Swedish Intellectuals Form New Literature Prize in Nobel Protest

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SUNDAY, JULY 8, 2018

A model presents a creation by Jean-Paul Gaultier during the 2018-2019 Fall/Winter Haute Couture collection fashion show in Paris. — AFP

Swedish intellectuals form new Let the Games begin: Netflix literature prize in Nobel protest releases first Indian series etflix’s first original Indian part series-filmed mainly in Hindi-centers series premieres on Friday as on the attempts of police officer Sartaj hat do you do when this year’s woman permanent secretary Sara Danius. shortlist four authors-two men and two women- the US streaming giant bat- Singh, played by Khan, to capture mafia Nobel Literature Prize, the world’s But for some the lack of a Nobel literature and make the final choice. The winner, who may tles with Amazon Prime for a boss Ganesh Gaitonde (Siddiqui). Wmost prestigious accolade of its award for the first time in almost 70 years was come from anywhere in the world and must have sliceN of the country’s fast growing on- kind, is postponed because of a unacceptable. “Sweden is one of the world’s published at least one literary work in the last demand video market. “Sacred Games”, Lust Stories sexual assault scandal? You create your own most democratic, transparent and gender-equal 10 years, will be announced on October 14, in an adaptation of Vikram Chandra’s 2006 “Sacred Games” is the first release of award. More than 100 Swedish intellectuals countries... it needs a great literary prize,” the same month as the Nobel Literature Prize novel of the same name, stars Bollywood eight Indian series that Netflix has com- have joined forces to form a new prize-giving Swedish columnist and one of the founders of would have been announced. stalwarts Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Saif Ali missioned. Last week the company body in protest after the Swedish Academy, the new prize, Alexandra Pascalidou, said. Khan and Radhika Apte. Analysts say the announced it would adapt Salman which selects Nobel laureates, was plunged into gritty underworld thriller sets a new Rushdie’s multiple-award winning novel crisis over its long-standing ties to a man Open and inclusive benchmark for Indian-produced internet “Midnight’s Children”. “Selection Day”, accused of assaulting several women. The Swedish Academy’s members used to be shows as providers seek to capitalize on based on Aravind Adiga’s novel about appointed for life before its patron, Sweden’s the country’s burgeoning number of cricket and corruption, is also in the King Carl XVI Gustaf, was forced to change the smartphone users. works. “Sacred Games” follows Hindi- “You create your statutes, making it possible for members to “‘Sacred Games’ is probably the most language movie “Love per Square Foot” resign and be replaced. Resigning member Kjell Anders Olsson, the high-profile content that has been made. and “Lust Stories”, a collection of four own award” Espmark told the Dagens Nyheter newspaper acting premanet Others have not been on the same scale,” short films, which both came out on that the institution had “given way to nepotism, secretary of the Girish Menon, who tracks media and Netflix this year. attempts to cover up serious violations, stale Swedish Academy. entertainment for KPMG, told AFP. Amazon has also released a host of macho values and arrogant bullying”. Revenues from India’s entertainment original Indian content, including crime The alternative honor serves to denounce Seen as the bearer of high culture, the streaming industry are expected to be drama “Breathe” and several successful “bias, arrogance and sexism”, according to its Swedish Academy, founded in 1786, is tradi- $823 million by 2022, up from $297 mil- stand-up comedy shows. Experts say founders The New Academy, whose members tionally known for its integrity and discretion, Skepticism, warnings lion in 2017, according to a producing high-quality programs in Hindi include authors, artists and journalists. It is with meetings and decisions on prizes kept But some observers are skeptical about PricewaterhouseCoopers report released and regional Indian languages is essential meant to “remind people that literature and secret. But the New Academy plans to make its whether the New Academy can compare with this month. Netflix, which is blocked in if Netflix and Amazon are to make up culture at large should promote democracy, prize-awarding process transparent. “We want the Nobel Literature Prize’s history of recogniz- China, is investing millions in the world’s ground on market leader Hotstar. “One transparency, empathy and respect, without to create something which is open and inclu- ing distinguished authors including Ernest second-most populous country to attract needs to have local content. It’s a given,” privilege”, the 107 intellectuals wrote in a sive and which allows people to contribute,” Hemingway, Albert Camus, Boris Pasternak, young consumers with access to cheap Frank D’Souza, a media and entertainment joint statement. said Pascalidou. Alice Munro and Doris Lessing, among others. mobile data and an appetite for some- analyst with PwC in Mumbai, told AFP. As the #MeToo movement has made waves The new literature award-which carries a For Asa Linderborg, chief culture editor at daily thing different. Hotstar dominates India’s streaming globally, the Swedish Academy descended into prize of one million kronor raised from crowd- paper Aftonbladet, it’s “deeply provocative” of “India is seeing the biggest and fastest landscape owing to its huge catalogue of turmoil in November when local media pub- funding and donations-will be handed out at a the New Academy to use literature to promote investment in content for any country we entertainment and movie channels owned lished the testimonies of 18 women claiming to December 10 ceremony, the same day as the moral values and even “the most disturbing have launched in,” said Erik Barmack, by Star India, many of which are free to have been raped, sexually assaulted or harassed Nobel banquet. Librarians across Sweden have ideas” can become high-quality literature. vice-president of international originals at view. It also streams live cricket and by an influential French cultural figure who has been asked to nominate up to two authors, with “Art should be free. You cannot label it Netflix. “Sacred Games” is also a punt English Premier League football. A yearly long been connected to the institution. The rev- a deadline set for July 8. Authors with the most based on righteousness or evil. The New that high-quality Indian content will subscription for all content costs 999 elations led the Academy to announce in May nominations will then receive votes online from Academy is after total purity... total goodness,” prove popular overseas and forms part of rupees ($14.55), the same as an Amazon there will be no Nobel Literature Prize this year, the public in Sweden and abroad. Linderborg said. She warned that allowing the Netflix’s worldwide drive to produce pro- Prime membership.—AFP as disagreements on how to deal with the scan- Based on the nominations and the vote public, who may not have a profound under- grams in many different languages, dal sowed deep discord among its 18 members results, a jury including publishers, literature standing of languages and books from different including Spanish and German. The eight- and prompted six to quit-including the first professors, culture journalists and critics will parts of the world, to vote for an author risks turning the prize in favor of “predictable and Western-translated” literature. Meanwhile oth- ers are indifferent to the initiative. “They’re free to do as they wish,” Swedish Academy member Per Wastberg said. The new literature prize is the latest award to be dubbed an alter- native to the Nobel, joining the Swedish Right Livelihood Award honoring those who work to improve the planet, and Finland’s Millennium Technology Prize.—AFP

In this file photo, a woman opens the door of the Alfred Nobel Museum in Stockholm, This photo shows Indian commuters walking below a poster of ‘Sacred Games,’ the Sweden, that is located in the building where upcoming Indian series on Netflix, in Mumbai. — AFP will be announced the winner of the 2017 Nobel Prize in Literature. — AFP photos