Smithsonian Magazine · People & society

Anne Carson Awarded Nobel Prize in Literature

Canadian poet Anne Carson has won the 2026 Nobel Prize in Literature for her genre-bending works that blend ancient wisdom with contemporary themes.

The Swedish Academy recognized the 76-year-old for her "bold and inventive oeuvre" that creates new literary forms through dialogue with classical tradition.

Carson's work reinterprets ancient texts using modern language to explore enduring themes. Her boundary-defying approach moves between poetry, prose, myth, and different art forms.

Carson is the third Canadian-born writer to win the prize. Notable works include "Eros the Bittersweet" (1986), "The Glass Essay" (1995), and the verse novel "Autobiography of Red" (1998).

She has also translated and reimagined ancient Greek works, including fragments by Sappho and plays by Sophocles and Euripides, which the committee called "independent works in their own right."

Born in 1950, Carson taught classics before her literary career. In 2024, she revealed a Parkinson's diagnosis and her use of boxing to manage it.

Carson, who lives part-time in Iceland, expressed surprise and happiness upon receiving the award, which includes a cash prize of 12 million Swedish kronor (about $1.2 million).

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