25 Jun Pernilla Myrne wins 2026 Rettig Prize
Pernilla Myrne, Associate Professor of Arabic at the University of Gothenburg and a friend of our programme has been awarded 2026 Rettig prize of the Royal Swedish Academy of Letters, History and Antiquities (Vitterhetsakademin) for her outstanding research in Arabic language and literary studies, particularly regarding women’s perspectives in medieval Arabic literature. The prize has been awarded annually since 1956 to outstanding or promising researchers within the Academy’s field of activity, with current monetary prize of 250,000 SEK. Myrne’s research addresses women’s position in Arab tradition, from eloquence to sexuality, and her international and national collaborations are of great significance, among other things, for cross-linguistic and cross-cultural medieval studies in Sweden. To mark this joyous occasion, Ingela Nilsson conducted a short interview with Pernilla.
I. N.: Congratulations on the prize! We’re so pleased that the work of a scholar who works on medieval Arabic is awarded. How does it feel, as sports journalists always say?
P. M.: Winning the award was absolutely amazing! I was completely taken by surprise, but once I had had a chance to let it sink in, I was really happy. It’s not often that your research gets recognized outside your own circle.
I. N.: Why should anyone but Vitterhetsakademin care about medieval women in the Arabic world?
P. M.: All history is, of course, worthy of attention, but perhaps especially that which has been somewhat overlooked. Women were not taught to read and write to the same extent as men and were therefore often excluded from the contexts most commonly depicted in literature. At the same time, women played an important role in oral culture and contributed to society’s cultural development in ways that do not really find a place in written history.
I. N.: What are you working on right now?
P. M.: I have started writing a book on medieval Islamic manuals on sexuality; there are actually several of them. I believe they can tell us a great deal about the view of sexuality in the societies in which they were written and read. They show that opposing attitudes could exist in parallel. Some, for example, are tolerant of or even positive towards homosexual relationships, whilst others condemn all sexual activity outside marriage.
I. N.: The question we all think but don’t dare to ask: what will you do with the money?
P. M.: This money really feels like a bonus, and I don’t want it to go to just anything. It’s going to support my research in some way, but I haven’t decided exactly how yet. Ideally, it would be something enjoyable, like a research trip. But I might need to take a few months’ leave of absence to finish writing my book; now I have the opportunity to do so.
Images: Vitterhetsakademin; Photo: Erik Cronberg