STOCKHOLM – The organisation that decides the Nobel Prize for Literature has said it will not announce an award this year.
According to media reports, the Swedish Academy has been in crisis over its handling of sexual assault allegations against the husband of a member.
The female member has since quit along with the academy’s head and four other members.
The academy says it will now announce the 2018 winner along with the 2019 winner next year.
The Swedish Academy said that it took the decision “in view of the currently diminished academy and the reduced public confidence in the academy”.
The scandal is the biggest to hit the prize since it was first awarded in 1901.
Apart from six years during the world wars, there has been only one year when the prize was not awarded in 1935.
This year’s Chemistry, Economics, Peace, Physics and Physiology Nobel prizes will go ahead as usual.
Swedish scientist Alfred Nobel had set up the prizes in his will in 1895.
The awards are decided by different bodies. The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences oversees Physics, Chemistry and Economics. The Nobel Assembly awards Medicine and the Swedish Academy covers Literature. Peace is the only award decided by the Norwegian Nobel Committee.
Literature has been awarded annually since 1901, save for six years during the two world wars and 1935.
The winner receives a gold medal, a diploma and a cash sum based on the Nobel Foundation’s income for the year.
The laureate is invited to give a lecture and there is a banquet and award ceremony on 10 December
