Anne Carson wins 2026 Nobel Prize in Literature
The Canadian poet and classicist was honoured for an inventive body of work that creates new forms through dialogue with the classical tradition.
AI-generated illustration representing the 2026 Nobel Prize in Literature. It is not a photograph of the event. Created by OpenAI / MyNilgiris.
Canadian poet, essayist and translator Anne Carson has won the 2026 Nobel Prize in Literature.
The Swedish Academy announced the award on Thursday, October 8, at about 4:30 p.m. IST. It honoured Carson “for her bold and inventive oeuvre that, in playful dialogue with the classical tradition, has created new forms for contemporary literature”.
- Prize money: 12 million Swedish kronor.
- Carson’s work blends verse, prose, dialogue and translation.
- She is widely known for Autobiography of Red and her translations of classical Greek literature.
- The Toronto-born writer is 76 and has also held Icelandic citizenship since 2022.
Swedish Academy permanent secretary Ingrid Carlberg said Carson was in Iceland when contacted and was surprised by the news.
