There are many forms of genocide denial. Today, the Nobel Foundation and the Swedish Academy resorted to farce.
Back in October, Peter Handke was named the winner of the 2019 Nobel Prize for Literature. It's controversial because his books are seen as denying the Serb genocide of Muslims in Bosnia. Today, the Nobel Foundation held a press conference in Stockholm.
Who spoke? Well, there was the chef who will prepare the banquet at next week's award ceremony, the florist who is going to arrange the flowers, and the composer who's putting together the music program.
The dinner, by chef Sebastian Gibrand, will be locally sourced to the greatest extent possible. The flowers will be brilliant because the florist, Per Benjamin, is a previous winner of the Florist World Cup. I learned all of this at the press conference.
This is the Nobel Foundation's only press conference before next week's ceremony. As it came to a close, I asked whether we might hear from a Nobel official about the controversy over Handke's genocide denialism.
"This is not the event for that," said Annika Pontikis, the Nobel Foundation's director of communications. I asked when that event would take place. "Not at this particular moment," she replied. "We can be in touch afterwards."
No, really. It gets better/worse.
After the press conference, Pontikis suggested that I email her to request an interview with the executive director of the Nobel Foundation, Lars Heikensten. I immediately did that.
A spokesperson emailed me back a few hours later to say the foundation does not choose the literature winner -- that's the Swedish Academy's job, "solely and independently." As a result, the Nobel Foundation's executive director "will not be giving interviews."
Wait, there's more to laugh/cry about.
Pontikis also suggested that I reach out to the Swedish Academy, which has said precious little to journalists about its choice of Handke. I emailed the Academy requesting an interview with anyone who might be available.
I assumed another brush-off was coming, so around 5:30 pm I went to the Academy itself and rang the buzzer marked "Sekretariat." Here it is, by the way, the buzzers at the exalted institution that decides the Nobel Prize for Literature. 
I had emailed the Academy's administrative director, and the person who answered the buzzer was ... the administrative director. Here, in a nutshell, is our Alice-in-Wonderland discussion --
"I am not a spokesperson," she said through the buzzer.
I said yes, of course, but could I speak to someone who was authorized to speak to me?
"There is nobody to talk to," she replied.
I mentioned that I would talk to anyone, anytime.
"I cannot talk more," she said.
I said yes, of course, but could I speak to someone who was authorized to speak to me?
"There is nobody to talk to," she replied.
I mentioned that I would talk to anyone, anytime.
"I cannot talk more," she said.
It was cold and dark outside. It felt odd to plead with a buzzer. I asked when I could come back, if there was anyone I could ever speak to. But I knew it was over.
"I'm sorry," she said. "I have to hang up now."
"I'm sorry," she said. "I have to hang up now."
I'm a journalist, half my life has been spent getting brushed off. But this is the Nobel Prize for Literature and it has been awarded to a writer who is reliably accused of genocide denial. This is different.
The institutions responsible for Peter Handke winning this award -- the Nobel Foundation and the Swedish Academy -- are hoping they can continue to dodge direct questions about what they have done.
There's a press conference with Peter Handke tomorrow. The award ceremony is on Dec. 10. This miserable saga will continue a bit longer.
And here's an update on that press conference. I asked Handke about the massacres at Srebrenica and he described my question as "ignorant" and "empty." theintercept.com/2019/12/06/pet…
