Nobel Prize for Literature was cancelled in 2018 due to THIS controversial scandal

Every year, the Nobel Prize for Literature is awarded to one winner by the Swedish Academy. However, in 2018, the Swedish Academy delayed the announcement of the Novel Prize winner due to a massive scandal. In fact, the 2018 Nobel Prize was awarded a year later in late 2019 to Polish author Olga Tokarczuk. 

The 2018 Nobel Prize for Literature had to be cancelled by the Swedish Academy after the husband of one of its members was accused of rape and sexual misconduct by multiple women. The man in question is Swedish photographer Jean-Claude Arnault, who is currently in prison after he was convicted of two counts of rape. Moreover, his wife, Katarina Frostenson, who was a member of the Swedish Academy, was accused of corruption and conflict of interest. 

Why the Nobel Prize for Literature was cancelled in 2018

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It is rare that the Nobel Prize announcement is delayed or cancelled entirely. Usually, such a drastic step is only taken after a massive controversy. The controversy that delayed the 2018 Nobel Prize for Literature was the rape conviction of Jean-Claude Arnault. Jean-Claude Arnault is the husband of Katarina Frostenson, one of the members of the acclaimed Swedish Academy. So his conviction was a major blow to the Academy's reputation and public trust. 

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Accusations against Jean-Claude Arnault were shared publicly in the wake of the 2017 MeToo movement. Nearly 20 women accused the photographer of sexual harassment and even rape. Later, Katarina Frostenson, Jean's wife, was also accused of corruption and was forced to resign. 

In 2018, Jean-Claude Arnault was convicted on two counts of rape and was sentenced to two years and six months in prison. His conviction tarnished the reputation of the Swedish Academy, which led to the delay of the 2018 Nobel Prize for Literature announcement. Jean-Claude Arnault was also suspected of leaking the names of Nobel Prize winners when he was associated with the Academy.

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Multiple renowned members of the Academy resigned after the scandal. To replace the Nobel Prize for Literature, the New Academy Prize in Literature was created in 2018. Polish author Olga Tokarczuk was awarded the 2018 Nobel Prize for Literature in 2019 for her "narrative imagination that with encyclopedic passion represents the crossing of boundaries as a form of life". 

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