Nobel Prize Conversations

“They're probably hoping I'll cancel the exam.” – Michael Woodford was scheduled to be setting his economics students an exam on the morning of October 12th, when he was woken by a call from Stockholm at 4:30am. Just after listening to the announcement of the 2026 prize in economic sciences, Woodford spoke to the Nobel Prize's Adam Smith about his feelings for the prize. He praised his co-laureate Robert E. Hall and explained why he admires the Swedish economist Knut Wicksell.© Nobel Prize Outreach.First reactions terms of use: https://www.nobelprize.org/ceremonies/streams-terms-of-use

In this call with the Nobel Prize soon after the announcement, Pillay says she feels overwhelmed about being a Nobel Peace Prize laureate. “A total surprise, I’m deeply honoured and touched.” – Navi Pillay received the news about her 2026 peace prize at an international conference in the Nuremberg Palace of Justice – more specifically in the famous Courtroom 600 where the WWII war criminals trials took place. Pillay was greeted with a standing ovation that she says she will never forget. In this call with the Nobel Prize soon after the announcement, Pillay says she feels overwhelmed about being a Nobel Peace Prize laureate. “I know it’s a personal award, but for me, it’s for all the institutions I served on as well, all the people I worked for.”© Nobel Prize Outreach.First reactions terms of use: https://www.nobelprize.org/ceremonies/streams-terms-of-use

“Start in the middle, I always say” – Anne Carson was sweeping the kitchen floor at her home in Reykjavík, Iceland, when the phone rang and she learned that she had been awarded the 2026 Nobel Prize in Literature. “It seems a little insane,” Carson says in this conversation with the Nobel Prize just moments after the announcement. She also reveals that she has already started planning how to give away the prize money, shares advice for aspiring writers, and offers a tip for anyone curious about her work: “Find the middle and start there.” © Nobel Prize Outreach.First reactions terms of use: https://www.nobelprize.org/ceremonies/streams-terms-of-use

"I'm very excited to hear the news. Good news. Very good news." – In this brief conversation, recorded shortly after the announcement of his Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Kenso Soai speaks of how happy he is to have his group's work recognised. He tells the Nobel Prize's Adam Smith how the search for the foundations of homochirality is a problem first posed by Louis Pasteur, and how much pleasure he takes in sharing these ongoing explorations with scientific friends around the world.© Nobel Prize Outreach.First reactions terms of use: https://www.nobelprize.org/ceremonies/streams-terms-of-use

"In retrospect, the most amazing thing is that we got funded for this project." – Francis Halzen recalls greeting each milestone in the creation of the massive IceCube neutrino detector under the South Pole not with pride, but with surprise. In this conversation with the Nobel Prize's Adam Smith, recorded just after Halzen had learnt of his 2026 Nobel Prize in Physics, he speaks about the fruitful collaboration with the technical teams that built the detector. He also speculates on how neutrino astronomy promises to open up new, quite unexpected insights into super high energy processes occurring far away in space, and far back in time.© Nobel Prize Outreach.First reactions terms of use: https://www.nobelprize.org/ceremonies/streams-terms-of-use

"Call me back, I have something important for you." – Belatedly recognising the Swedish prefix to the number he was asked to dial, Peter Hegemann called back to discover that he had been awarded the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. Here, in this conversation with the Nobel Prize's Adam Smith, he speaks about the pleasure of sharing the award with friends, the value of true curiosity about what nature has to offer, and the unexpected places such inquisitiveness can take you.© Nobel Prize Outreach.First reactions terms of use: https://www.nobelprize.org/ceremonies/streams-terms-of-use

“I didn't expect this, really... I thought it's still too early to get this prize in medicine optogenetics.” – Georg Nagel's surprise upon learning that he was to be awarded the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was evident. He received the news in Italy on a sun-drenched terrace, overlooking olive trees. In this brief conversation with the Nobel Prize's Adam Smith, he shares his joy on receiving the prize and reflects on the key research moment leading to the development of optogenetics.© Nobel Prize Outreach.First reactions terms of use: https://www.nobelprize.org/ceremonies/streams-terms-of-use

"So much mystery now finally seems on the brink of elucidation." – Karl Deisseroth was working on a paper, late into the night, and had just gone to bed when the call came from Stockholm breaking the news that he had been awarded the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. In this interview with the Nobel Prize's Adam Smith, recorded while the rest of the household slept, he reflects on the possibilities for unravelling the mysteries of the brain that optogenetics is opening up. He also discusses how his own work with patients with psychiatric disorders informs his appreciation of their basis in the broad sweep of evolution, and his hope that this greater insight will help people understand each other better.© Nobel Prize Outreach. First reactions terms of use: https://www.nobelprize.org/ceremonies/streams-terms-of-use

In this episode we discuss the work of 2025 literature laureate Lázsló Krasznahorkai with literary translator Daniel Gustaffson. Having translated many of Krasznahorkai's novels from Hungarian to Swedish, Gustafsson is an expert on his depictions of apocalyptic terror and long, winding sentences. Selections from Krasznahorkai's Nobel Prize lecture, interview and banquet speech are examined by Gustafsson and host Adam Smith to gain some understanding of this mysterious writer, his creative process and influences. For a quick introduction to 2025’s awarded work in literature, check out our Crash Course on László Krasznahorkai or Anders Olsson’s eloquent speech from the Nobel Prize award ceremony.Read a complete profile of László Krasznahorkai, explore the 2025 Nobel Prize in Literature and read his Nobel Prize lecture at our website, nobelprize.org.See the announcement of the Nobel Prize in Literature 2025 and the moment László Krasznahorkai was awarded his medal.This podcast was a production of Nobel Prize Outreach and Filt, and created in cooperation with Fundación Ramón Areces.