Swedish Academy: No Nobel Prize for literature this year

The Swedish Academy responsible for selecting the Nobel Prize for Literature said Friday it will suspend the award this year amid sexual abuse allegations and other scandals that led several board members to resign. The announcement comes after several women accused French photographer Jean-Claude Arnault, husband of academy member Katrina Frostenson, of sexual abuse. He also faced accusations of leaking the names of seven former Nobel recipients prior to a formal announcement. Arnault denied any wrongdoing. The Academy faced internal conflict over how it handled the cases, and seven of its members, including its first female leader, resigned. In its statement, the Academy said it will announce the recipient of this year’s award when it reveals next year’s winner. It’s the first time since 1949 that the Academy will delay the award. The group said it will use the break to work on how it handles conflict-of-interest issues and its statutes on membership resignation, among other issues. “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,” Anders Olsson, the Academy’s interim permanent secretary, said in a statement. “We find it necessary to commit time to recovering public confidence in the Academy before the next laureate can be announced.”