The leading representatives of the contemporary Swedish cultural elite including August Strindberg, Selma Lagerlöf, Verner von Heidenstam, Oscar Levertin, Bruno Liljefors, Anders Zorn and Albert Engström protested against the Academy saying they believed that Tolstoy was the most worthy recipient of the prize. An English newspaper said that Sully Prudhomme was a second rate poet who had not achieved anything in many years. Also from France and Germany came critical reactions with opinions that Tolstoy was the superior candidate for the prize.[5]