Swedish Academy: We make choices on literary grounds, not political

Following the extraordinary reactions that prompted this year's award of literature to writer Peter Handke, a supporter of Slobodan Milosevic's regime, the Swedish Academy spoke.

Its permanent secretary, Mats Malm, told the New York Times that the committee makes selections on literary and aesthetic bases and that “is not the mandate of the academy to balance literary quality against political considerations”.

CNN also requested a comment about the controversial decision, whose negative echo still continues. The response that the American media giant received was that “did not immediately comment on the independent selections given by institutions choosing Nobel Prize laureates”.

Handke's first debut novel “Die Hornissen” was published in 1966, and his 1970 work “Die Angst des Tormanns beim Elfmeter” turned into a film by German director Wim Wenders.

According to analyst Florian Bieber of the University of Graz, what makes this election even more problematic is the fact that Handkes' pro-Serbian nationalism ideas have also been reflected in his work, writes Top Channel, broadcasts the Kosovo Clan.

He has insisted on protecting what I would call a Serbian nationalist position”, Bieber said.

This, the analyst added, makes the award very problematic because it is not just his political statements, but it has included in his writings and three books reflecting these views, two of which travel notes and a scenario for plays.