Recognition He was awarded the Danish literary prize Holberg Medal in 1960. He received The Nordic Council's Literature Prize in 1965 for his novel Det gode håb (The Good Hope), published in 1964. In the story Heinesen had the difficult task of reproducing 17th-century Danish. He succeeded, and won the prize. It is widely considered his best work. When there were rumours that William Heinesen was about to receive the Nobel Prize for literature in 1981, he wrote to the Swedish Academy and renounced his candidacy. Later he explained why: The Faroese language was once held in little regard – indeed it was suppressed outright. In spite of this, the Faroese language has created a great literature, and it would have been reasonable to give the Nobel Prize to an author who writes in Faroese. If it had been given to me, it would have gone to an author who writes in Danish, and in consequence Faroese efforts to create an independent culture would have been dealt a blow. He was awarded with the Faroese Literature Prize in 1975. In 1980 on his 80th birthday Heinesen was appointed "Tórshavn's Citizen of Honour" by his home town. In 1980 he received the Danish Critics Prize for Literature (Kritikerprisen). In 1984 he received the Children's Books Prize of Tórshavn City Council (Barnabókaheiðursløn Tórshavnar býráðs) In 1985 he was awarded the Karen Blixen Medal from the Danish Academy. In 1987 he was awarded the Swedish Academy Nordic Prize ("little Nobel"). Bibliography Information in this bibliography is taken from the Danish Literature Centre. Poems Arktiske Elegier og andre Digte (Arctic Elegies and other Poems), Copenhagen 1921 Høbjergningen ved Havet (Haymaking by the Sea), Copenhagen 1924 Sange mod Vaardybet (Songs towards the Depths of Spring), Copenhagen 1927 Stjernerne vaagner (The Stars Awaken), Copenhagen 1930 Den dunkle Sol (The Dark Sun), Copenhagen 1936 Digte i udvalg (Selected Poems), Copenhagen 1955 Hymne og harmsang (Hymns and Songs of Indignation), Copenhagen 1961 Panorama med regnbue (Panorama with Rainbow), Copenhagen 1972 Vinterdrøm. Digte i udvalg 1920–30 (Winter Dream. Selected Poems 1920–30), Copenhagen 1983 Samlede digte (Complete Poems), Copenhagen 1984 Digte (Poems), Copenhagen 1990 Short story anthologies Det fortryllede lys (The Enchanted Light), Copenhagen 1957 Gamaliels besættelse (Gamaliel Possessed), Copenhagen 1960 Kur mod onde ånder (A Cure for Evil Spirits), Copenhagen 1967 Don Juan fra Tranhuset (Don Juan from the Whale Oil Factory), Copenhagen 1970 Fortællinger fra Thorshavn (Tales from