美国国家公共电台 NPR Swedish Academy Won't Award Nobel In Literature Following Sex-Abuse Scandal

 

MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:

The Nobel Prize in Literature will not be given out this year. The Swedish Academy was thrown into turmoil¹ last fall when sexual harassment² allegations surfaced against the husband of one of its members. The academy says it will postpone³ the award until next year. And next year, it's going to give out two. NPR Books editor Petra Mayer has been following the story.

PETRA MAYER, BYLINE⁴: This isn't the first time that the academy has declined to give out a literature prize, but it is the first time since World War II. The academy has been embroiled⁵ in a really complicated, long-simmering scandal. Allegations surfaced in Swedish papers last fall that a prominent man later revealed to be the husband of an academy member had assaulted or harassed⁶ at least 18 women over the past two decades, including apparently⁷ Sweden's Crown Princess Victoria. The man also reportedly leaked the names of several Prize finalists. Three academy members resigned last month to protest their organization's handling of the allegations, and not long afterward⁸, the head of the academy was forced to step down, leaving too few members and too much bad press to decide on a prize winner this year.

In a statement posted this morning, acting⁹ permanent secretary Anders Olsson said the decision was arrived at, quote, "in view of the currently diminished academy and the reduced public confidence in the academy." Lars Heikensten is the executive director of the overall Nobel Foundation. He says it's imperative¹⁰ that the academy restore public trust, and today's announcement was a step in the right direction.

LARS HEIKENSTEN: It demonstrates that they take this seriously, and it gives them time to start with the changes necessary.

MAYER: Heikensten says it's up to the academy to make things right, but he would like to see a younger, more diverse membership.

PAUL BOGAARDS: I think many in the industry feel that this 2018 pause is appropriate.

MAYER: That's Paul Bogaards. He's the head of PR for Knopf Doubleday, which published last year's winner, Kazuo Ishiguro, as well as past winners, including Alice Munro and Orhan Pamuk. The Nobel is a big sales boost for whoever wins, especially if they've got a nice, fat back catalogue that publishers can rush into bookstores. Bogaards says he doesn't think this decision will damage the prestige of the prize. And, he adds, the Nobel Prize is based on a lifetime of work, not one book in one year.

BOGAARDS: So there would not be a determine made on the part of publishers to hold back a book because the Nobel Prize is not going to be awarded in 2018. The award itself has never been predictable. And in fact (laughter), you know, the people who probably make the most money on the Nobel Prize are the bookies at Ladbrokes.

MAYER: Petra Mayer, NPR News, Washington.

1 turmoil   

n.骚乱，混乱，动乱

参考例句：

• His mind was in such a turmoil that he couldn't get to sleep.内心的纷扰使他无法入睡。
• The robbery put the village in a turmoil.抢劫使全村陷入混乱。

2 harassment   

n.骚扰，扰乱，烦恼，烦乱

参考例句：

• She often got telephone harassment at night these days.这些天她经常在夜晚受到电话骚扰。
• The company prohibits any form of harassment.公司禁止任何形式的骚扰行为。

3 postpone   

v.延期，推迟

参考例句：

• I shall postpone making a decision till I learn full particulars.在未获悉详情之前我得从缓作出决定。
• She decided to postpone the converastion for that evening.她决定当天晚上把谈话搁一搁。

4 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

5 embroiled   

adj.卷入的；纠缠不清的

参考例句：

• He became embroiled in a dispute with his neighbours. 他与邻居们发生了争执。
• John and Peter were quarrelling, but Mary refused to get embroiled. 约翰和彼得在争吵，但玛丽不愿卷入。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 harassed   

adj. 疲倦的，厌烦的 动词harass的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He has complained of being harassed by the police. 他投诉受到警方侵扰。
• harassed mothers with their children 带着孩子的疲惫不堪的母亲们

7 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

8 afterward   

adv.后来；以后

参考例句：

• Let's go to the theatre first and eat afterward. 让我们先去看戏，然后吃饭。
• Afterward,the boy became a very famous artist.后来，这男孩成为一个很有名的艺术家。

9 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

10 imperative   

n.命令，需要；规则；祈使语气；adj.强制的；紧急的

参考例句：

• He always speaks in an imperative tone of voice.他老是用命令的口吻讲话。
• The events of the past few days make it imperative for her to act.过去这几天发生的事迫使她不得不立即行动。