The Swedish Academy in the New Year

Hello Gentle Reader

With the New Year now settling in, the Swedish Academy appears to finally getting its affairs in order, considering the scandal of the previous year that saw the Nobel Prize for Literature postponed and members of the academy to resign in protest over the academy’s inability to handle the scandal with appropriate care and governance. By the summer of last year, the Swedish Academy’s members had dwindled so low they were unable to host a quorum and the Swedish King himself was forced to intervene as patron to allow members to resign officially from the academy in order to fill vacant seats. The Nobel Foundation in turn grew increasingly concerned over the Swedish Academy’s growing ineptitude to handle and govern the situation, which had tarnished the Nobel Prize for Literature by association, destroyed public trust, and brought into question the integrity of the institution. The Swedish Academy in turn rejected the assistance offered by the Nobel Foundation, which in turn caused the Nobel Foundation to wash its hands of the academy and threaten the academy with losing the privilege of being awarding institutions if they continued to fail to get their affairs in order. In the summer the Swedish Academy began to tackle a few issues facing the Swedish Academy, but sitting members and absent members often used public media outlets to criticize each other, which always put the amendments on hold or at void. Come the autumn the Swedish Academy faced the reality of its state, but thanks to amended statutes, it was able to elect new members to vacant seats. Shortly after, more members would recuse themselves from the academy. By the time the annual general meeting of the Swedish Academy was held, a visual representation could be seen on the ruin of the academy, with scant few members seated around the table, with a majority left empty. Before the New Year: Jean-Claude Arnault was convicted of statutory rape, the Swedish Academy introduced five external members to sit with the Nobel Committee, and the issue of Katarina Frostenson was reaching its conclusion.

Now in the New Year, Katarina Frostenson has decided to resign from the Swedish Academy with monetary compensation to allow her to continue to work as a poet. There has been no set date as to her departure or the amount of her severance. Now two members who had left their seats inactive (though they did not formally request removal) are set to return. Former Permanent Secretary of the Swedish Academy, Peter Englund will return to Chair No. 10; and Kjell Espmark is set to return to Chair No. 16. The members had previously sat in passive roles, helping the academy make bigger decisions such as the election of new members, now they are ready to return to the academy with Katarina Frostenson departing, and begin to help rebuild the academy into an institution based on integrity and moral probity. There is no word on whether or not former Permanent Secretary Sara Danius will return to Chair No. 7. Sara Danius has remained elusive on the matter, stating she is merely waiting to see how events unfold in order to make up her decision on whether or not she will return to her seat.

For now though Gentle Reader, it appears the Swedish Academy is perhaps moving in a slightly more positive direction then it had over the past year.

Peter Englund and Kjell Espmark are set to take their seats formally Next Thursday, January 17th 2019. 

Thank-you For Reading Gentle Reader

Take Care

And As Always

Stay Well Read

M. Mary

For Further Reading, Please See the Following Articles:

Expressen: "Members Return to the Academy - After Crisis," 

Aftonbladet: "The situation is still acute for the Swedish Academy,"

Svt: "Peter Englund and Kjell Espmark return to the Swedish Academy,"