Canadian writer Anne Carson wins 2026 Nobel Prize in Literature

Canadian poet and writer Anne Carson has won the 2026 Nobel Prize in Literature “for her bold and inventive oeuvre that, in playful dialogue with the classical tradition, has created new forms for contemporary literature,” the award-giving body says on Thursday.

The prize is awarded by the Swedish Academy and is worth 12 million Swedish crowns ($1.2 million).

Canadian poet and essayist Carson’s work often blends verse, prose, dialogue and translation in a genre-defying mix.

She is widely known for her translations of classical Greek literature, which heavily influences her work, which ranges from opera libretti to literary criticism and verse novels such as “Autobiography of Red” from 1998.

Her style is exemplified in “Norma Jeane Baker of Troy” from 2019, a performance piece which mixes the stories of Helen of Troy in Euripides’ play “Helen” and Marilyn Monroe.

Carson takes a place beside luminaries such as Alexander Solzhenitsyn, Alice Munro and Ernest Hemingway as a recipient of the award, which often divides opinion among book lovers.

Established in the will of Swedish dynamite inventor and businessman Alfred Nobel, the prizes for achievements in literature, science and peace have been awarded since 1901.