Canadian poet Anne Carson wins Nobel Prize in Literature

Anne Carson, a 76-year-old Canadian poet, essayist, and translator, won the 2026 Nobel Prize in Literature on Thursday. The award was announced by the Swedish Academy in Stockholm. Carson received the prize "for her bold and inventive oeuvre that, in playful dialogue with the classical tradition, has created new forms for contemporary literature." Notably, she blends poetry, prose, and translation, often incorporating themes from ancient Greek and Roman texts. Her works include Eros the Bittersweet, a study of desire in ancient Greek literature, and the verse novel Autobiography of Red. Carson also translates classical Greek literature that stands independently as her own work, such as If Not, Winter based on Sappho’s poem fragments. The prize comes with 12 million Swedish kronor (£900,000).