Robert A. Mundell delivering his banquet speech. © The Nobel Foundation 1999. Photo: H. Pettersson.
Two Minutes with Wits
Speeches with a personal touch
One
unexpected duty that new Nobel Laureates may find awaiting them during
the Nobel Week in Stockholm is the requirement to give an after-dinner
speech at the Nobel Banquet on 10 December. These speeches, taking no
more than two to three minutes, are traditionally delivered by just one
of the Laureates from each category.
The archive of these banquet
speeches is a treasure-trove, offering insights into the personality of
the Laureates and wide-ranging reflections on their works, the Nobel
Prize and its meaning. Robert Mundell, Laureate in Economic Sciences
1999, even gave his message in a song.
 Watch Robert Mundell |
|
"You will be dead before you get there"
Ada
Yonath, awarded the 2009 Chemistry Prize for uncovering the structure
of the ribosome, described in her speech the predictions she met from
other scientists during her research work.
Watch Ada Yonath |
Ada Yonath.
|
|
|
J. M. Coetzee.
|
"Mommy, Mommy, I won a prize!" "That's wonderful, my dear. Now eat your carrots before they get cold."
J. M. Coetzee, Literature Laureate 2003, took the opportunity to remember his parents in his banquet speech.
Watch J. M. Coetzee |
|
|
"Find passion in your work"
2005
Medicine Laureate Barry Marshall, one of two researchers who discovered
that peptic ulcer is caused by a bacterial infection of the stomach,
gave advice to aspiring scientists in his speech.
Watch Barry Marshall |
Barry Marshall.
|
|
|
Orhan Pamuk.
|
"Literature is about happiness"
Orhan
Pamuk, Literature Laureate 2006, tried to answer the question 'Why do
you write' and talked about keeping the child in you alive.
Watch Orhan Pamuk |
|
|
"Time was to stop for me during this Nobel week"
The mood in the hall raised when V.S. Naipaul, Literature Laureate 2001, recalled what happened on his way to Stockholm.
Watch V.S. Naipaul |
V.S. Naipaul.
|
|
|
Monthly Quiz
The dinner of the year
In
recent years, each Banquet dinner has been a gastronomically enjoyable
experience. Its guiding principle is that the menus should have a touch
of Scandinavia. The menu is held secret until 7 p.m. on the same day it
will be served, but up to 2001 you could be sure of one thing – the
dessert. What did it consist of? Make a guess and click to submit your
answer.
|
|
|
 |
Ice cream
