the women who have won nobel in literature Canadian author Alice Munro, renowned for her short stories, was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature this year, marking it the 13th time in history that a woman has been given the award. Here's a breakdown of the other women who have won the prestigious award.

Herta Muller, 2009:

The German-Romania writer is known for her poetic style of writing, often entrenched in social themes about her native Romania. Muller first broke through in 1982, with a collection of short stories called Niederungen (Nadirs) which was censored because of its autobiographical portrayal of the oppressive lifestyle in the Romanian countryside.

Most famous work: Atemschaukel (The Hunger Angel) – the 2009 poetic novel told the story of a young man named Leo Auberg who is deported to a forced labor concentration camp in Ukraine.

Doris Lessing, 2007

The English author (now 93) is the oldest person to win the Nobel Prize in Literature – but better late than never. Lessing broke out with her 1950 novel, The Grass Is Singing, about race relations in Zimbabwe (where she was mostly raised). Her work is mostly centered around political and feminist issues.

Most famous work: The Golden Notebook – the 1962 novel about a woman keeping a record of her life in journals contained strong feminist and anti-Stalinist themes.

Elfriede Jelinek, 2004

The Austrian novelist and playwright was set to become a musician before discovering her passion for literature. Her debut collection, Lisas Schatten (Lisa's Shadow) in 1967, was well-received and set her on a path to literary f

Most famous work: The Piano Teacher – the 1983 novel is about a piano teacher who gets in a sadomasochistic relationship with her student.

Wislawa Szymborska, 1996

The Nobel committee described the late Polish writer as the "Mozart of poetry." Szymborska often wrote on themes of war and terror, written in her humorous and ironic writing style

Most famous work: Dwukropek – the 2006 collection, the writer's last, was chosen the best book of 2006 in Poland.

Toni Morrison, 1993

American author Toni Morrison blends epic, poetic styling with plots that mainly center around African-Americans. Morrison's first book was 1970's The Bluest Eye, about a young black girl who wishes to have blue eyes.

Most famous work: Beloved – the 1987 story about a tortured African-American woman named Sethe won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction and was turned into a film starring Oprah Winfrey.

Nadine Gordimer, 1991

Alfred Nobel called Gordimer's work a "great benefit to humanity." The South African-born writer focuses the bulk of her work on racial issues, such as apartheid in her native country.

Most famous work:The Conservationist – the 1974 novel about an rich white antihero living in South Africa was a joint winner of the Man Booker Prize for fiction.

Nelly Sachs, 1966

The German-born, Swedish-bred poet and playwright focused most of her work on Jewish grief after the Nazis came into power. She was known for her lyrical style of writing.

Most famous work: Eli: A Mystery Play of the Sufferings of Israel – the 1943 play was the first Holocaust drama ever written.

Gabriela Mistral, 1945

The Chilean poet is the only Latin American woman to have won the Nobel prize. Mistral's poetic themes revolved mainly around Latin American identity and were written in a powerfully emotional and idealistic styl

Most famous work: Desolacion (Despair) – the 1922 collection of poems was critically acclaimed.

Pearl Buck, 1938

The American-born writer spent most of her childhood in China, where most of her work is set. Buck was a prolific writer, penning more than 30 novels, plus biographies, autobiographies, non-fiction books and short story collections.

Most famous work:The Good Earth – the 1931 dramatic novel about village life in China won the Pulitzer Prize for the novel and was a best seller.

Sigrid Undset, 1928

The Norwegian writer was experimental, occasionally writing in a stream of consciousness. Early on in her career, she became extremely interested in Medieval times and wrote many historical novels.

Most famous work: Kristin Lavransdatter – the 1920 historical trilogy follows the story of a woman living in the 14th century. The trilogy was essentially the basis for Undset winning the Nobel prize.

Grazia Deledda, 1926

Born in Sardinia, the Italian writer based most of her work on the people of her birthplace, focusing on themes of love, sin and family. She was the first Italian woman to win the prize.

Most famous work: La Madre – the 1920 novel told the story of a Sardinian mother, whose son falls in love with a beautiful widow.

Selma Lagerlof, 1909

The Swedish-born writer was the first woman to win the award. The Nobel committee described her work as lofty, vivid and spiritual, mostly known for her children's books.

Most famous work: The Wonderful Adventures of Nils – the 1906 book follows the life of a young boy named Nils Holgersson.

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