Mats Malm Resigns as the Permanent Secretary of the Swedish Academy

Hello Gentle Reader,
 
Mats Malm has announced in the fading days and hours of December that as of June 2026, he will be stepping down as the Permanent Secretary of the Swedish Academy, and will be replaced by Ingrid Carlberg.
 
Mats Malm fell into the role of Permanent Secretary of the Swedish Academy when the academy was emerging from a deep-seated crisis, which ultimately saw the Nobel Prize in Literature postponed and awarded retroactively. Over the past seven years Malm’s secretaryship has been marked as wooden, when compared to the previous three Permanent Secretaries: Horace Engdahl, Peter Englund, and the late Sara Danius. Where the other three were noted for a formal announcement displaying their multilingual mastery, followed by an informal and good hearted off the cuff interview; Mats Malm, however, only announced the years laureate followed by their citation, afterwards turning the remaining announcement responsibilities to Anders Olsson, the current Chair of the Swedish Academy’s Nobel Committee. This has been a routine point of contention and criticism towards the current Nobel Prize in Literature announcement, as the current format has come across as dry and scripted, akin to a lecture or sermon, and not that of an exciting literary award announcement. Though, there are those who don’t see any bother with the current incarnation. These same people lack personality or any sense of occasion, truly, and are at best ignored when they feel the need to add nothing to the conversation.
 
In taking on the position of Permanent Secretary, Ingrid Carlberg will become the second woman to hold the position after Sara Danius.
 
Many thanks to Mats Malm for keeping the ship afloat and carrying out the responsibilities of Permanent Secretary with such meticulous execution, and a many great congratulations to Ingrid Carlberg in becoming the second woman to hold the position.
 
It will be interesting to see what changes will come to the Nobel Prize in Literature announcement now with this changing of the guard. That is if there are any.
 
Thank you For Reading Gentle Reader
Take Care
And As Always
Stay Well Read
 
M. Mary