Bertha Suttner, the first woman to be awarded the Peace Prize, was an Austrian-Bohemian pacifist and novelist. She became the second female Nobel laureate in 1905, after Marie Curie in 1903. She is also the first Austrian laureate.
Bertha Suttner was born on 9th June 1843, in Austrian Empire. She wrote one of the nineteenth century’s most influential books, the anti-war novel ‘Lay down Your Arms’ (1889). The book was published in 37 editions and translated into 12 languages. The effect of the book was consequently so real that the impact made on the reading public was tremendous.
Bertha became an active leader in the peace movement. She corresponded regularly with Alfred Nobel, and is believed to have inspired his decision to establish a prize for peace in his will. In 1892, with A.H. Fried, she initiated the peace journal Die Waffen Nieder, remaining its editor till the end. She died on June 21st, 1914.
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