Arena's Nobel Prize Winners

In celebration of Bob Dylan being awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, the critically-praised 2005 Arena, "No Direction Home", directed by Martin Scorsese, will be shown again on BBC Four on Friday 9 December 2016. Since the announcement last month, there has been much discussion and debate, with Dylan remaining characteristically quiet on the matter. "No Direction Home" is an irresistible demonstration of the depth and breadth of Dylan’s talent.

Dylan may be one of the most-debated Nobel recipients in recent history but he is far from the only Prize winner Arena has documented over the years; what better way to celebrate his becoming a Nobel laureate, than to take a look at some of the acclaimed names that have come before him.

T.S.ELIOT

First up is Eliot. Winning in 1948 for ‘his outstanding, pioneer contribution to present-day poetry’, Eliot remains one of the nation’s favourite poets. In his Nobel Lecture, Eliot wrote that ‘while language constitutes a barrier, poetry itself gives us a reason for trying to overcome the barrier’, going on to explain how different languages and poetic traditions nourish poems from other languages and traditions. His humane thesis was that poetry can contribute towards an ‘understanding between peoples’. His poems continue to stir and inspire, his unease at the tumult of post-war London striking a chord in troubled situations throughout the decades. In this clip from Arena’s 2009 film, Eliot reads from The Four Quartets.

WILLIAM GOLDING

Next is William Golding, whom the Noble Committee praised for ‘his novels, which with the perspicuity of realistic narrative art and the diversity and universality of myth, illuminate the human condition in the world of today’, something that rings as true today as it did 30 years ago. Golding’s most famous novel, Lord of the Flies, continues to horrify and engage. It is a staple on school reading lists, stirring up debate in the classroom, and prompting students to ask difficult questions about their own behaviour. Although the establishment now recognise Golding as part of the British canon, at the time his inclusion was controversial, as seen in this clip from 'The Dreams of William Golding', originally broadcast in 2012.

DEREK WALCOTT

Derek Walcott’s explorations of post-colonial Caribbean identity have helped make him one of the most widely-praised poets alive today. Walcott’s epic poem Omeros echoes and takes ownership of Homer, with the author himself appearing as a character. Like Eliot, Walcott’s poetry contains many voices, with no one character taking precedence. Walcott’s Nobel Prize was awarded for his poetry, ‘the outcome of a multicultural commitment’, something clearly demonstrated in Arena’s eponymous film from 1993, as Walcott discusses the authority of Western culture.

DARIO FO

Don McLean characterized Dylan as ‘The Jester’ in his hit song American Pie, but Dario Fo is arguably more deserving of the title. Awarded the Nobel for being a writer and performer ‘who emulates the jesters of the Middle Ages in scourging authority and upholding the dignity of the downtrodden’. Embracing the commedia dell’arte tradition with his bold, inventive plays, Fo delighted and horrified generations of theatre-goers – and his fair share of political and religious leaders. In this clip from the controversial 'Morte e Resurezione di un Pupazzo', a mischievous Fo bemoans the unpredictability of miracles.

V.S. NAIPAUL

The Nobel Prize was not without its downsides for Naipaul, whose wife commented that the reception of the award had made him an old man, because there was no longer a pinnacle left to strive for. The Nobel committee commented that Naipaul’s works ‘compel us to see the presence of suppressed histories’, and his vast oeuvre – over 30 works of both non-fiction and fiction – consistently challenge and discomfit, as does the man himself!

HAROLD PINTER

Pinter’s plays are often described as comedies of menace, chilling explorations of the everyday. Pinter’s 2005 Nobel Lecture advocated for the continuous pursuit of truth in art, and decried the deceit of political language. His explicit critique of American international policy, particularly those of the Reagan and Bush administrations, fuelled fierce global debate. Unflinchingly political, a keen observer of our society’s most uncomfortable truths, in 'Harold Pinter: Celebration', the playwright ruminates on what politicians are like once they’re alone.

NELSON MANDELA

And finally, a man who needs no introduction…