For the first time in almost 70 years there will be no Nobel Literature Prize this year, after the Swedish Academy that selects the laureate failed to contain a deep crisis stemming from the anti-sexual harassment #MeToo campaign.

“We find it necessary to commit time to recovering public confidence in the Academy before the next laureate can be announced,” the Academy’s interim permanent secretary said in a statement on Friday, adding that two prizes would be announced in 2019.

The body has been in turmoil since November after reports of 18 women claiming to have been sexually assaulted by an influential figure with long-standing ties to the Academy. (AFP)