Show A Prize Refused The Nobel prize has come to tobe tobe tobe be generally regarded as perhaps perhaps perhaps per per- haps the highest honor which can be bestowed in the areas of medicine science and the so- so called humanities EVEN TO be considered for forone forone forone one is viewed by most as a j rare privilege and honor To Tobe Tobe Tobe be actually chosen for the theaward theaward theaward award would for most be the ultimate accolade and the highpoint high ligh highpoint point of a lifetime But not so with Paul Jean Sartre the writer philosopher who won this years year's prize for literature HE TURNED it down with the explanation that acceptance would inhibit his freedom to express himself on West East-West cultural conflicts An apostle of the philosophical cal theory called existentialism existential existential- ism he argued that the world struggle should take place between between between be be- tween men and cultures without without without with with- out the intervention of institutions institutions institutions and that taking the Nobel Nobel Nobel No No- bel award would restrict his activities AT THE same time he made it clear that while his sympathies sympathies sympathies thies are on the side of socialism socialism socialism social social- ism he wouldn't accept the Soviet Soviet Soviet So So- viet Lenin prize either if it were offered Sartre rates a a 1 I award for independence and he also must be smart enough to know v his recent action brought him and existentialism a far greater value of return in publicity than was the monetary monetary monetary mon mon- value of the prize |