6th October, 2014
The winner of the Nobel Literature Prize will be announced on Thursday, October 9, the Swedish Academy said on Monday.
Its permanent secretary Peter Englund will make the much-awaited announcement in Stockholm at 1:00 pm (1100 GMT).
The date for the literature prize is revealed only a few days in advance but is generally the first Thursday of Nobel week, while the dates for the other prizes are known several months ahead of time.
The Nobel season kicked off Monday with the announcement of the medicine prize, and will be followed by the physics prize on Tuesday and chemistry on Wednesday.
The peace prize winner is scheduled to be announced on Friday, and the economics prize on Monday, October 13.
In line with tradition, the Swedish academy gave no indication of its choice for the literature prize.
It never reveals the names it is considering, and its deliberations are sealed for 50 years.
This year’s favourites include often touted Japanese author Haruki Murakami — with betting agent Ladbrokes offering 5/1 odds — and Belarussian writer Svetlana Alexievich, another regular favourite among Nobel pundits.
Stockholm-based literary critics also suggested it was time for the academy to award an African writer such as Kenyan novelist Ngugi wa Thiong’o or the Somali author Nuruddin Farah.