Nobel literature academy gets new head after sex assault claims

STOCKHOLM: The Swedish Academy, which awards the Nobel Literature Prize, has appointed a new head after a crippling crisis triggered by allegations of sexual assault against the husband of one of its members.

Anders Olsson, a 69yearold writer and literature professor known for his calm demeanour and diplomatic skills, has been appointed the Academy’s “temporary” permanent secretary in a bid to unite the 11 remaining Academy members amid the toxic controversy that has divided it into two camps.

Two members, including permanent secretary Sara Danius, resigned on Thursday in the aftermath of the scandal, which centres on allegations by 18 women that they had been subject to sexual harassment and assault by JeanClaude Arnault, the French husband of Academy member and poet Katarina Frostenson.

Arnault denies the allegations. The two camps have been split on how to draw a line under the row, and on what measures to take after a report it commissioned revealed conflicts of interest and the fact that Academy members leaked Nobel winners’ names.

Seen as bearers of high culture, the Academy is traditionally known for its integrity and discretion, with the meetings and decisions made by its 18 members shrouded in secrecy.

After the 18 women spoke out in Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter against Arnault in November – following the #MeToo campaign – the Academy cut all ties with Arnault’s cultural club Forum in Stockholm, which it had subsidised for years and which was a key meeting point for the country’s cultural elite.

Meanwhile, Stockholm prosecutors announced in midMarch that parts of the investigation against Arnault – concerning allegations of rape and assault between 2013 and 2015 – had been dropped due to lack of evidence. The rest of the investigation is still ongoing. — AFP