Swedish Academy

The Swedish Academy was founded in 1786 (18th century) by king Gustav III. It was modeled after the [French Academy]? and has 18 members. The motto of the academy is "Talent and Taste", "Snille och Smak" in Swedish. The primary purpose of the academy is to further the "purity, vigour and majesty" of the Swedish language. To that end the academy publishes dictionaries.

The academy publishes a one-volume dictionary called Svenska Akademiens Ordlista (SAOL) and a multi-volume dictionary (similar to the Oxford English Dictionary) called Svenska Akademiens Ordbok (SAOB). The SAOB's first part was published in 1898 and today (2001) work is done at the end of the "S" words.

Its current secretary is Horace Engdahl (previously Sture Allén). Each year in December, the academy gives out the Nobel Prize, originally founded by Alfred Nobel in his will.

See the academy's own website, http://www.svenskaakademien.se/