Austrian novelist wins Nobel Prize
Elfriede Jelinek is best known for 'The Piano Teacher'
STOCKHOLM, Sweden -- Elfriede Jelinek, an Austrian novelist and playwright, has won the Nobel Prize in literature -- the first woman in eight years to be given the honor.
The Swedish Academy, in announcing its decision Thursday in Stockholm, praised the 57-year-old Jelinek "for her musical flow of voices and counter-voices in novels and plays that with extraordinary linguistic zeal reveal the absurdity of society's cliches and their subjugating power."
Her novels, written in German, have been translated into 18 languages.
Jelinek, who was born in the Austrian town of Murzzuschlag in 1946, published her first work -- the collection "Lisas Schatten" -- in 1967.
In the 1970s, Jelinek became involved in the student movement and those experiences led to the satirical novel "Wir sind Lockvoegel, Baby" ("We Are Decoys, Baby!") .
Her other works included "Die Liebhaberinnen" in 1975 ("Women as Lovers," translated in 1990); "Die Ausgesperrten" in 1980 ("Wonderful, Wonderful Times," 1994); "Die Klavierspielerin" in 1983 ("The Piano Teacher," 1988); "Lust" in 1989 ("Lust," same year ); and "Die Kinder der Toten" in 1995 ("Children of the Dead").
"The Piano Teacher" was made into a film in 2001 by director Michael Haneke.
Female sexuality -- the theme of the film and book -- featured strongly in many of Jelinek's works. She also focused on sexual abuse and the conflict between the sexes.
Jelinek told The Associated Press in Vienna she would not attend the ceremony in Stockholm because she suffers from "a social phobia."
Although happy about the prize, she said "I can't stand" the attention that comes with it. With her phone and doorbell constantly ringing, Jelinek said her plans for the coming days were simply "to disappear."
The Swedish Academy said in its citation: "Her writing builds on a lengthy Austrian tradition of linguistically sophisticated social criticism, with precursors such as Johann Nepomuk Nestroy, Karl Kraus, Odon von HorvÄath, Elias Canetti, Thomas Bernhard and the Wiener Group.
"The nature of Jelinek's texts is often hard to define. They shift between prose and poetry, incantation and hymn, they contain theatrical scenes and filmic sequences."
Jelinek, who lives in Vienna and Munich, told AP: "When I write, I have always tried to be on the side of the weak. The side of the powerful is not literature's side."
She is just the ninth female writer to win the Nobel Prize -- which carries with it a sum of $1.3 million -- since it was first handed out in 1901.
The last women to take the top honor was Polish poet Wislawa Szymborska, who was selected in 1996.
The 18 lifetime members of the 218-year-old Swedish Academy include only four women.
Winning the Nobel Prize in literature is one of the highest honors for a writer. For authors whose works are not widely translated, it opens doors to new markets and sales.
Copyright 2004 CNN. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Associated Press contributed to this report.
