How the jury for the Nobel Prize in Literature works
As members of the board have resigned, the Swedish Academy, in charge of awarding the Nobel Prize in Literature, is currently in turmoil. How does the jury work?
The Swedish Academy is in charge
The Swedish Academy was founded in 1786 by King Gustav III on the model of the Académie Française. His aim was to promote the Swedish language and literature. Since 1901, the Academy, called "De Aderton" (the eighteen) for its 18 seats, has awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature. The jury makes its decision in October, and the award ceremony is held on Alfred Nobel's birthday, on December 10.
A lengthy procedure
Appointed for life, the members of the Academy are Swedish authors, literature experts and linguists, historians, as well as a famous lawyer. The preliminary preparations start a year before the winner is picked. The first official action in the selection process usually takes place in September of the previous year.
The Nobel Committee's role
Every year, usually in September, the Nobel Committee sends about 700 invitation letters to "persons who are qualified to nominate for the Nobel Prize in Literature," which includes members of the Swedish Academy, former laureates and literature experts. The committee, headed by author Per Wästberg (photo) has six members who are chosen from the ranks of the Nobel Prize Academy for three years.
The selection process
The deadline for submissions of nominations in on January 31. The Nobel Committee for Literature evaluates the nominations; by April, the number of candidates is reduced to 15-20 people, and a shortlist of five candidates is selected one month later. From then on, the Swedish Academy takes over the procedure.
Reading, debating, deciding
The Academy then receives the list of five candidates from the Committee. The Academy members spend the summer reading, debating and writing reports. They meet to discuss the literary achievements of the candidates in September.
The winner
In early October, the Academy members select and announce the winner, who must have received more than half of the votes. In 2017, Japan-born British author Kazuo Ishiguro (photo) took home the award endowed with about 800,000 euros. The remaining nominees are to be kept secret for 50 years.