TheJakartaPost

Please Update your browser

Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.

Jakarta Post

Three members returning to scandal-ridden Swedish Academy

Three members of the Swedish Academy will return to the body which decides the Nobel Prize for Literature after withdrawing in protest over a sex scandal.

News Desk (Reuters)
Stockholm, Sweden
Fri, August 31, 2018 Published on Aug. 31, 2018 Published on 2018-08-31T11:54:52+07:00

Change text size

Gift Premium Articles
to Anyone

Share the best of The Jakarta Post with friends, family, or colleagues. As a subscriber, you can gift 3 to 5 articles each month that anyone can read—no subscription needed!
Home of the Swedish Academy in Stockholm. Three members of the Academy will return to the body which decides the Nobel Prize for Literature after withdrawing in protest over a sex scandal. Home of the Swedish Academy in Stockholm. Three members of the Academy will return to the body which decides the Nobel Prize for Literature after withdrawing in protest over a sex scandal. (AFP/Fredrik Sandberg/TT News Agency)

T

hree members of the Swedish Academy will return to the body which decides the Nobel Prize for Literature after withdrawing in protest over a sex scandal, the Svenska Dagbladet newspaper reported on its website on Thursday.

Several members left the institution's board in April over the handling of allegations of sexual misconduct by a man married to another member. The academy postponed awarding this year's prize.

However, Svenska Dagbladet said Sara Danius, Kjell Espmark and Peter Englund were coming back to the Academy, which is due to meet next in September. No one was available for comment at the Academy while the three did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment.

At the heart of the row are allegations of sexual assault and harassment made by several women against Jean-Claude Arnault, a photographer and well-known cultural figure in Sweden who is married to poet and Academy member Katarina Frostenson.

Read also: Swedish intellectuals form new literature prize in Nobel protest

Arnault has repeatedly denied all the allegations against him, including of being the source of leaks of the names of some past winners before the formal announcements.

"We are ready to help," Espmark told Svenska Dagbladet. "We have talked amongst the three of us. A big responsibility for the Academy falls upon us."

The returning members raise the headcount at the Academy, which was originally 18, to 13. It needs at least 12 to elect new members. 

Your Opinion Matters

Share your experiences, suggestions, and any issues you've encountered on The Jakarta Post. We're here to listen.

Enter at least 30 characters
0 / 30

Thank You

Thank you for sharing your thoughts. We appreciate your feedback.

Share options

Quickly share this news with your network—keep everyone informed with just a single click!

Change text size options

Customize your reading experience by adjusting the text size to small, medium, or large—find what’s most comfortable for you.

Gift Premium Articles
to Anyone

Share the best of The Jakarta Post with friends, family, or colleagues. As a subscriber, you can gift 3 to 5 articles each month that anyone can read—no subscription needed!

Continue in the app

Get the best experience—faster access, exclusive features, and a seamless way to stay updated.