An excellent choice! – Helsingborgs Dagblad

Culture Published December 21, 2014 kl. 10:24

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  Permanent Secretary Peter Englund offers new member Sara Danius chair when Danius takes place in the Swedish Academy during the traditional formal gathering in the Stock Exchange building in Stockholm on Friday. Jonas Ekströmer / TT

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  Sara Danius takes place as permanent secretary of the Swedish Academy. Jonas Ekströmer / TT

This weekend was Swedish Academy’s annual ceremonial meeting. JARGONISTIC took his entry and held commemorative speech of Ulf Linde. But what surprised was the announcement that the current permanent secretary Peter Englund leaves office and is succeeded by Sara Danius.

Peter Englund six years as permanent secretary of the Swedish Academy has become more open and Nimbus of a secret club has started to disperse. Englund has, as you know, even blogged about Academy. When a writer had said something stupid about the Academy went Englund in defense. It became bold headlines. I thought it was sympathetically by Englund to show that there are limits even for Academy members’ patience with sharp witty units.

But above all has Englund been characterized by he managed to defuse the Academy’s role. He has been in place for the formal emphasized the hard and important work of the Academy is doing in an increasingly culturally impoverished social climate in which its significance is undermined and is under constant threat.

To take over from Peter Englund is no easy task. With Sara Danius may Academy’s first female permanent secretary. It is therefore an historic event. For everyday Danius has until now been a professor of aesthetics at Södertörn University. A position she took office in 2008.

Sara Danius is was born in 1962 in Täby. But above all Danius extremely well-read, in-depth formed in a manner reminiscent of days gone professors and she moves with ease between different historical eras and literary events but also between high and low.

She comes across as almost unique.

In recent years, Danius writing characterized by a style elegant ease making her books into something more than literary analysis and explosive scholarly essays. They take a leap to literature in its own right.

It was clearly seen in “The blue soap” that does not at least contain some of the most interesting written about Stendhal in our country. Sara Danius latest book came out a few months ago, “the housewife’s death and other texts.” Where she talks about “an evening like any other.” She is standing in the kitchen peeling carrots and chop garlic. Son plays Justin Bieber. The phone rings; number is secret. She is convinced that there is a vendor and think not to answer. But she lifts the handset. The man is formal and asks if it’s Sara Danius he is talking to. Then he presents himself. It’s Peter Englund and he wants to inquire about how she would react to being a member of the Swedish Academy.

“Yes, thank you. With pleasure. Super Happy. Superhedrad. “Englund warns her since” having a laugh “that” hell would break loose. ” She is shaken and honored. And now succeeds Sara Danius Englund, Permanent Secretary of the Swedish Academy. I will certainly miss the books she come not get time to write, but the bigger Sara Danius undoubtedly an excellent permanent secretary.

Crister Enander