Danius led the Swedish Academy - the first woman to do so - between 2015 and 2018 and was at the helm during the scandal that led to the husband of another member of the elite cultural association being convicted of rape and imprisoned. A public slanging match over the allegations and how they were handled led the Nobel Foundation, which administers the prizes, threatened to threaten to cut ties with the Academy and the postponement of the 2018 award. Danius, Professor of Literature at Stockholm university, resigned from her post in April 2018 after criticism of her handling of the crisis. The Academy awarded two prize this week, with the postponed 2018 award going to Polish author Olga Tokarczuk. Handke's award has sparked a backlash over his support for late Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic, who led his country during the Balkan Wars of the 1990s.

Source: bd News24 October 12, 2019 10:30 UTC