Swedish News

Stockholm is gearing up for Strindberg. Placido Domingo receives first Birgit Nilsson Prize from HRH from King Carl XVI Gustaf at the Royal Swedish Opera. Swine flu vaccinations have begun in Sweden. Professors Ostrom and Williamson awarded Nobel Prize in Economics. 

• Professors Ostrom and Williamson awarded Nobel Prize in Economics.
  Two Americans, Elinor Ostrom and Oliver Williamson, were awarded the 2009 Nobel Prize for economics for their work on how economic transactions operate outside markets in common spaces and within companies. Professor Elinor Ostrom of Indiana University received the award for her work on how common resources, such as forests, fish stocks, lakes or nature, are protected without recourse to laws or the destruction of the environment. She is the first woman to receive the Economics prize. Professor Oliver Williamson of the University of California, Berkeley, also studied economic governance, but within companies. Since much of economic life happens within organizations, he made a point of examining how decisions are made, rather than the usual study of economics, which is to treat organizations as single entities where internal decision-making is unimportant compared with the decision taken. The economics prize is the only one of the six Nobel prizes not created in Swedish industrialist Alfred Nobel's 1896 will, and is officially known as the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel.

• Stockholm is gearing up for Strindberg.
  In 2012 it will be 100 years since August Strindberg, Sweden’s greatest author, died. The City of Stockholm is gearing up for huge celebrations of its native son although the Swedish state sees no reason at all to spend money. The Strindberg Museum (Strindbergsmuseet) and Strindbergssällskapet have asked for money but the government has turned them both down. “It’s very upsetting that the government is unwilling to invest in the commemoration. We believe this is a something of national importance,” says Stefan Bohman, director of Strindbergsmuseet. When Henrik Ibsen’s 100th anniversary was celebrated in Norway, 42 million Norwegian crowns were invested in the author, whose fame equals that of Strindberg’s. The Ibsenmuseet, Nationaltheatret and Riksteatret all got extra money in order to celebrate. “We’re very disappointed in the government,” says Bohman. “But at the same time we’re happy that the City of Stockholm has shown such great interest. August Strindberg was the very hub of Swedish cultural life, and one doesn’t have to be a fan in order to understand his importance.”

• Placido Domingo receives first Birgit Nilsson Prize.
  The Spanish tenor Placido Domingo is the recipient of the first ever $1 million dollar Birgit Nilsson award, which was given out at a formal award ceremony in Stockholm. Domingo, who won the prize for his "unrivaled" contributions to the world of opera, accepted the award from King Carl XVI Gustaf at the Royal Swedish Opera. Late Swedish soprano Birgit Nilsson chose Domingo as the inaugural winner of the prize nearly a decade ago, demanding the name would be kept secret until after her death. She died at age 87 in 2005. During the award ceremony, Domingo said he would use the prize money to set up a specific Birgit Nilsson category for Wagnerian singers within the framework of his opera competition Operalia. In an emotional speech, he said it was "unbelievable" to be standing on the stage where Nilsson had performed so many times, calling her "one of the greatest artists, if not the greatest." "This is comparable to the Nobel Prize in music," Domingo said. Nilsson and Domingo first performed together at a matinee production of "Tosca" in 1969. Domingo has performed in 130 roles and has also won worldwide acclaim as one of The Three Tenors, with Jose Carreras and late Luciano Pavarotti.

• Swine flu vaccinations have begun in Sweden.
  The largest vaccination program in Swedish history got underway the other day as health workers in the south of the country received the first shots to protect against the swine flu. Hospital workers lined up at Malmö University Hospital to be among the first people in Sweden to receive vaccinations against the AH1H1 virus. “The initial rush hasn’t been that big, as many didn’t know it was going to start today already. But from Tuesday, we’re expecting there will be a steady flow of people who will want to be vaccinated,” said infectious diseases specialist Sven Haidel, head of vaccination efforts in Skåne County. Health authorities in a number of other Swedish counties said they expect to start their own vaccination programs later in the week, while others won’t commence for a few more weeks. At the university hospital in Malmö, a staff cafeteria was converted into a vaccination centre where healthcare personnel from the regional and local level were among the first to be vaccinated on Monday. “We calculate we can vaccinate 1,000 people every day,” said hospital spokesperson Hans-Göran Boklund. While there is no nationwide overview of Sweden’s vaccination schedule, the primary campaign starts shortly, although a number of clinics are expected to start vaccinating people as soon as they receive the vaccine, according to infectious diseases doctor Ann Söderström.