The Nobel Prize in Literature 2026 has been awarded to the Canadian author Anne Carson “for her bold and inventive oeuvre that, in playful dialogue with the classical tradition, has created new forms for contemporary literature.”
Anne Carson has, throughout her entire career, combined poetry writing with translation work and teaching at various universities. Almost all her literary production has centred upon the intersection between the philologist’s obsession with words and the poet’s desire for new meaning. She has herself identified the etymology of words as the starting point for all her work.
More from NobelPrize.org:
- Audio: Telephone interview with Anne Carson, First reactions, "I think you're all insane."
- Video: Prize announcement and interview with Steve Sem-Sandberg, member of the Nobel Committee for Literature
- Press release
--
During her time teaching at the University of Michigan (2003-2009), Carson taught in the departments of English Language and Literature, Classics, and Comparitive Literature.
--
University Record article, "Former U-M professor Anne Carson awarded Nobel Prize in Literature," by Jared Wadley, published October 8, 2026:
Born in Toronto in 1950, Carson has spent her career moving between poetry, essays, translation and scholarship, often drawing on ancient Greek literature while creating forms that blur traditional literary boundaries. Her work brings together the close attention to language of a classicist and the experimentation of a poet.
Carson’s books include “Eros the Bittersweet” (1986), “Glass, Irony, and God” (1995), “Autobiography of Red: A Novel in Verse” (1998), “Men in the Off Hours” (2000), “The Beauty of the Husband: A Fictional Essay in 29 Tangos” (2001), “Nox” (2010), “Float” (2016) and “Wrong Norma” (2024).
“Dr. Anne Carson is a true multi-hyphenate — a classicist, poet, and translator whose work transcends traditional disciplines and blends genres,” said LSA Dean Rosario Ceballo. “To receive the Nobel Prize in Literature, perhaps the most prestigious honor in the literary arts, is a testament to Dr. Carson’s many years of creative and academic excellence. The College of LSA is profoundly grateful for her time here as a faculty member.
“She has left a lasting impression on our community, and I am proud that her academic work will forever be a part of the legacy of our college.”
