The Nobel Prize in Literature winners of the 2000s
The top 3 according to 130 votes from people: Gao Xingjian · V. S. Naipaul · Imre Kertész. (Updated Jun 25, 2026.)
The ten writers awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature from 2000 to 2009.
Top 10
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1
Gao Xingjian
China/France, 2000. Novelist and playwright, author of Soul Mountain.
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2
V. S. Naipaul
Trinidad/United Kingdom, 2001. A House for Mr Biswas.
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3
Imre Kertész
Hungary, 2002. Fatelessness, about a teenager in the camps.
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4
J. M. Coetzee
South Africa, 2003. Disgrace and Waiting for the Barbarians.
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5
Harold Pinter
United Kingdom, 2005. The playwright of menacing pauses.
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6
Elfriede Jelinek
Austria, 2004. The Piano Teacher.
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7
Orhan Pamuk
Turkey, 2006. My Name Is Red and Istanbul.
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8
J. M. G. Le Clézio
France, 2008. Desert and the 'poetic adventure'.
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9
Doris Lessing
United Kingdom, 2007. The Golden Notebook; at 88, the oldest laureate at the time.
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10
Herta Müller
Germany, 2009. Life under Ceaușescu's dictatorship.
How is this ranking ordered? By people's votes: each ▲ adds a point and each ▼ takes one away. Anyone can vote and add what is missing.
Is something missing?
Comments (3)
Doris Lessing found out she won while getting out of a taxi, the video is iconic 😂
Coetzee's Disgrace, devastating.
Orhan Pamuk's My Name Is Red is one of my favourite books ever.