Stockholm: The Swedish Academy, known for selecting the Nobel literature laureate, said yesterday it was “in a serious crisis” after negative publicity surrounding a rift between its members.
“The reputation of the Nobel Prize in Literature has been seriously damaged,” it said, but added the Nobel Committee that prepares a short list for the award was “intact” and had worked as usual.
The rift emerged earlier this month around how to handle allegations raised against one of the academy’s 18 members, poet Katarina Frostenson, and her husband Jean-Claude Arnault. A law firm was commissioned in November to investigate sexual harassment allegations by 18 women against Arnault.
In an about-turn, the academy said it was to hand over the report to authorities “immediately” but was “unaware” of any punishable sexual offences. Arnault denies the allegations.
It said the names of Nobel laureates had been leaked and that Frostenson had violated conflict-of-interest rules by failing to disclose she was co-owner of a performance venue run by her husband that formerly received funding from the academy.
The Economic Crime Authority, which investigates tax fraud and similar offences, said it had received documents from the academy but the details were confidential.
The academy said it had “begun to work” on recent changes announced to clarify that members can resign.