Canadian poet, writer and classicist Anne Carson has been awarded the 2026 Nobel Prize in Literature, the Swedish Academy announced Thursday.
Carson was recognized for her bold and inventive body of work, which brings classical traditions into conversation with contemporary literature and creates new literary forms.
Born in Toronto in 1950, Carson is widely known for her poetry, essays, translations and scholarship on ancient Greek literature. Her work often moves between poetry, prose, translation and classical studies.
Among her best-known works are Autobiography of Red, Men in the Off Hours and Nox. She has also translated and interpreted works from ancient Greek literature, including the writings of Sappho and Sophocles.
Carson was in Iceland when she received the news. In a brief reaction to Icelandic television, she described the announcement as “crazy,” expressing her surprise at receiving one of the world’s most prestigious literary honors.
The 2026 Nobel Prize marks another major milestone in Carson’s distinguished career as a poet, scholar and translator whose work has brought ancient Greek literature into a modern literary world.
