While there may not be something rotten in the state of Denmark anymore, there is something rotten in the state of the Swedish literary community. Sexual assault controversies have exposed elitist attitudes in the Swedish awarding body of the Nobel Prize in Literature; leading to concerned writing enthusiasts, including myself, calling for reform and change.
Due to these controversies, this year there will not be a Nobel Prize in Literature. Instead, there will be an ‘alternative’ Nobel Prize. This prize, which is emphasizing a devotion towards openness and equality, will hopefully set a precedent and make future Nobel awards in literature more representative of what the highest honour in literature should be.
I think that it is good that reform is finally happening to the Nobel Prize for Literature. Literature’s top award should not be chosen through a group of elitists who have clear biases against certain types of writing.
But how did this controversy arise? Who is to blame? Let me take you through the details of this decade's largest literary controversy!
What is the Nobel Prize in Literature?
To give some context, the Nobel Prizes were established when the wealthy Alfred Nobel died, and left a will that used his wealth to create prizes for achievements that benefited humanity. Notable recipients since the creation of the prize in 1900 include Winston Churchill, Ernst Hemingway, Alice Munro, and Bob Dylan. Recipients also receive a cash award around the value of 1.1 million US dollars!
However, this year has been a year of controversy for the Nobel committee (the Swedish Academy) that determines the winner of this prestigious award.
The Swedish Academy
The Swedish Academy is largely considered to be a group of elitist, mainly Swedish, literary figures. In 1901, they were also tasked with selecting who won the Nobel Prize for Literature.
As this year progressed, the Academy has been rocked by accusations of sexual assault and abuses of power.
Following these allegations, the committee split into two differing sides. Following intense debate, the traditionalist and elitist side suggesting the Academy do nothing about these scandals held the most support. This led to numerous outraged Academy members to breaking off contact with the Academy (in essence resigning).
While this smaller Academy still intended to have a 2018 Nobel Prize in Literature, many outside of the Academy, including myself, were outraged at the closed-mindedness and elitism of the Academy. How could it be that some of the most prestigious awards in literature were chosen by such pompous means?
The Nobel Foundation, who funds the Nobel Prizes, was one of the actors offended by this behavior. In response, they stated that they are delaying the funding for the Nobel Prize in Literature, until the Academy sorts itself out.
What will happen?
But how long will it take the Academy to sort itself out? It currently seems almost impossible this will resolve anytime soon. As it stands, the committee needs 12 votes to admit new members – but it only has 10 remaining active members, with the other members looking unlikely to return.
The other option is for the Swedish King to dissolve the Academy altogether, as he technically has authority over the Academy. I think this may be the only step that can be somewhat effective in achieving reform.
The 'New Academy'
In the meantime, many are unhappy that this historic award will not be given out this year. This displeasure caused Sweden to temporaily create the ‘New Academy’, which will award an alternative award to the Nobel Prize to one author this year.
The finalists for the alternative Nobel award are Maryse Condé, Neil Gaiman, and Kim Thúy. Haruki Murakami recently denied the nomination, mainly due to the controversies outlined in this post.
Interestingly, several other popular fiction authors, including JK Rowling, were in serious consideration for this award. By comparison, in its 100+ year history, only one other ‘genre’ fiction writer has won the Nobel Prize for Literature. Many accredit this previous reluctance for awarding these writers due to an elitist attitude prevalent in the Swedish Academy.
But what do you think? Do you, like me, feel outraged by the Swedish Academy? Let us know!