You must have heard of Nobel Prize. But do you know where it comes from? The answer is: it comes from Alfred Nobel and his will.
Alfred Nobel, the great Swedish inventor and industrialist1, was born in Stockholm2 on October 21, 1833, but moved to Russia with his parents in 1842, where his father, Immanuel, made a strong position for himself in the engineering industry. Immanuel Nobel invented the landmine3 and made a lot of money from government orders4 for it during the Crimean War5, but went bankrupt6 soon after. Then, the family returned to Sweden in 1859, where Alfred began his own study of explosives7 in his father's laboratory. He had never been to school or university but had studied privately8, and by the time he was twenty, he became a skillful chemist and excellent linguist9, speaking Swedish, Russian, German, French and English. Like his father, Alfred Nobel was imaginative and inventive10, but he had better luck in business and showed more financial sense11. He was quick to see industrial openings for his scientific inventions12 and built up over 80 companies in 20 different countries. Indeed, his greatness lay in his outstanding ability to combine the qualities of an original scientist with those of a forward-looking industrialist.
But Nobel's main concern was never with making money or even with making scientific discoveries13. Seldom happy, he was always searching for a meaning to life, and from his youth, he had taken a serious interest in literature and philosophy14. Perhaps because he could not find ordinary human love—he never married—he came to care deeply about the whole of mankind. He was always generous15 to the poor: “I'd rather take care of the stomachs of the living than the glory of the dead in the form of stone memorials16,” he once said. His greatest wish, however, was to see an end to wars, and thus peace between nations, and he spent much time and money working for this cause until his death in Italy in 1896. His famous will, in which he left money to provide prizes for outstanding work in Physics, Chemistry, Physiology17, Medicine18, Literature and Peace, is a memorial to his interests and ideals. And so, the man who felt he should have died at birth is remembered and respected long after his death19.
“...the whole of my remaining estate20 shall be dealt with in the following way: the capital shall be safely invested to form a fund21. The interest on this fund shall be distributed annually in the form of prizes to those who, during the previous year shall have done work of the greatest use to mankind22. The said interest shall be divided into 5 parts and distributed23 as follows: one part to the person who shall have made the most important discovery or invention within the field of physics; one part to the person who shall have made the most important chemical discovery or improvement; one part to the person who shall have made the most important discovery within the field of physiology or medicine; one part to the person who shall have produced within the field of literature the most outstanding24 work of an idealistic tendency; and one part to the person who shall have done the most or the best work for brotherhood25 between nations, for the abolition26 or reduction of permanent armies and for the organization and encouragement of peace conferences. The prizes for physics and chemistry shall be awarded by the Swedish Academy of Sciences, that for medical works by the Caroline Institute in Stockholm, that for literature by the Academy in Stockholm and that for workers for peace by a committee of five people to be elected by the Norwegian Parliament27. It is my firm wish that in awarding the prizes no consideration whatever shall be given to the nationality of the candidates28, but the most worthy shall receive the prize, whether he be a Scandinavian or not.”
Paris, November 27, 1895
“……我剩下来的所有财产应按下列方式处理：资金应该稳妥地投资以建立一项基金。这项基金的利息每年要以奖金的形式颁发给上一年为人类作出最大贡献的人们。该项利息要分成五个部分，分配方案如下：一部分分配给在物理学领域作出最重大发现或发明的人；一部分分配给在化学领域作出了最重大发现或改进的人；一部分分配给在生理学或医学领域里有最重要发现的人；一部分分配给在文学领域写出具有理想主义倾向的、最杰出作品的人；一部分分配给为国家间的兄弟情谊、为取缔或裁减常规军备以及为组织、支持和平会议作了最大努力或贡献最大的人。物理和化学奖应由瑞典科学院授予；医学奖由斯德哥尔摩市卡罗兰研究院授予；文学奖由斯德哥尔摩市科学院授予；和平奖由挪威国会所选出的五人委员会授予。我坚定地希望在授予各奖项时，不要考虑候选人的国籍，而要让最杰出的人物得奖，不管他是否是斯堪的拉维亚人。”
1895年11月27日 于巴黎
1. industrialist n．实业家
2． Stockholm n．斯德哥尔摩（瑞典首都）
3． landmine n．地雷
4． order n．订货
5． Crimean War（1853—56）克里米亚战争——俄国反抗土耳其、英国、法国入侵的战争
6． bankrupt adj．破产的
7． explosive n．炸药，爆炸物
8． privately adv．私自地，个人地
9． linguist n．语言学家
10． imaginative and inventive 富有想象力和发明创造力的
11． financial [fai?謖n?覸n?蘩?藜l] sense 理财意识
12． 本句意为：他能敏锐地注意到自身科学发明的商业价值……
13． 全句意为：但是诺贝尔主要关心的决不是赚钱，甚至也不是为了搞科学发明。
14． 全句意为：他很少感到高兴，却总是寻求人生的意义。从年轻时代起，他就对文学和哲学有着执着的兴趣。
15． generous adj．慷慨的
16． 引号内意为：我宁愿关心生者的生存问题，而不愿关心死者的纪念碑
17． physiology n．生理学
18． medicine n．医学
19． 全句意为：因此，这位原光认为自己一出生就该死去的人却在他死后长期受到人们的怀念和尊敬。
20． estate n．财产
21． fund n．基金
22． mankind n．人类
23． distribute v．分配
24． outstanding adj．突出的，显著的
25． brotherhood n．手足情谊，四海之内皆兄弟的信念
26． abolition n．废除
27． parliament n．国会
28． candidate n．候选人