On Friday, The Swedish Academy, which awards the Nobel Literature Prize, announced an Iranian-born poet and a judge as new members as it seeks to recover from a #MeToo scandal that forced it to postpone this year’s literature Nobel.

Eight of its total 18 members have either resigned or are on hiatus due to a deep rift within the academy on how to manage its long-standing ties to a Frenchman recently convicted of rape.

For the first time in 70 years, it postponed this year’s literature prize by a year while it attempts to sort out its problems.

The election of Jila Mossaed, a Tehran-born poet who writes in Swedish and Persian, and Swedish supreme court judge Eric Runesson, brings the Academy’s active members to a quorum of 12.

Members have traditionally been elected for life, but with several members no longer actively participating, and to ensure the venerable body’s survival, its patron, Sweden’s King Carl XVI Gustaf, changed its statutes to make it possible for members to resign and be replaced.

“The election of two new members is positive. I hope The Swedish Academy will be given the opportunity to continue rebuilding the trust of the institution and that the academy can now continue its important work,” the king said in a statement.

“My words were not appreciated in my old home country, but my new nation is offering me one of the best literary positions because of what I write,” Mossaed, who’s been living in exile Sweden since 1986, told TT news agency. She replaces Swedish author Kerstin Ekman, who ended her involvement with the academy in 1989 over its refusal to condemn a fatwa issued by Iran’s former supreme leader Ayatollah Khomeini against author Salman Rushdie over his novel The Satanic Verses.

Meanwhile, Runesson, who also worked as a professor at Lund University, jokingly referred to himself as an “ignorant hellion” compared to his other academy colleagues.

Author and member Peter Englund told TT news agency, “This is about two people with strong integrity, who, with their different backgrounds, knowledge, and competence, complete the academy in a welcome and interesting fashion.” </s> The Swedish Academy voted on Thursday to induct laywer Eric M Runesson and writer Jila Mossaed as new members of the two-century-old cultural institution, which hands out the Nobel Prize in Literature.

Runesson, a business lawyer, got his Bachelor degree at Stockholm University and his Master of Laws at Harvard Law School. He is a docent at the Stockholm School of Economics, an arbitrator for the International Center for Settlement of Investment Disputes and judge on Sweden's Supreme Court.

Mossead, from Teheran, is an award-winning poet who came to Sweden in 1986. She has published two novels and six poetry collections in Persian and seven poetry collections in Swedish.

The pair will join the Academy on its annual meeting on December 20th.

They replace Lotta Lotass, who left the institution in 2015 and Kerstin Ekman who quit in 1989 after fellow members refused to issue a statement condemning the fatwa against Salman Rushdie.

Until recently, membership has been considered a lifetime honour. However, following a series of mass resignations earlier this year, the statutes were changed to allow members to leave and be replaced.

Another six chairs are currently empty, with some members having left permanently and some taking a hiatus after the Academy failed to agree on how to handle rape allegations against Jean Claude Arnault – an influential figure on Stockhom's cultural scene with close links to several Academy members.
• Frenchman at centre of Swedish Academy scandal sentenced for rape
• Let's talk about the Swedish Academy's rapid descent into farce

In ruins and without a quorum to make key decisions, the Academy postponed this year's Nobel Literature Prize, a first in 70 years, saying it would instead hand out two Nobel Prizes next year.

However, the head of the Nobel Foundation warned in an interview that if the Academy does not take radical steps to rectify the scandal, responsibility for the prize may be handed to another organization. </s> The following content is sourced from external partners. We cannot guarantee that it is suitable for the visually or hearing impaired.

This content was published on October 5, 2018 2:24 PM

Swedish lawyer Eric M. Runesson has been elected as a new member of the Swedish Academy, in Stockholm, Sweden, October 5, 2018. Janerik Henriksson/TT News Agency/via REUTERS

STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - The Swedish Academy named two new members on Friday as part of efforts to rebuild the scandal-hit institution and ensure it can return to its function of selecting the winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature.

For the first time in decades, this year's line-up of Nobel prizes does not feature a literature award after a rape scandal saw a string of members resign or withdraw from the Academy's work in protest, leaving it unable to decide on a winner.

The Academy said in a statement it had appointed Eric Runesson, a Swedish supreme court judge, and Iranian-born novelist and poet Jila Mossaed as new members.

