No Nobel Prize in Literature to be awarded this year

Earlier in 2018 the Swedish Academy said that it would not award a Nobel prize for literature this year. Instead, two prizes will be awarded next year. The decision came after a sexual assault scandal involving the husband of one of the Academy's members.

A new prize is created

A number of members of Sweden's cultural establishment were so upset by the Swedish Academy decision that they set up The New Academy which will award the New Prize in Literature for 2018. During the summer, the New Academy consulted the country's librarians and produced a long list of nominees including well-known authors such as Joyce Carol Oates and J.K. Rowling.

The New Academy has its own website. that says: "The New Academy is a non-profit organization, politically and financially independent. It consists of a wide range of knowledgeable individuals. The New Academy works within the time frame of the Swedish Academy and in five different committees. The winner will be announced on October 12th and presented at a formal event with a grand celebration December 9th 2018. The Academy will dissolve in December after its work is finished."

Voting by general public created short list

This summer, the organization consulted the country’s librarians, who produced a long list of nominees, which included a number of well-known authors, including Neil Gaiman, Joyce Carol Oates, J.K. Rowling, and others, which was then voted on by the general public. Maryse Condé, Haruki Murakami, Kim Thúy, and Neil Gaiman were the public favorites, and a jury will now select a final winner from that shortlist.

Two authors on the short list are science fiction and fantasy authors

Science fiction and fantasy authors are rarely recognized by the Nobel Prize for literature. Two exceptions are Doris Lessing and Gabriel Garcia Marquez.

Gaiman is known for his Sandman comics and novels such as American Gods and The Ocean at the End of the Lane.

Haruki Murakami is a renowned Japanese novelist who blends elements of pop culture and high literature. His novels include 1Q84 and Kafka on the Shore.

Previously published in Digital Journal