No Nobel Prize in Literature this year

The Swedish Academy announced Friday that it would not hand out the Nobel Prize in Literature this year.

It plans to award double prizes next year, the institute said in a press release.

The Academy said the decision was made "in view of the currently diminished Academy and the reduced public confidence in the Academy."

"We have decided not to award a prize after long and intense discussions. The global confidence is so low (in the Swedish Academy)and ... we plan to award the prize next year and hopefully then a double prize," the academy's acting chief Anders Olsson told Swedish TT News Agency.

A similar situation has occurred before, said Olsson, referring to the practice of postponing the award ceremony, usually held annually, to the next year.

The news came after a crisis which started in late 2017 when a cultural figure who had close links to the Academy was accused of sexual harassment by a number of women.

The man has also been accused of leaking the names of previous laureates.

The Swedish Economic Crime Authority has also launched a preliminary investigation into suspected financial crime within the Academy after an inquiry found it had granted payments to a cultural club formerly run by the man.

Internal disagreements in the Academy have led to the resignation of a number of Academy members. It now only has 10 active members and eight vacant seats.

According to the Academy, the selection of a Nobel literature laureate is "at an advanced stage" and will continue as usual in the months ahead.

However, it said "the Academy needs time to regain its full complement, engage a larger number of active members and regain confidence in its work, before the next Literature Prize winner is declared."