There had been calls for the resignation of Academy member Katarina Frostenson, who is married to the man at the centre of the scandal, but the issue was not mentioned in the statement.

Her husband Jean-Claude Arnault was sentenced to two years in prison for rape on Monday. He has denied all allegations against him and is appealing the verdict. [nL8N1WH2IO]

The head of the Nobel Foundation told Reuters last week it could drop the Academy from awarding the literature prize if it did not make further changes in the wake of the scandal. [nL4N1WE56B]

The Academy's handling of the row prompted two of its 18 members to resign and several others to cease taking part in the Academy's work, including Frostenson.

With the headcount falling as low as 10 and statutes demanding at least 12 for important votes, such as for electing new members, some of those who have ceased working at the Academy agreed to take part in the vote to fill vacant seats.

It remains short six working members, though only two of them have formally resigned. </s> STOCKHOLM, Oct 5 (Reuters) - The Swedish Academy named two new members on Friday as part of efforts to rebuild the scandal-hit institution and ensure it can return to its function of selecting the winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature.

For the first time in decades, this year's line-up of Nobel prizes does not feature a literature award after a rape scandal saw a string of members resign or withdraw from the Academy's work in protest, leaving it unable to decide on a winner.

The Academy said in a statement it had appointed Eric Runesson, a Swedish supreme court judge, and Iranian-born novelist and poet Jila Mossaed as new members.

There had been calls for the resignation of Academy member Katarina Frostenson, who is married to the man at the centre of the scandal, but the issue was not mentioned in the statement.

Her husband Jean-Claude Arnault was sentenced to two years in prison for rape on Monday. He has denied all allegations against him and is appealing the verdict.

The head of the Nobel Foundation told Reuters last week it could drop the Academy from awarding the literature prize if it did not make further changes in the wake of the scandal.

The Academy's handling of the row prompted two of its 18 members to resign and several others to cease taking part in the Academy's work, including Frostenson.

With the headcount falling as low as 10 and statutes demanding at least 12 for important votes, such as for electing new members, some of those who have ceased working at the Academy agreed to take part in the vote to fill vacant seats.

It remains short six working members, though only two of them have formally resigned.

(Reporting by Daniel Dickson; editing by Niklas Pollard)

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. </s> COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Two former members of the prestigious body that awards the Nobel Prize in Literature who quit in the wake of a sex abuse and financial crimes scandal have dismissed reports they were returning to the Swedish Academy.

Former permanent secretary Sara Danius wrote on her Facebook page Friday that “presently, I have no such plans.” She said a report from Swedish newspaper, Svenska Dagbladet, “was erroneous.”

Peter Englund, another board member who quit in April, told Sweden’s news agency TT that “currently I have no plans to return to work” at the Swedish Academy.

“However, I wish to play a constructive role in the rebuilding of this institution. This means I possibly will vote in the current election of new members,” he added.

Svenska Dagbladet, one of Sweden’s largest dailies and traditionally well-informed on the academy and its members, reported Thursday that Danius, Englund and Kjell Espmark will rejoin the secretive 18-member body whose members are appointed for life.

They were among seven board members who stepped down in April after scandal engulfed the body. According to academy statutes, new members can only be elected if there are 12 board members present.

In May, the academy announced that no prize will be awarded this year.

Jean-Claude Arnault, a Swedish cultural figure, was charged in June with two counts of rape of a woman in 2011. The husband of academy member Katarina Frostenson, Arnault has denied the allegations. Frostenson quit in April at the same time as Danius.

Danius, Espmark and Englund earlier had said they would be willing to return if fellow member Horace Engdahl, a supporter of Arnault who had labelled them a “clique of sore losers,” left the body.

Svenska Dagbladet on Thursday quoted Espmark as saying that they had reversed their stance because “we have to ask ourselves the question: what is most important — the well-being of the academy or a personal issue?”

He told the TT news agency that “our loyalty lies with the academy.”

Many in the Scandinavian nation, known for promoting gender equality, have expressed dismay over the scandal, which has exposed bitter divisions within the academy and given rise to accusations of patriarchal leanings among some members.

A protest that grew out of what began as Sweden’s own #MeToo moment in November hit the academy when 18 women came forward in a Swedish newspaper with accusations against Arnault.

