French literature awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, but he declined it, stating that "It is not the same thing if I sign Jean-Paul Sartre or if I sign Jean-Paul Sartre, Nobel Prize winner. A writer must refuse to allow himself to be transformed into an institution, even if it takes place in the most honorable form." For most of the 20th century, French authors had more Literature Nobel Prizes than those of any other nation. The following French or French language authors have won a Nobel Prize in Literature: French literature French literature is, generally speaking, literature written in the French
Man Booker International Prize was "fast becoming the more significant award, appearing an ever more competent alternative to the Nobel". In 2015 it was announced that the Independent Foreign Fiction Prize would be disbanded. The prize money from that award would be folded into the Man Booker International Prize, and the latter would become what the Independent prize used to be: a yearly book award for English translations, with the prize split between author and translator. Albanian novelist Ismail Kadare was named the inaugural International Prize winner in 2005. Head judge, Professor John Carey said Kadare is "a universal writer in the tradition of