Since 1901, the
Nobel Prize in Literature has been awarded annually to an author from any country who has, in the words of the will of
Alfred Nobel, produced "in the field of literature the most outstanding work in an ideal direction" (original Swedish:
den som inom litteraturen har producerat det mest framstående verket i en idealisk riktning). Though individual works are sometimes cited as being particularly noteworthy, here "work" refers to an author's work as a whole. The
Swedish Academy decides who, if anyone, will receive the prize in any given year. The academy announces the name of the chosen laureate in early October. It is one of the five
Nobel Prizes established by the will of Alfred Nobel in 1895; the others are the
Nobel Prize in Chemistry,
Nobel Prize in Physics,
Nobel Peace Prize, and
Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.