Swedish Academy facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Swedish Academy

Svenska Akademien
Headquarters
Formation	20 March 1786; 239 years ago (20 March 1786)
Type	Royal academy
Headquarters	Stock Exchange Building, Stockholm
Membership	18 members
Permanent secretary	Mats Malm

The Swedish Academy (in Swedish: Svenska Akademien) is a special group in Sweden. King Gustav III started it in 1786. It is one of the Royal Academies.

This academy has 18 members. They are chosen for life. Their main job is to protect and improve the Swedish language. Many people around the world know the Swedish Academy because it chooses who wins the annual Nobel Prize in Literature. This famous prize is given to remember Alfred Nobel.

What is the Swedish Academy?

Official logo of the academy

The Swedish Academy was created in 1786 by King Gustav III. It was inspired by the French Academy. The King decided to have 18 members. This number was chosen because the Swedish phrase "De Aderton" (meaning 'The Eighteen') sounded very important.

The academy's motto is "Talent and Taste." In Swedish, this is "Snille och Smak". The main goal of the academy is to keep the Swedish language "pure, strong, and noble."

The Academy's Home

The Swedish Academy meets in a building called the Stockholm Stock Exchange Building. This building was first built for regular citizens. The ground floor was used for trading. The top floor was used for big parties and events.

When the academy started, the ballroom on the top floor was the biggest room in Stockholm that could be heated in winter. So, the King asked to use it. Since then, the academy has held its yearly meeting there. Members of the Swedish royal family often attend these meetings.

In 1914, the academy finally got to use the top floor as its own permanent home. This is where the members meet. They also announce the names of Nobel Prize winners here. This important task makes the academy one of the most powerful literary groups in the world.

Who are the Members?

Members of the Swedish Academy are chosen by a secret vote. Before the choice is made public, the King of Sweden must approve it. The members include writers, language experts, historians, and a well-known lawyer.

In the past, there were fewer writers in the academy. But in the 1900s, more than half of "The Eighteen" became writers. For a long time, most members were men. However, the academy has recently worked to have more equality. Since December 2019, one-third of the members are women.

Before 2018, members could not resign. Membership was for life. But the academy could remove members. This happened twice to Gustaf Mauritz Armfelt. Some members chose to stop attending meetings because of disagreements. For example, some members stopped attending when the academy did not support Salman Rushdie during a controversy.

Dag Hammarskjöld's farm in Backåkra, a quiet place for academy members

The academy also owns a special place called Backåkra. This was the farm of Dag Hammarskjöld, who used to be the head of the United Nations. He was also a member of the Swedish Academy. The south part of the farm is a summer retreat for the 18 members. It's a quiet place for them to work and relax.

Academy's Finances

In 2019, the academy shared its financial information for the first time. It showed that the academy had a lot of money, about 1.58 billion Swedish kronor, at the end of 2018. This is equal to about $170 million US dollars.

The Swedish King is the only person, besides the members, who can attend the academy's meetings. In March 2022, the King of Sweden attended a meeting. This was the first time a Swedish king had done this in over 200 years!

The Academy's Dictionaries

To help keep the Swedish language strong, the academy publishes three important dictionaries.

• The first is a one-volume spelling dictionary. It is called Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL). It is now in its 14th edition.
• The second is a very large dictionary with many volumes. It is like the Oxford English Dictionary. It is called Svenska Akademiens Ordbok (SAOB). The first part came out in 1893, and the last part was finished in 2023.
• The third is a two-volume dictionary. It is called Svensk ordbok utgiven av Svenska Akademien ('Swedish dictionary published by the Swedish Academy'). This dictionary focuses on modern Swedish. It includes how to say words, where they come from, and their meanings.

All three dictionaries can be used for free online at svenska.se.

The academy has also published grammar books for the Swedish language. There is a four-volume set for researchers and university students. There is also a simpler, single-volume book for those who need less detail.

