The 2011 Nobel Prize for Literature has been won by Swedish poet Tomas Tranströmer.
The Nobel Academy says he was awarded the prize for his condensed, translucent images, which it says give fresh access to reality.
Critics have described Tomas Tranströmer's poems as secular prayers which are mystical, versatile and sad.
The 80-year-old suffered a stroke in 1990 that affected his speech and movement but not the power of his writing.
As well as being popular in Sweden, his collections of poetry have been translated into more than 60 languages, Reuters reports.
It is the first time since 1974 a Swede has won literature's most prestigious award. The literature prize is worth worth 10 million kroner.
