. The Guatemalan National Prize in Literature has been given annually since 1988 by the Ministerio de Cultura y Deportes (Ministry of Culture and Sports) at ceremonies