Horace Engdahl, the permanent secretary of the Nobel Prize-distributing Swedish Academy, just announced that he will leave his post in June.

Engdahl last appeared in passionate GalleyCat post following this dismissive remark about American literature: "The U.S. is too isolated, too insular ... They don't translate enough and don't really participate in the big dialogue of literature. That ignorance is restraining."

The NY Times had the scoop: "He announced his decision to step down at the academy's final board meeting of the year, and said he intended to remain a board member. Peter Englund, 51, an author and former journalist who is the academy's youngest member, will succeed him as secretary." (Via Maud Newton)