In April, the Swedish Academy said an internal investigation into sexual misconduct allegations found that “unacceptable behavior in the form of unwanted intimacy” has taken place within the ranks of the prestigious institution.

Copyright © 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed. </s> COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Three members who quit the prestigious body that awards the Nobel Prize in Literature amid a scandal and internal feud are returning to the Swedish Academy, saying differences with a member are of less importance than the academy itself, a newspaper reported Thursday.

The Svenska Dagbladet daily says former Academy permanent secretary Sara Danius, Kjell Espmark and Peter Englund will rejoin the secretive 18-member body. They were among seven Academy members who stepped down as a sex-abuse and financial crimes scandal engulfed the body. In May the academy announced that no prize will be awarded this year.

Espmark told the daily “we are ready to help out” with electing new board members, but did not elaborate.

In June, Swedish prosecutors charged the man at the center of the scandal with two counts of rape of a woman in 2011. Jean-Claude Arnault, a Swedish cultural figure and husband of Academy member Katarina Frostenson, has denied the allegations. Frostenson quit in April, at the same time as Danius.

The trio had said they would be willing to return if fellow member Horace Engdahl, a suppoerter of Arnault who had labelled them a “clique of sore losers,” left the body.

Espmark was quoted as saying that they had reversed their stance because “we have to ask ourselves the question: what is most important, the well-being of the Academy or the personal issue?”

He told Swedish news agency TT that “our loyalty lies with the Academy.”

Many in the Scandinavian nation, known for promoting gender equality, have expressed dismay over the scandal, which has exposed bitter divisions within the academy and given rise to accusations of patriarchal leanings among some members.

A protest that grew out of what began as Sweden’s own #MeToo moment in November hit the academy when 18 women came forward in a Swedish newspaper with accusations against Arnault.

In April, the Swedish Academy said an internal investigation into sexual misconduct allegations found that “unacceptable behavior in the form of unwanted intimacy” has taken place within the ranks of the prestigious institution.

Copyright © 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed. </s> On Friday morning, the Swedish Academy announced that the 2018 Nobel Prize for Literature will be postponed until 2019, when two awards will be given out. The decision came as the result of "the infighting and public outrage that have engulfed the group over a sexual abuse scandal," according to The New York Times.

Scandal rocked the Swedish Academy in late 2017, when 18 women came forward to accuse Jean-Claude Arnault, who has close ties to the academy and is the husband of member Katarina Frostenson, of sexual assault and harassment. Allegations mounted later that Arnault had assaulted other women, including Sweden's Crown Princess Victoria. After members voted against forcing Frostenson out as part of the academy's endeavor to distance itself from Arnault, several other members left in protest. But the scandal didn't end there. In fact, it reached a fever pitch in April, when the Swedish Academy's first female permanent secretary, Sara Danius, stepped down from her role as the head of the organization because of her dissatisfaction with the academy's handling of the accusations. After the wave of resignations, just 10 active members remained.

All of those departures have left the Swedish Academy in crisis. Members join the academy for life, and empty seats cannot be filled until the death of an inactive holder. Additionally, because current regulations require 12 active members to elect new people, the academy is actually completely unable to fill the empty spots. The situation is so dire that King Carl XVI Gustav has agreed to step in to help maintain the Swedish Academy's functionality. Seriously, the King is coming in to straighten things out.

In the past, the Swedish Academy has postponed prizes when no author met its stringent requirement to "have produced in the field of literature the most outstanding work in an ideal direction." The last time the award was postponed in such a manner was in 1943. But the 2018 Nobel Prize in Literature marks the first time that the Swedish Academy has withheld the honor due to internal conflict. Acting permanent secretary Anders Olsson said in a Friday interview that "confidence in the academy from the world around us has sunk drastically in the past half year... and that is the decisive reason that we are postponing the prize."

Because this year's prize will be postponed, two laureates will receive the 2019 Nobel Prize in Literature. Speaking with The Guardian last week, prize committee chair Per Wästberg said that his division of the Swedish Academy was still working as normal to bring the honor to a new literary icon, adding that, "members of the academy will spend summer reading and studying in depth the five candidates on the shortlist, regardless of an announcement this autumn or next."

The next Nobel Prizes in Literature will be awarded to two laureates in October 2019. </s> Poet Katarina Frostenson is married to Jean-Claude Arnault, the man at the center of a sexual abuse scandal that came to public knowledge last fall.

