Nobel Prize cancelled for literature in 2018: Swedish Academy

Sweden, May 04: In a shocking decision revealed by Swedish Academy on Friday, The Nobel Prize in Literature will not be awarded this year.

The cancellation comes as the organization responsible for selecting and awarding the prize is dealing with the controversy over its links to a man accused of sexual assault.

For the first time since 1949, the secretive jury that hands out the world's most prestigious literary award will not unveil a winner this year, instead revealing two winners in 2019.

The decision announced at 9 a.m Swedish times following a meeting on Thursday, comes after a string of sexual assault allegations made against the French photographer Jean-Claude Arnault, the husband of academy member and poet Katarina Frostenson.

The Swedish Academy said that it took the decision "in view of the currently diminished academy and the reduced public confidence in the academy".

The decision does not affect the other Nobel prizes, which are awarded separately.