Doodle Celebrating Grazia Deledda Italian Winner Nobel Prize for literature, Who Is She?

The story of Grazia Deledda, the most famous Sardinian writer in the world and the only Italian to win the Nobel Prize for literature in 1926 after Carducci and even before Pirandello.

91 years ago, in the cold Stockholm, the warm voice of a small Italian woman marks a memorable speech, that of thanks for the Nobel Prize for literature.

That woman was Grazia Deledda and her words began like this: "I was born in Sardinia; my family [is] composed of wise people, but also of violent and productive artists ».

That speech (see video at the end of the page) is perhaps the culmination of the poetic story of Grazia Deledda, an intense and fruitful writer whose fame, in the last century, spread throughout the world. A disruptive figure especially considering the fact that it came from a land and lived in an era that did not reward female ambition.

Although rather sparse of events, Grazia Deledda's life was however particularly fruitful from a literary point of view. She was born in Nuoro on September 28, 1871, the fifth of seven sons and daughters of a wealthy family. After attending schools until the fourth grade, Grazia Deledda continued her studies with a tutor since at the time, even in Sardinia, girls did not attend high school. In fact, his training, especially literary, was self-taught.

Of a quiet and restrained character, his youth was marked by a series of very painful family tragedies: his older brother, Santus, abandoned his studies and became an alcoholic, the youngest, Andrea, was arrested for petty thefts. His father died of a heart attack when Grazia Deledda was only 21 and the family had to face financial difficulties. Four years later, her sister Vincenza also died.

In the meantime, however, the young Sardinian had started to write. He published his first novel in 1886, at the age of fifteen, on a Nuorese newspaper. Two years later he began to collaborate with various other newspapers and magazines, first Sardinian and then Roman, of no particular stature. Then slowly, it begins to become more known and appreciated.

Although rather sparse of events, Grazia Deledda's life was however particularly fruitful from a literary point of view. She was born in Nuoro on September 28, 1871, the fifth of seven sons and daughters of a wealthy family. After attending schools up to the fourth grade, Grazia Deledda

What's Doodle says: When Grazia Deledda submitted a short story to a fashion magazine at the age of 13, she could not have known she was setting the stage for a decades-long career and a Nobel Prize. Today’s Doodle celebrates her accomplishments as one of Italy’s great authors.

As a female writer in the late 19th century, Deledda faced her own challenges as well. Her formal education ended at age 11, and she relied on private lessons and self-study in order to further her craft. Her work, which often touched on themes like temptation and sin — was often criticized by those in her traditional hometown, despite the inspiration she drew from the region.

These obstacles didn’t sway her though, and Deledda continued to produce many highly praised works. In 1926, she was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature, making her the first Italian woman and the fourth woman ever to receive a Nobel Prize.

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