Nobel literature prize-awarding Swedish Academy rattled by sex scandal
What's the story
A sex scandal has rattled the Swedish Academy, which awards the Nobel Literature Prize. As many as 18 academy members, their wives and daughters have accused an influential man tied to the institution of rape and sexual assault. The revelations were reported by Sweden's Dagens Nyheter newspaper. The Academy has responded by cutting all ties with the accused man. Here's more about it.
Who?
What we know about the accused
The accused is the husband of a writer having "close links to the Swedish Academy." He runs a culture club that conducts exhibitions and readings by various artists, including Nobel literature awardees. This has been dubbed the "the Academy's living room." His name wasn't revealed by the newspaper owing to Sweden's presumption of innocence laws. The man has claimed his innocence to Dagens Nyheter.
Details
Victims feared persecution so remained silent about assaults
The sexual assaults allegedly took place between 1996 and 2017, Dagens Nyheter has reported. Some of the assaults took place on the academy's premises. "Everyone knows and everyone has always known," that the man preyed on young women, a victim said. The women remained silent as they feared the man would use his connections to jeopardize their careers.
Reaction
Swedish Academy to launch internal inquiry
The Swedish Academy announced after a "crisis meeting" that it was cutting all ties with the accused man. It said it would internally investigate whether the man "has had any direct or indirect influence on the Academy's prizes, scholarships, and fundings of any kind." Culture Minister Alice Bah Kuhnke said she regrets bestowing the 2015 Order of The Polar Star to the man.