15 Most Famous Atheist Nobel Prize Winners

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15.  Wole Soyinka

Wole Soyinka is one of the most famous playwrights and poets currently alive, and was, in fact, the first African to win the Nobel Prize for Literature, in 1986. While you might think that Soyinka must have a lived an easy life, he actually actively participated in Nigeria’s movement to attain independence from Great Britain and had to suffer for his actions as well.

While Soyinka grew up in a Catholic background, he is now an atheist and is critical of organized religion, especially Islam considering the brutality being carried out in the name of the religion. In fact, he said that he would be happy if there was no religion in the world.

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