Someone once said, “The pen is even stronger than the sword (剑).” Bertha von Suttner believed in peace. She thought that none of the world’s problems could be solved until people learned to live together in peace. She used her pen to tell the world her beliefs.
Bertha Kinsky was born in 1843 to a rich Austrian family. In 1859 she heard about the horrors of war taking place in nearby areas of southern and central Europe. In 1864 she saw a war taking place in her country. The Kinsky family lost its money, and Bertha became a private teacher to the von Suttner family. She left Austria in 1876 to work for Alfred Nobel, a rich factory owner. She soon returned to Austria to marry the Baron von Suttner, but she and Nobel were still friends.
In 1898 Bertha von Suttner wrote a book against war called Lay Down Your Arms. It was immediately popular. In 1891 she started the Austrian Peace Organization. From 1892 to 1899, she was the editor of a worldwide peace magazine. Then, in 1899, she wrote her most famous book, The Machine Age.
Alfred Nobel supported Bertha von Suttner’s work in the peace movement. Before he died in 1896, some of his money was set aside to create the Nobel Prize. Every year since 1901, people who have done important work in sciences, literature (文学), and peace have received Nobel Prizes. Many believe that Nobel’s friendship with Baroness von Suttner convinced (说服) him to create the peace prize.
In 1904 Bertha von Suttner won the Nobel Peace Prize. She was the first woman to win the peace prize, and she was the second woman to win the Nobel Prize.
Bertha von Suttner died I June 1914. A week later, World War I began in Europe.
Did Bertha von Suttner use her pen to tell the world her beliefs?
When did a war take place in Austria?
What did Bertha von Suttner do against war?
Why did Alfred Nobel create the Nobel Prize?
What does the passage mainly talk about?