William Faulkner's Acceptance Speech

Writer, William Faulkner, was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1949 and accepted the prestigious award in Stockholm a year later. Unlike prior recipients, Faulkner accepted the prize solely on behalf of his work, and directed his speech toward the youth of his day. At the height of the Cold War, Faulkner courageously defied the universal fear of nuclear annihilation that had come to dominate the time. Within his acceptance speech Faulkner fervently rebukes emotionless literature- encouraging writers to unlearn the constant fear of attack, and to return to incorporating the old universal truths in their writing. He goes on to explain that within the agony and sweat of the human spirit, a life’s work is created- a work that ceased to exist before;