A Flair for Victory: Latin America and the Nobel Prize story in the July 2010 Issue of Explore TACA

A Flair for Victory: Latin America and the Nobel Prize

By Aurora Jones

The Nobel Prize may not be as “explosive” as that other invention by Swede Alfred Nobel—dynamite—but it still causes quite a spark. Every year, countries from around the world vie for the most coveted award in the world for achievements in peace, literature, medicine, chemistry, physics, and economics. Latin America has proudly brought home the prize in all but the last two, spreading the honor throughout South America, Central America and Mexico.

The prize itself, which has been awarded every year since 1901, consists of a medal, a diploma and a monetary sum, but the prestige that comes with it is priceless. No other recognition brings such admiration and praise to the talent and efforts of a person, and it’s through the Nobel Prize that Latin America has seen some of its brightest and most dedicated minds bring home the glory of worldwide acknowledgment and respect.

The Peacekeepers
The Nobel Committee explains its definition of the Nobel Peace Prize in the following manner: “A prerequisite for lasting peace is the realization of democratic ideals, with freedom and equality for all.” Their choices for the Nobel Peace Prize are guided by these tenets and the belief that one person making a positive difference is a lesson applicable to every country.

Over the years, many Latin Americans have been the ones making that “positive difference.” For instance, in 1936, Argentine Carlos Saavedra Lamas was the first Latin American to win. In several political posts and finally as foreign minister of Argentina, Saavedra Lamas helped end the Chaco War between Paraguay and Bolivia, drafted several international agreements and got his country to re-join the League of Nations.

In 1984, the Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded the same prize to Adolfo Pérez Esquivel, an Argentine architect who ran the Servicio de Paz y Justicia organization, which works to promote fundamental human rights.

Mexico’s Alfonso García Robles, an attorney with a long career in foreign affairs, had an active role in disarmament negotiations within the United Nations, for which he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1982.

Former Costa Rican President Oscar Arias Sánchez won in 1987 for his committed struggle for peace in Central America.

Another winner, Rigoberta Menchu Tum, was bestowed the coveted award in 1992 for her tireless efforts to improve the rights and living conditions of Indian peasants in Guatemala.

The Scientists
And what of the natural sciences? Although the prizes have not been as forthcoming in this area, there are several standouts whose research has benefited humanity.

Bernardo Houssay was an Argentine who made key discoveries about the conditions that produce diabetes, and his efforts won him the Nobel Prize for Medicine in 1947.

Houssay’s countryman Luis Leloir won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1970 for his work isolating various sugar nucleotides and their fundamental role in the breakdown of carbohydrates.

In 1984, yet another Argentine, César Milstein, and two other researchers from Denmark and Germany, won the prize for medicine for their pioneering studies in immunology, which uncovered the way in which the human body’s defenses work against disease.

In 1995, Mexico’s Mario J. Molina was recognized, along with two other colleagues, for his work in atmospheric chemistry. It is largely due to their efforts that we are now able to understand the effect of emissions on the Earth’s ozone layer and its adverse effect on global environment.

The Wordsmiths
Latin American winners of the Nobel Prize in Literature have had at least one thing in common: a knack for introspective study and cultural hyper-awareness.

The first Latin American to win the Nobel Prize in Literature was a woman: Lucila Godoy y Alcayaga, better known as Gabriela Mistral. The Chilean poet received the prize in 1945, according to the Norwegian Nobel Committee, "for her lyric poetry which, inspired by powerful emotions, has made her name a symbol of the idealistic aspirations of the entire Latin American world."

Guatemala’s Miguel Angel Asturias became a winner in 1967 with scathing commentaries on dictatorship and oppressive political systems while celebrating Central American traditions and national identity.

In 1971, another Chilean poet, Pablo Neruda, was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature. Neruda’s amazing body of work includes captivating love poetry and verses about the sociopolitical development of Latin America.

Colombian novelist and journalist Gabriel García Márquez, who made magical realism a household term, won in 1982. This master storyteller infuses Latin American reality with his ferocious imagination, creating a style that has influenced a generation of writers in the region.

The last Nobel Prize in Literature to be bestowed upon a Latin American went to Mexican poet, essayist and critic Octavio Paz in 1990. During a brilliant career that spanned almost 60 years, Paz’s work included lush, intricate poems and penetrating essays on Mexican identity that to this day are still studied in universities.

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