2005 Nobel Prize in Literature

The 2005 Nobel Prize in Literature has been awarded to Harold Pinter. The prize was announced by the Swedish Academy in Stockholm on 13 October 2005.

The citation

The citation reads: "who in his plays uncovers the precipice under everyday prattle and forces entry into oppression's closed rooms".

The laureate

Harold Pinter was born in 1930 in London, United Kingdom.

Why it matters

The British playwright, born in Hackney in 1930, is known for plays including The Birthday Party, The Caretaker and Betrayal. His work is famous for its pauses and menacing silences.

The prize

The prize is worth 10 million Swedish kronor. It will be presented at a ceremony in Stockholm on 10 December, the anniversary of the death of Alfred Nobel, the Swedish inventor of dynamite whose will founded the prizes in 1895.