For the first time in almost 70 years there will be no Nobel Literature Prize this year, after the Swedish Academy that selects the laureate failed to contain a deep crisis stemming from the anti-sexual harassment MeToo campaign.
"We find it necessary to commit time to recovering public confidence in the Academy before the next laureate can be announced," its interim permanent secretary Anders Olsson said in a statement Friday, adding that two prizes would be announced in 2019.
The body has been in turmoil since November when Swedish daily Dagens Nyheter - in the wake of the global MeToo campaign - published the testimonies of 18 women claiming to have been raped, sexually assaulted or harassed by an influential culture figure with long-standing ties to the Academy.
Jean-Claude Arnault, the French husband of Academy member and poet Katarina Frostenson, has denied the allegations, but disagreements within the Academy on how to deal with the issue sowed deep discord among its 18 members.
The organisation found itself split between the first woman permanent secretary Sara Danius and her supporters bidding for reform and another camp defending Frostenson, prompting six members to quit in recent weeks. Danius resigned on April 13 after failing to receive enough support within the Academy. Frostenson was also among the six who resigned. "The active members of the Swedish Academy are of course fully aware that the present crisis of confidence places high demands on a long-term and robust work for change," Olsson said.
'The strong woman'
Seen as bearers of high culture, the Academy, founded in 1786, is traditionally known for its integrity and discretion, with its meetings and decisions shrouded in secrecy. But the row has turned into a titillating public spectacle, with members dealing ugly blows to each other in the media: Horace Engdahl called Danius "the worst" permanent secretary in the Academy's history.