Klas Östergren made his announcement through Swedish newspaper Svenska Dagbladet on Friday morning:

”The Swedish Academy has for a long time had serious problems and now tried to solve them in a way that allows obscure regards take precedence over its own bylaws and that is a betrayal of its founders and its guardian, not to mention its function to serve the motto talent and taste. That is why I have chosen to no longer participate in its work. ’I’m leaving the table, I’m out of the game.’”

Author and historian Kjell Espmark followed suit a little while after Östergren.

”When leading voices within the Academy put friendship and other irrelevant considerations before the responsibility of this integrity I can no longer participate in its work”, Espmark wrote in a note to Dagens Nyheter.

Peter Englund, also an author and historian—as well as previous permanent secretary of the Academy—wrote on his blog:

"Decisions have been made that I neither believe in nor can defend, and I have thus decided to no longer participate in the work of the Swedish Academy."

Arnault accused of sexual abuse

The scandal that shook the Academy was revealed by Dagens Nyheter in November of last year.

Jean-Claude Arnault, who is married to Academy member Katarina Frostenson, and who has close ties to the Academy himself, was the subject of multiple stories told by numerous women. What all the stories had in common was that Arnault was accused of sexual assault, and that he had taken advantage of his power and position.

Arnault, who was considered a power-player in the Swedish cultural elite, ran Forum in Stockholm, a stage that has had a major impact on the cultural scene in Sweden.

Arnault was given significant grants from the Academy to run the club.

Other members in the Academy have come forward and said they knew of Arnault's behavioir, but did not report it.

Most recently poet Kristina Lugn told French tv station TF1:

"It's true what they say about him. It's true. What he did to young girls. It's true. But the Academy was not involved in that."

Founded by the king

The Swedish Academy is awarding the Nobel Prize in literature each year.

The Academy was founded by king Gustav III in 1786 and has 18 chairs.

Two members have already left their seats: Author Kerstin Ekman left after a rift in 1989. Lotta Lotass left the Academy 2015.

With the three new departures, five out of eighteen chairs are now empty.

The Academy can’t pick new members for those chairs since membership is for the lifetime of each member, even if he or she decides to leave the Academy.

Katarina Frostenson has not been seen at any of the Academy's meetings since the scandal broke, Expressen has been told. </s> STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Three members of the Swedish Academy, the body that selects the winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature, have withdrawn from its board in protest over the handling of allegations of sexual misconduct by a man married to another member.

Academy members and authors Peter Englund, Klas Ostergren and Kjell Espmark all said separately they would no longer participate in its work. Since seats are for life it, is not technically possible to resign.

The Swedish Academy in November severed ties with a man whom it had helped financially in running a cultural club in Stockholm after allegations of sexual misconduct on his part.

At a time of global concern over the treatment of women spearheaded by the #MeToo movement, state prosecutors opened a premliminary investigation into the incidents, but later dropped parts of it without charges being laid.

Lawyer Bjorn Hurtig, who represents the man, told Reuters his client denied all allegations.

The Swedish Academy has yet to make public the results of its own internal investigation. But Englund said in a blog on Friday that a rift had grown in the body over the probe and the measures taken by the Academy’s permanent secretary in the case.

He said that its assessments showed “too much regard for the individual, and too little for the statutes”.

“Decisions have been taken that I neither believe in nor can defend, and I have therefore decided to no longer participate in the work of the Swedish Academy,” he said.

Espmark told Reuters he backed Englund’s opinions on the matter. Ostergren did not respond to Reuters’ request for comment but said in a letter to newspaper Svenska Dagbladet he believed the Academy was failing to live up to its own code.

The manager of the Swedish Academy’s office said that only Sara Danius, the permanent secretary, could comment on the case. Danius did not immediately respond to an e-mailed request for comment but an auto-reply said she was currently on leave.

But in comments to daily Svenska Dagbladet, she said the Academy had decided to look into whether it could be made possible for members to formally resign while also saying she was saddened be the exit of her colleagues.

“It is very sad. But I understand their reasoning,” she was quoted as saying.
The Swedish Academy names two new members: Swedish supreme court justice Eric Runesson, and Swedish-Iranian writer and poet Jila Mossaed.