S. Y. Agnon in 1921. File photo, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
1966Nobel Prizes
S. Y. Agnon wins the Nobel Prize in Literature for stories of Jewish life.
In 1966 the prize recognises narrative art written in Hebrew, and he shares it with the poet Nelly Sachs.
The story in numbers.
78
years old when he won
SourceNobelPrize.org
11
years in Germany, 1913 to 1924
SourceNobelPrize.org
12
of the prize, shared with Nelly Sachs
SourceNobelPrize.org
Here is how it happened.
1907
A young writer from Galicia settles in Jaffa.
Born in Buczacz, in today's Ukraine, he leaves home in 1907. His first works are published while he is still a teenager.
SourceNobelPrize.org
1924
A fire in Germany destroys his manuscripts.
After years in Germany, the family returns to Palestine when a fire destroys their home, his manuscripts and his book collection. He refers to the loss in his writing from time to time.
SourceNobelPrize.org
1945
His novels portray Jewish life in Galicia and among the early settlers.
The Bridal Canopy re-creates the world of the Hasidim. Only Yesterday, published in 1945, follows the early pioneer immigrants.
SourceNobelPrize.org
Nelly Sachs adjusts Agnon's bow tie before the Nobel festivities. File photo by AnonymousUnknown author, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
1966
Agnon shares the Nobel Prize in Literature with Nelly Sachs.
The prize cites his “profoundly characteristic narrative art with motifs from the life of the Jewish people”. His language is Hebrew.
SourceNobelPrize.org
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More pictures from this story.
S. Y. Agnon at his home in Jerusalem, 1966. File photo by Israeli GPO photographer, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
S. Y. Agnon at his home in Jerusalem, 1966
Here is why it matters.
His stories deal with the conflict between Jewish tradition and the modern world. NobelPrize.org calls him one of the central figures of modern Hebrew fiction.
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1994
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Daniel Kahneman. File photo by nrkbeta, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
2002
Tel Aviv-born Daniel Kahneman wins the Nobel Prize in Economics.
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Where each fact was read.
Sources read on 1 November 2026.