Swedish Academy: No reason to take Nobel prize away from Gunter Grass
The Swedish Academy, which annually awards the Nobel Prize for literature, sees no reason to remove the one awarded to German poet Günter Grass in 1999 over a recent poem in which he criticized Israel.
Permanent Secretary Peter Englund wrote on his blog: "There is not, and there will be no discussion at the Swedish Academy on withdrawing the prize." "Mr. Grass was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1999 for literary merit and literary alone, which is the case with all the winners," Englund added. (AFP)
