Katarina Frostenson Leaves the Swedish Academy

Hello Gentle Reader

The Swedish Academy and Katarina Frostenson have to come to an agreement with regards to both her membership, allegations of violations of breaking the statute of secrecy, and conflicts of interest. During two legal investigations by a law firm, the Swedish Academy was presented with two reports outlining the same evidence and results: on several different occasions she had a violated the statute of secrecy as outlined in Alfred Nobel’s will, and had engaged in activities which were a conflict of interest between herself as a member of the Swedish Academy, and as a co-owner of a cultural club with her husband Jean-Claude Arnault, which received financial compensation from the Swedish Academy.

Since Katarina Frostenson refused to excuse herself from the Swedish Academy, the academy initiated a vote of expulsion, under the tenure of the former Permanent Secretary Sara Danius. The vote failed, with the majority voting to allowing Frostenson to keep her seat on the Swedish Academy. This failed vote was the beginning of the crisis which saw the Nobel Prize for Literature postponed and the Swedish Academy’s members dwindle. Since then, the academy has reviewed and renewed its statutes as an institution, and the Swedish King has now made it possible for members to voluntarily resign from the academy, while allowing their seats to be filled. Yet the damage was done, the academy was in crisis, and members saw fit to accuse and allege each other as mishandling the situation as well as violating the statutes.

Now order is once again taken hold of the Swedish Academy, where logic and reason are beginning to hold greater importance then comradery and loyalty based off previous friendship. Katarina Frostenson resignation is not without a few purse strings attached. She will receive monetary compensation of 12, 875 Kr a month (or $1, 889. 97 Canadian Dollars a month, or $1, 426.62 US Dollars, or €1, 254. 45 Euro’s a month, or £1,107.72 English Pounds a month) along with continual rent of a apartment owned by the Swedish Academy. This is not entirely an award for Katarina Frostenson, the current Pro-Tempo Permanent Secretary of the Swedish Academy, Anders Olsson, has stated the academy is considering making these arrangements for all academy members who wish to resign or retire from the institution, as thanks and appreciation for their servitude.

Both parties have also since dropped all legal proceedings facing each other since they have come to this agreement. Katarina Frostenson is not yet entirely out of the thick of it. The Swedish Academy’s financial crimes unit is still investigating the poet and former member over the entangled finances between the Swedish Academy and the club she co-owned with her husband. This investigation is entirely separate from the Swedish Academy.

For now though Gentle Reader, the Swedish Academy is finally getting its affairs in order, its house cleaned and cleared, and perhaps it will finally continue the good work it was supposed to do in the first place. With Katarina Frostenson recusing herself from the academy, this will leave three vacant seats:

Chair No. 9 (formally held by, Jayne Svenungsson)

Chair No. 13 (formally held by, Sara Stridsberg

Chair No. 18 (formally held by, Katarina Frostenson)

Chair No. 7 is still held by Sara Danius, but she is still considered inactive. Whether or not she will return to the Swedish Academy is still unclear.

The Nobel Foundation is said to announce next week whether or not it finds the current restitution aporpriate enough for the Nobel Prize for Literature to be awarded this announced this autumn and awarded this winter, and whether or not the Swedish Academy may retain its authority as a awarding institution.

Thank-you For Reading Gentle Reader

Take Care

And As Always

Stay Well Read

M. Mary

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