The Nobel Banquet at Stockholm City Hall – December 10, 1937
Immediately after the award ceremony, through heavy snowfall, the guests were chauffeured across the city center to the city hall located on the shores of a bay of Lake Mälaren. For those living in Szeged, it may be interesting to note what poet Dezső Kosztolányi wrote about the building in his piece entitled Svéd napló [Swedish Diary]: “One of their most noble buildings is the city hall, dressed from top to bottom in deep red and adorned with graceful golden statues. Allegedly, [former Minister of Education and Religion] Count Kuno von Klebelsberg loved this building so much that he must have had it in mind when planning his construction project in Szeged.” The quote refers to the construction of the university buildings in the square surrounding Szeged’s cathedral (now Dóm Square) in 1929–1932.
It was here, starting at half past seven in the glittering Golden Hall, that the traditional Nobel Banquet took place, presided over by Crown Prince Gustaf Adolf. The Golden Hall (Gyllene Salen) continues to captivate visitors to this day: it is 54 meters long, 18 meters wide, and 22 meters high. The walls, from floor to ceiling, are adorned with over 18 million pieces of glass and gold mosaic, depicting figures and events from Swedish history in Byzantine style. The banquet began with a formal dinner, with tables set for three hundred guests. Days in advance, the Nobel Foundation had prepared booklets detailing the seating arrangements. Members of the royal family and the Nobel laureates were seated at the main table. Following the dinner, a series of toasts were made. Maintaining the same order as at the award ceremony, the first to speak was the chair of the Nobel Foundation, Hjalmar Hammarskjöld, followed by the crown prince. Professor A. E. Lindh from the University of Uppsala then welcomed each Nobel laureate individually. Afterward, the laureates themselves made toasts, in the same order in which they were honored at the ceremony: Davisson, Haworth, Karrer...
Szent-Györgyi’s “Grand Banquet Toast”
Albert Szent-Györgyi was the fourth to rise to make a toast, which he delivered in English:
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“Royal Highnesses, Ladies and Gentlemen:
The first feeling of any guest, treated in this princely fashion can be no other than that of profound gratitude. To my mind, however, this magnificent celebration is much more than the expression of the splendid hospitality of a chivalrous nation.
I am the son of a small and far-away nation and the other laureates have all come from different countries from all over the world and we all were equally received here with signs of sympathy. To two of these laureates I am linked with friendly memories of common work. We have come here to receive our share of that wonderful gift, deposited on the common altar of human ideals by a great Swedish patriot. This highest distinction has been awarded to us by an impartial judgement, without regard of our creed, race or nationality. All this proves to me, that there are links between man and man, reaching over national borders, it proves to me that there are things about us, more important than our language, passeport or birth certificate, that our common human ideals are not extinct and are kindled in this country with profound love.
In the great struggle between ignorance, distrust and brutality on one side, knowledge, understanding and peace on the other the scientist must stand fearlessly on the side of the latter, strengthening link between man and man and preaching that the only effective weapon of self-defense is good-will to others.
This celebration here tells me that this work is not hopeless. I thank you for this teaching with all my heart and lift my glass to human solidarity, to the ultimate victory of knowledge, peace, good-will and understanding.”
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Szent-Györgyi swiftly emptied his glass and bowed to the crown prince. Gustaf Adolf was the first to applaud; he clapped and nodded towards the Hungarian scientist at length. Although Szent-Györgyi made the shortest toast, it was met with the greatest success. When he later recounted the events, specifically the toasts, he remarked: “Great speeches were delivered. It was astonishing to see all of us Nobel laureates converging on the same themes, without having agreed to do so in advance, and focusing on world peace and the community of all humans. We all seemed to share the conviction that these are the most pressing needs on Planet Earth today” (as quoted in the daily Délmagyarország on January 22, 1938).
Serenade and dancing soirée hosted by the students of Stockholm and Uppsala
At the end of the banquet, the guests filed out of the Golden Hall through large glass doors onto a balcony that runs the entire length of the hall. This balcony offers a view of an interior hall known as the Blue Hall (Blå Hallen), with a flight of stairs leading down to it from one end of the balcony. The Blue Hall is even larger than the Golden Hall, with architecture reminiscent of Italian piazzas and arcades surrounding the spacious room. Here, in the Blue Hall, representatives of the Stockholm student union, joined by students from the University of Uppsala, had already gathered to serenade the guests on the balcony. Folk songs were then played, and national dances were performed. Afterward, the students hosted a dancing soirée, during which, according to surviving photographs, the untiring Professor Szent-Györgyi danced extensively with his daughter Nelli, much to her delight.
Szent-Györgyi’s address on Swedish radio
It is also worth mentioning that, on the morning of December 10, Szent-Györgyi gave a speech in German at the request of the Swedish national radio. This speech was recorded on a gramophone record and eventually broadcast after 10 p.m., following the Nobel Banquet. As in the “Grand Banquet Toast” Szent-Györgyi made that evening, in this speech, too, he highlighted human solidarity and stressed the importance of cooperation between nations. However, while the toast was only heard by a relatively narrow circle of people at the banquet, this radio address gave the entire Swedish nation the chance to hear the Nobel laureate.