Awards and Prizes

Since 1901, the Swedish Academy has chosen the winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature every year. This prize honors Alfred Nobel.

The Swedish Academy gives out almost 50 different prizes and scholarships each year. Most of these are for Swedish authors. People do not need to apply for these prizes. They are chosen by the academy. The Dobloug Prize is one of the largest. It gives $40,000 to Swedish and Norwegian fiction writers.

The Great Prize

The Great Prize (in Swedish: Stora Priset) was started by King Gustav III. This prize is a single gold medal. It is the most important award given by the Swedish Academy.

Some famous winners of The Great Prize include:

• Selma Lagerlöf (1904 and 1909)
• Astrid Lindgren (1971), who wrote the Pippi Longstocking books
• Evert Taube (1972)
• Tove Jansson (1994), who created the Moomins

Other Awards

The academy gives out about 50 prizes every year. People do not have to apply or compete for these awards.

You can find a full list of awards (in Swedish) online.

Current Members

Here are the current members of the Swedish Academy, listed by their seat number:

Seat	Picture	Member	Born	Elected	Notes
1.		Eric M. Runesson	1960	2018
2.		Bo Ralph	1945	1999
3.		David Håkansson	1978	2023
4.		Anders Olsson	1949	2008	Permanent secretary 2018-2019
5.		Ingrid Carlberg	1961	2020
6.		Tomas Riad	1959	2011
7.		Åsa Wikforss	1961	2019
8.		Jesper Svenbro	1944	2006
9.		Ellen Mattson	1962	2019
10.		Peter Englund	1957	2002	Permanent secretary 2009–2015.
11.		Mats Malm	1964	2018	Permanent secretary
12.		Per Wästberg	1933	1997
13.		Anne Swärd	1969	2019
14.		Steve Sem-Sandberg	1958	2020
15.		Jila Mossaed	1948	2018
16.		Anna-Karin Palm	1961	2023
17.		Horace Engdahl	1948	1997	Permanent secretary 1999–2009
18.		Tua Forsström	1947	2019

Permanent Secretaries

The Permanent Secretary is like the head manager of the Swedish Academy. Here is a list of people who have held this important role:

Order	Seat	Picture	Permanent Secretary of the Swedish Academy	Born	Years	Notes
1.	11.		Nils von Rosenstein	1752	1786–1824
2.	13.		Frans Michael Franzén	1772	1824–1834
3.	12.		Bernhard von Beskow	1796	1834–1868
4.	5.		Johan Erik Rydqvist	1800	1868–1869	temporary
5.	15.		Ludvig Manderström	1806	1869–1872
6.	12.		Carl Gustaf Strandberg	1825	1872–1874	temporary
7.	9.		Henning Hamilton	1814	1874–1881
8.	11.		Bror Emil Hildebrand	1806	1881–1883	temporary
9.	8.		Carl David af Wirsén	1842	1883–1912	temporary in 1883–84
10.	6.		Hans Hildebrand	1842	1912-1913	temporary
11.	11.		Erik Axel Karlfeldt	1864	1913–1931
12.	14.		Per Hallström	1866	1931–1941
13.	13.		Anders Österling	1884	1941–1964
14.	7.		Karl Ragnar Gierow	1904	1964–1977
15.	14.		Lars Gyllensten	1921	1977–1986
16.	3.		Sture Allén	1928	1986–1999
17.	17.		Horace Engdahl	1948	1999–2009
18.	10.		Peter Englund	1957	2009–2015
19.	7.		Sara Danius	1962	2015–2018
20.	4.		Anders Olsson	1949	2018-2019	temporary April–June 2018
21.	11.		Mats Malm	1964	2019-

See also

In Spanish: Academia Sueca para niños

• List of members of the Swedish Academy
• List of language regulators
• Bellman Prize
• Dobloug Prize
• Backåkra

Other sources

• Walshe, Maurice O'Connell (1965). "Introduction to the Scandinavian Languages", Andre Deutsch Ltd., 1st edition, p. 57