Anne Carson, Toronto-born poet, wins 2026 Nobel Prize in Literature
The University of Toronto graduate and classics scholar wins the award for work that remakes classical forms for contemporary readers.
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Anne Carson, born in Toronto in 1950 and a University of Toronto graduate, has won the 2026 Nobel Prize in Literature. The Swedish Academy recognized Carson, "for a bold and inventive oeuvre that, in playful dialogue with the classical tradition, has created new forms for contemporary literature."
Carson was in Iceland when the Swedish Academy called on Thursday to announce the award, which carries 12 million Swedish krona. According to Ingrid Carlberg, the Academy's permanent secretary, Carson was surprised by the news. Carson's American editor Declan Spring told The New York Times he had received a message that "her phone is off."
Carson is the second Canadian woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature, following Alice Munro's award in 2013. Saul Bellow, who lived in Toronto, won the prize in 1976.
Carson earned her bachelor's degree in 1974 and master's degree in 1975 from the University of Toronto, followed by a PhD in 1981. She studied Greek poetry and taught classics for 30 years at institutions including McGill University, the University of Michigan, and Princeton. Her published work spans more than 25 books, essays, poetry collections, and translations.
Her breakthrough came with "Eros the Bittersweet: An Essay", published in 1986 by Princeton University Press. Her well-known works include "Autobiography of Red", which reimagines the Greek myth of Heracles killing the winged monster Geryon; "Nox"; and "Plainwater". "Men in the Off Hours" won the inaugural Griffin Poetry Prize in 2001, and "The Beauty of the Husband: A Fictional Essay in 29 Tangos" won the T.S. Eliot Prize. Carson has also received the MacArthur Fellowship and the PEN/Nabokov Award.
At Type Books on Queen Street West, manager Claire Foster built a display of Carson's work on the day of the announcement. The bookstore has stocked Carson for 20 years. "It's the happiest I could have been for the announcement today, I think," Foster said. Type Books plans to order more copies in coming weeks to ensure Carson's work remains easily findable.
The details
Who won the 2026 Nobel Prize in Literature?
Anne Carson, a Toronto-born poet and University of Toronto graduate, won the 2026 Nobel Prize in Literature. The Swedish Academy recognized her for creating new literary forms through playful engagement with classical traditions.
How much prize money comes with the Nobel Prize in Literature?
The award carries 12 million Swedish krona.
Where was Anne Carson when she learned of the award?
Carson was in Iceland when the Swedish Academy called on Thursday, October 8, 2026 to announce the award.
What are some of Anne Carson's notable works?
'Autobiography of Red' reimagines the Greek myth of Heracles and Geryon, 'Men in the Off Hours' won the inaugural Griffin Poetry Prize in 2001, and 'The Beauty of the Husband: A Fictional Essay in 29 Tangos' won the T.S. Eliot Prize.
