Two writers will receive a Nobel Prize in Literature this fall: one for this year, and one for 2018.
In case you missed it, the Swedish Academy, which awards the prize, did not bestow the honor to anyone last year after it became embroiled in a sexual abuse scandal.
Last spring, the husband of one member of the academy stood accused of harassing and groping 18 women. That fall, he was convicted of rape. His ability to get away with his crimes implicated the academy, which had awarded payments to a cultural organization run by the couple, and some members were accused of trying to downplay the scandal.
After the news erupted, so many people resigned from the 18-member body that it didn’t have the 12 required panelists to select a winner. The academy does not even allow resignations from its lifetime appointments, but they happened anyway.
Now, the Swedish Academy appears to think it can redeem the horror of leaving the literary world Nobel-less last year by awarding a retroactive title this fall. The dual award only further brings the academy’s mismanagement into the spotlight. The Nobel Foundation announced in a statement last week that new members have been elected to the academy, they can now choose to resign, and the academy “no longer includes any members who are subject to conflict of interest or criminal investigations.” Well, that’s a relief.
Moreover, it takes some hubris to assume the literary world was hurting from last year’s missing award. The academy has done a poor enough job awarding prizes over the years that that was hardly the case. Just take the 2016 laureate, Bob Dylan, for example. Critics accused the academy of trying too hard to stay relevant, and the lyricist refused to show up to collect his award.
The Swedish Academy was right to cancel the literary prize last year. It’s wrong to try to make up for it now. Public trust has been rebuilt enough for one award this October, maybe. But in the words of the 2016 laureate, “Don’t think twice — it’s alright.”
