"Ill! I SVENSKA AKADEMIEN Stockholm, 15 November 20l9 Mehmct Kraja President of the Academy Sciences and Arts of Kosovo Rr. ?Agim Ramadani", n.r. 305 Prishtin?-Kosov? Dear Mr. Kraja, Thank you for your honest concern. The Nobel Committee has assessed the intentions behind Mr. Handke's literary work in a different way than you have and the Committee has concluded that the decision to award the prize to him is fully compatible with the purpose expressed in the will of Alfred Nobel. It is clear that Handke is understood in different ways. The Nobel prize goes to an achievement. When Handke is awarded the prize, the ambition Is to celebrate his extraordinary literary work, not the person. The Nobel prize in physics or chemistry goes to a discovery, regardless of person; the prize in literature goes to the discovery and development of a new manner of writing, regardless of person. This aesthetic evaluation and nothing else is the statement implied by the prize. The Committee believes that in an open society there must be room for different opinions about authors and that there must be room for different reasonable interpretations of their Iiteray works. We should strive to respect eachother notwithstanding sharply diverging views in important matters. On the same note we also believe that it is of paramount importance for the functioning of democracy and a sensible dialogue that we choose to relyon the lawful findings of courts such as the Hague Tribunal. For us the Tribunal's ?ndings are an essential part of the understanding of Europe's tragic history, from which we all hopefully can learn. We assure you our respect and highest considerations. AMJLJ Anders Olsson Chairman of the Nobel Committee SWEDISH ACADEMY MailStockholm. Visitors: Kallargrand 4. Stockholm. Phone: +46 (0)8-555 25 (I). li-mail: