"Radically rejuvenated group that selects award winners"

In November last year, it became clear that the Nobel Committee, which decides who is awarded the Nobel Prize in literature, would be supplemented by five external members. Those selected were the critics Mikaela Blomqvist, Rebecka Kärde, Henrik Petersen and the writers Kristoffer Leandoer and Gun-Britt Sundström.

- With the external committee, the group that selects the award winners has become radically rejuvenated and may also have a broader competence. But I think above all that the conversation climate has changed, it is not possible to talk about crisis and scandal and what has touched the Academy's internal problems with such a committee, but here the literature has been given place, says Ulrika Milles, critic of the Culture News.

In the Nobel Committee, the new members are joined by the Academy members Anders Olsson, Per Wästerberg, Kristina Lugn and Jesper Svenbro. In total, there are nine people who together will appoint the award winners for 2018 and 2019. It was the Nobel Foundation that called for a renewed committee to continue the work on the award ceremony. Earlier this year, Academy member Horace Engdahl left the Nobel Committee, after the Nobel Foundation announced that no members associated with the past year's events would be included there anymore.

The assignments of the external members extend from now until 2020, they are all active either as critics, writers or translators - and their professional assignments could make it difficult to appoint the Nobel laureates.

- They are free pens, freelancers, free intellectuals, take and give assignments and now have to think through conflicting problems in a very serious way. Of course, they have always done this, but sitting and participating in these deliberations means that privacy must be absolute. And cultural life gets further small pockets of conversations that cannot be held, things that cannot be said. I think that is problematic, says Ulrika Milles.

However, she is convinced that the new members will take the work of the committee very seriously.

- I think their impact will mean that there will be two good, exciting and somewhat radical writers who will receive the Nobel Prize this year - if they get their will through. I have great respect for their literary skills and the values ​​they make.