| Year | Name of Award Winner |
| -------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| 2011 | THOMAS TRANSTROMER |
| 2010 | MARIO VARGAS LLOSA |
| 2009 | HERTA MÜLLER |
| 2008 | JEAN-MARIE GUSTAVE LE CLÉZIO |
| 2007 | DORIS LESSING |
| 2006 | ORHAN PAMUK |
| 2005 | HAROLD PINTER |
| 2004 | ELFRIEDE JELINEK |
| 2003 | JOHN MAXWELL COETZEE |
| 2002 | IMRE KERTÉSZ |
| 2001 | V.S. NAIPAUL |
| 2000 | GAO XINJIAN |
| 1999 | GUNTER GRASS |
| 1998 | JOSE SARAMAGO |
| 1997 | DARIO FO |
| 1996 | WISLAWA SZYMBORSKA |
| 1995 | SEAMUS HEANEY |
| 1994 | KENZABURO OE |
| 1993 | TONI MORRISON |
| 1992 | DEREK WALCOTT |
| 1991 | NADINE GORDIMER |
| 1990 | OCTAVIO PAZ |
| 1989 | CAMILO JOSÉ CELA |
| 1988 | NAGUIB MAHFOUZ |
| 1987 | JOSEPH BRODSKY |
| 1986 | WOLE SOYINKA |
| 1985 | CLAUDE SIMON |
| 1984 | JAROSLAV SEIFERT |
| 1983 | SIR WILLIAM GOLDING |
| 1982 | GARBRIEL GARCÍA MÁRQUEZ |
| 1981 | ELIAS CANETTI |
| 1980 | CZESLAW MILOSZ |
| 1979 | ODYSSEUS ELYTIS |
| 1978 | ISAAC BASHEVIS SINGER |
| 1977 | VICENTE ALEIXANDRE |
| 1976 | SAUL BELLOW |
| 1975 | EUGENIO MONTALE |
| 1974 | EYVIND JOHNSON |
| 1974 | HARRY MARTINSON |
| 1973 | PATRICK WHITE |
| 1972 | HEINRICH BÖLL |
| 1971 | PABLO NERUDA |
| 1970 | ALEKSANDR ISAEVICH SOLZHENITSYN |
| 1969 | SAMUEL BECKETT |
| 1968 | YASUNARI KAWABATA |
| 1967 | MIGUEL ANGEL ASTURIAS |
| 1966 | SHMUEL YOSEF AGNON |
| 1966 | NELLY SACHS |
| 1965 | MICHAIL ALEKSANDROVICH SHOLOKHOV |
| 1964 | JEAN-PAUL SARTRE |
| 1963 | GIORGOS SEFERIS |
| 1062 | JOHN STEINBECK |
| 1961 | IVO ANDRI´C |
| 1960 | SAINT-JOHN PERSE |
| 1959 | SALVATORE QUASIMODO |
| 1958 | BORIS LEONIDOVICH PASTERNAK |
| 1957 | ALBERT CAMUS |
| 1956 | UAN RAMÓN JIMÉNEZ |
| 1955 | HALLDÓR KILJAN LAXNESS |
| 1954 | ERNEST MILLER HEMINGWAY |
| 1953 | SIR WINSTON CHURCHILL |
| 1952 | FRANÇOIS MAURIAC |
| 1951 | PÄR FABIAN LAGERKVIST |
| 1950 | BERTRAND RUSSELL |
| 1949 | WILLIAM FAULKNER |
| 1948 | THOMAS STEARNS ELIOT |
| 1947 | ANDRÉ PAUL GUILLAUME GIDE |
| 1946 | HERMANN HESSE |
| 1945 | GABRIELA MISTRAL |
| 1944 | JOHANNES VILHELM JENSEN |
| 1943-1940 | NONE |
| 1939 | FRANS EEMIL SILLANPÄÄ |
| 1938 | PEARL BUCK |
| 1937 | ROGER MARTIN DU GARD |
| 1936 | EUGENE O'NEILL |
| 1935 | NONE |
| 1934 | LUIGI PIRANDELLO |
| 1933 | IVAN ALEKSEYEVICH BUNIN |
| 1932 | JOHN GALSWORTHY |
| 1931 | ERIK ALEL KARFELDT |
| 1930 | SINCLAIR LEWIS |
| 1929 | THOMAS MANN |
| 1928 | SIGRID UNDSET |
| 1927 | HENRI BERGSON |
| 1926 | GRAZIA DELEDDA |
| 1925 | GEORGE BERNARD SHAW |
| 1924 | WLADYSLAW STANISLAW REYMONT |
| 1923 | WILLIAM BUTLER YEATS |
| 1922 | JACINTO BENAVENTE |
| 1921 | ANATOLE FRANCE |
| 1920 | KNUT PEDERSEN HAMSUN |
| 1919 | CARL FRIEDRICH GEORG SPITTLER |
| 1918 | NONE |
| 1917 | KARL ADOLPH GJELLERUP |
| 1917 | HENRIK PONTOPPIDAN |
| 1916 | CARL GUSTAF VERNER VON HEIDENSTAM |
| 1915 | ROMAIN ROLLAND |
| 1914 | NONE |
| 1913 | RABINDRANATH TAGORE |
| 1912 | GERHART JOHANN ROBERT HAUPTMANN |
| 1911 | COUNT MAURICE (MOORIS) POLIDORE MARIE BERNHARD MAETERLINCK |
| 1910 | PAUL JOHANN LUDWIG HEYSE |
| 1909 | SELMA OTTILIA LOVISA LAGERLÖF |
| 1908 | RUDOLF CHRISTOPH EUCKEN |
| 1907 | RUDYARD KIPLING |
| 1906 | GIOSUÈ CARDUCCI |
| 1905 | HENRYK SIENKIEWICZ |
| 1904 | FRÉDÉRIC MISTRAL |
| 1904 | JOSÉ ECHEGARAY Y EIZAGUIRRE |
| 1903 | BJØRNSTJERNE MARTINUS BJØRNSON |
| 1902 | CHRISTIAN MATTHIAS THEODOR MOMMSEN |
| 1901 | SULLY PRUDHOMME |