The Nobel Year: How are the Nobel Prize Laureates in Literature decided?
October
For those involved in selecting the Nobel Prize laureate in literature, the working year both begins and ends in October when, during what is known as Nobel Week, all the Nobel Prize winners are announced. For the Swedish Academy, this always takes place on a Thursday at 1 p.m. Ahead of the announcement, a large press contingent gathered inside the Stock Exchange Building in Stockholm awaits the opening of the door to the Permanent Secretary’s office. At exactly 1 p.m., the Secretary emerges to reveal the name of the prizewinner.
It is worth noting that at that very moment, while all attention is focused on the newly announced laureate, the starting pistol has just been fired on the process of selecting the next year’s winner – albeit without anyone hearing it. From the time of the announcement, it is officially permitted to submit nominations for the following year – for those eligible to do so.
November
In November, several thousand invitation letters are sent out worldwide to remind selected individuals of the opportunity to submit nominations for the Nobel Prize. Those eligible to nominate may be divided into four groups:
1) members of the Swedish Academy or of other academies or institutions with comparable roles worldwide.
2) professors of literature or linguistics at universities or colleges.
3) previous Nobel Prize laureates in literature.
4) chairs of writers’ organisations considered representative of their country’s literary production.
December
Together with the year’s other Nobel laureates, the Nobel Foundation invites the literature laureate to Stockholm to receive a medal and diploma from His Majesty the King. Both the awards ceremony and banquet take place on 10 December, the anniversary of Alfred Nobel’s death. During their visit, literature laureates also deliver a lecture at the Swedish Academy, the so-called Nobel Lecture. Should the laureate be unable to attend in person, the lecture may be given in another format, such as by video recording. The laureate is also invited to various other events, including an evening of recitals at the Royal Dramatic Theatre.
January
Nominations must be received by 31 January in order to be considered; any submissions arriving after that date are deemed invalid. A staff member with the title of Literature Administrator compiles all valid nominations into the ‘long list’, which simply includes all of the year’s eligible candidates, and submits it to the Nobel Committee of the Swedish Academy. The Nobel Committee consists of a small group of Academy members tasked with the specific responsibility of awarding the Nobel Prize. The current committee members are Anders Olsson (chair), Ellen Mattsson, Steve Sem-Sandberg, Anne Swärd and Anna-Karin Palm. Mats Malm is additionally co-opted in his capacity as Permanent Secretary. The committee is furthermore supported by a group of external experts. In addition to extensive reading and evaluation, members must be open to discussing and considering each other’s views. Several meetings are therefore scheduled throughout the spring, and more sessions may be added as required.
February–March
The Nobel Committee works intensively on reviewing the long list and may add names if necessary. The list usually includes around 200 candidates. It is then carefully reduced to a more manageable number of writers to enable closer study. The committee is assisted by the Nobel Library, which provides resources such as specially ordered expert reports or translations.
April
By April, the Nobel Committee presents a ‘semi-long list’ of around twenty to twenty-five names to the rest of the Academy. After gathering feedback, the committee compiles its shortlist, which typically consists of five candidates. At this stage, it is essential that both members and staff observe strict confidentiality rules. For members, it is a case of gaining access to as much of the relevant authors’ work as possible, while reading it with the utmost discretion.
May–August
In May, the shortlist is finalised and presented to the entire Academy. Members are then tasked with familiarising themselves with the work of the selected authors over the summer. Each committee member is moreover required to prepare detailed reports evaluating each candidate and arguing for their preferred laureate. These reports must be ready for distribution to the other members before the Academy reconvenes in September. Due to confidentiality rules, outsiders must wait fifty years before being given access to these reports.
September
Time is now suddenly at a premium. The first meeting of the autumn is usually held on the first Thursday after 15 September and at least three such meetings are required in order to reach a decision. For a choice of laureate to be valid, one of the candidates must receive more than half of the votes cast. The entire Academy stands behind the decision once it has been made, with the Permanent Secretary serving as spokesperson. All that remains is to wait for the old clock in the Secretary’s office to strike one – and for the door to open once again …