Svetlana Alexievich, who chronicled the Chernobyl disaster, wins Nobel for literature
Belarusian journalist Svetlana Alexievich, 67, was awarded the 2015 Nobel Prize in Literature on Thursday "for her polyphonic writings, a monument to suffering and courage in our time," the Swedish Academy announced on Thursday. Her notable works in English include a book of first-hand accounts about the Soviet-Afghan war, Zinky Boys; War's Unwomanly Face, for which she interviewed over 200 women about the Second World War; and the expansive oral history of the Chernobyl disaster, Voices from Chernobyl, for which she has also won the National Book Critics Circle Award:
"I've been searching for a genre that would be most adequate to my vision of the world to convey how my ear hears and my eyes see life," Alexievich writes in her biography on her website. "I tried this and that and finally I chose a genre where human voices speak for themselves."
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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
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