Luigi Pirandello (1867-1936) was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1934. Though he wrote novels and poetry, he is chiefly known for his strikingly modern plays such as Six Characters in Search of an Author, Each in His Own Way, and Tonight We Improvise, which feature characters who are aware of their status as characters, tragedy leavened by comedy, and actors whose personalities bleed into the characters they portray. These plays have been hailed as forerunners to existentialist drama and absurdist theater.