Oe's works, including The Catch and A Personal Matter, were built from his childhood memories during Japan's postwar occupation and from being the parent of a disabled son.

India's Rabindranath Tagore was the first nonwhite writer to win the Nobel Prize in literature. His 1892 story, "The Kabuliwala," fostered empathy for migrants and refugees. It still resonates today.

Instead, most of the laureates are receiving their awards in their home countries because the pandemic has disrupted the ceremonies yet again.

The 2020 Nobel Prize in literature was awarded to U.S. poet Louise Glück "for her unmistakable poetic voice that with austere beauty makes individual existence universal."