Swedish Academy

Svenska Academies ( German The Swedish Academy ) is a Swedish Academy of Sciences. It has its headquarters in Stockholm and was on 20 March 1786 by King Gustav III. founded on the model of the Académie française. Your task is to promote the Swedish language and literature. In Sweden it is also under the name De Aderton ( Eng.: The Eighteen ) is known, since it always consists of 18 members who take on numbered chairs seating. Internationally, the Swedish Academy is thus known that it determines the Nobel Prize for Literature.

The motto of the Swedish Academy is Snille och smak (about: talent and taste). It publishes, among other things Svenska Akademiens ordbok and Svenska Akademiens ordlista.

Current Members

Currently, the following persons are members of the Swedish Academy:

Resignations of Academy members

In 1989 it came to the worst crisis of the Swedish Academy recently: The Iranian revolutionary leader Ayatollah Khomeini imposed on the British-Indian author Salman Rushdie is a "death sentence" and put a bounty on him, because Rushdie in his novel The Satanic Verses allegedly insulted Islam. This sparked worldwide outrage. The Swedish Academy, however, refused to comment officially on the grounds that according to traditional principles, the Academy should not comment on political matters. As a protest here against the Academicians Werner Aspenström, Kerstin Ekman and Lars Gyllensten announced their resignation from the Academy. However, since the members are elected for life and can not escape, Kerstin Ekman is still considered a member who just does not participate in the meetings. Werner Aspenström died in 1997, Lars Gyllensten in 2006.

Since 2005, Knut Ahnlund took in protest against the fact that Elfriede Jelinek was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, no longer attend the meetings. Knut Ahnlund died in 2012.

Known deceased members

The following well-known Swedish poets and writers were members of the Swedish Academy ( in parenthesis time of membership):

  • Per Daniel Amadeus Atterbom (1839-1855)
  • Bo Bergman (1925-1967)
  • John Edfelt (1969-1997)
  • Gunnar Ekelöf (1958-1968)
  • Erik Gustaf Geijer (1824-1847)
  • Hjalmar Gullberg (1940-1961)
  • Dag Hammarskjöld (1954-1961)
  • Sven Hedin (1913-1952)
  • Verner von Heidenstam (1912-1940)
  • Eyvind Johnson (1957-1976)
  • Erik Axel Karlfeldt (1904-1931)
  • Johan Henrik Kellgren (1786-1795)
  • Pär Lagerkvist (1940-1974)
  • Selma Lagerlöf (1914-1940)
  • Carl Gustaf af Leopold (1786-1829)
  • Harry Martinson (1949-1978)
  • Anders Osterling (1919-1981)
  • Johan Gabriel Oxenstierna (1786-1818)
  • Victor Rydberg (1877-1895)
  • Sten Selander (1953-1957)
  • Gunnar Mascoll Silfverstolpe (1941-1942)
  • Carl Snoilsky (1876-1903)
  • Esaias Tegnér (1818-1846)
  • Birgitta Defiantly (1993-2011)
  • Knut Ahnlund (1983-2012)
  • Ulf Linde (1977-2013)
Svenska Akademien (Band) Gustav III of Sweden Bo Ralph Anders Olsson Tomas Riad Sara Danius Jesper Svenbro Torgny Lindgren Peter Englund Gunnel Vallquist Kristina Lugn Kjell Espmark Horace Engdahl Birgitta Trotzig List of members of the Swedish Academy
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