Stockholm - A controversial member of the Swedish Academy,
which chooses the Nobel Literature Prize, is stepping down from his
post, suggesting an end to one of the rows that has engulfed the
body.
The academy said Friday it has reached an agreement with poet
Katarina Frostenson, who has opted to leave.
In 2018 the academy was rocked by alleged breaches of
conflict-of-interest rules and a sexual assault scandal involving
Frostenson's husband.
Jean-Claude Arnault was sentenced to two and a half years in prison
in December over two counts of rape. He denies the charges.
Frostenson, a member since 1992, has rebuked allegations that she
leaked information about Nobel literature laureates to her husband.
The academy issued a statement saying it had "jointly concluded" with
Frostenson not to pursue a judicial review of the allegations, made
in a legal report commissioned by the academy.
Frostenson was to be granted a monthly payment of 12,875 kronor
(1,430 dollars) and a subsidy for the apartment she rents from the
academy, reflecting her "valuable contributions over 25 years," the
statement added.
In a bid to restore trust, the academy postponed the announcement of
the 2018 Nobel laureate until 2019.
Academy members are elected for life. One outcome of the crisis was
that the statutes from 1786 were revised, allowing members to leave.
The king, who is patron, approved that change.
Two members who stepped aside in April 2018 over the row have since
returned to the academy. The two - author and literary historian
Kjell Espmark and historian Peter Englund - attended Thursday's
session, this year's first.