Sully Prudhomme, the French essayist and poet in 1901, had the honour of winning the first Nobel Prize in Literature.
Born on the 16th March 1839, in Paris, little is recorded about his upbringing, but it is known that he was originally studying engineering but he changed streams and studied philosophy instead. He had already begun writing poetry as a student, and his debut came in 1865.
Much of his work demonstrated a sometimes sentimental, and certainly personal, style with a heavy leaning towards his interests in philosophy and all things scientific.
He received the Nobel Prize for Literature in special recognition of his poetic composition, which gives evidence of artistic perfection and a rare combination of the qualities of both heart and intellect. Sully Prudhomme died in1907.