She calls the assignment "incredibly honorable."
"I feel very humbled by this responsible task," says Carlberg at the Swedish Academy's ceremonial gathering in Stockholm on Saturday.
She continues:
"I'm not the kind of person who really craves positions like this. Quite the opposite. I feel most comfortable when I get to sit at home in front of the computer, drink tea and write books. But this task, the Academy, has an incredibly important role to play in society, so I didn't hesitate for very long."
Ingrid Carlberg, who is 64 years old and a journalist and author, will take up the position of permanent secretary on June 1 next year. She will then become the second woman in the post after Sara Danius, who resigned in 2018.
"I don't think it's so startling anymore. Today, there are a lot of women in the Academy. In that way, it feels like a natural development," says Carlberg.
Planned for a long time
Mats Malm has been planning the shift for a long time and raised the issue this spring, according to Carlberg.
"The Academy made its decision at the end of May. I've had six months to get used to the idea."
Do you feel prepared?
"No, you never are," says Carlberg, who was elected to chair number 5 in 2020.
Carlberg has written children's and reportage books as well as biographies.
She was awarded the August Prize for her book about Raoul Wallenberg, published in 2012. She has also written an award-winning biography of Alfred Nobel in 2019. Both works have been translated into a large number of languages.
The now 61-year-old Mats Malm – a literary historian and translator who was elected as a member on October 19, 2018 – took over the role of permanent secretary from Anders Olsson on June 1, 2019.
“A privilege”
By then, the venerable institution had been torn apart by internal strife for some time.
When he steps down, he will have served seven years in the position, and Malm says in a press release:
"It has been a privilege to work for the Academy as permanent secretary. Seven years is a reasonable term of office and as part of the assignment I have therefore prepared a shift in the post. I have the utmost confidence in Ingrid and look forward to our continued collaboration, under changed forms."
The storm of seven years ago has passed, Carlberg emphasizes.
"I think the crisis feels very distant today. We have a good atmosphere in the Academy and a very close and nice collaboration that I look forward to building on," she says.
Jonas Grönvik/TT
Facts: “The Eighteen”
TT
The Swedish Academy has 18 members on numbered chairs and is therefore also called "The Eighteen".
Eric Runesson, lawyer, chair 1.
Bo Ralph, linguist, chair 2.
David Håkansson, linguist, chair 3.
Anders Olsson, literary historian and author, chair 4.
Ingrid Carlberg, author and journalist, chair 5.
Tomas Riad, linguist, chair 6.
Åsa Wikforss, philosopher, chair 7.
Jesper Svenbro, poet and literary scholar, chair 8.
Ellen Mattson, author, chair 9.
Peter Englund, historian, chair 10.
Mats Malm, literary historian and translator, chair 11.
Per Wästberg, author, chair 12.
Anne Swärd, author, chair 13.
Steve Sem-Sandberg, author and critic, chair 14.
Jila Mossaed, poet, chair 15.
Anna-Karin Palm, author, chair 16.
Horace Engdahl, literary historian and author, chair 17.
Vacant, seat 18.
