▲ 2026 Nobel Prize in Literature laureate Anne Carson
Canadian writer Anne Carson, 76, has been awarded the 2026 Nobel Prize in Literature.
The Swedish Academy announced on the 8th, local time, that it has selected Anne Carson as this year's winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature.
The Academy explained, "Carson has established a bold and original literary world by creating new forms for modern literature while engaging in a playful dialogue with classical traditions."
Introducing Carson, the Academy stated, "She has spent her life writing poetry while simultaneously translating and lecturing at various universities. Her literature has focused on the intersection of a philologist's relentless attention to words and a poet's desire to find new meanings."
It added, "She has described the exploration of the etymology of words as the starting point of all her work."
Carson is renowned for her experimental writing that breaks down boundaries between poetry, fiction, essays, translation, and academic treatises.
She is particularly praised for her exceptional ability to reinterpret ancient Greek and Roman literature, mythology, and philosophical themes with a modern sensibility.
Her 1998 work "Autobiography of Red" is considered her signature masterpiece.
In this work, Carson drew upon the myth of Geryon by the ancient Greek poet Stesichorus, transforming it into a modern coming-of-age and love story.
She recast Geryon, a monster killed by Heracles, as a red-winged boy appearing in the modern world, portraying his love, desire, and loss.
While classified in genre as a "verse novel," it is characterized by a form that transcends the boundaries of fiction, poetry, and essays.
With her 2001 work "The Beauty of the Husband," Carson became the first woman to win the T.S. Eliot Prize.
In this work, inspired by the poetry of the English Romantic poet John Keats, Carson unfolds a tragic marriage story as a verse novel.
The book also includes Keats's poems, notes, and letters.
An official from the Swedish Academy shared that when news of the award was delivered to Carson, she was listening to the wind in Iceland, adding, "She was very surprised."
Born in Toronto, Canada, Carson has also resided in Iceland. She acquired Icelandic citizenship in 2022 and reportedly holds dual citizenship in Canada and Iceland.
Nobel laureates receive 12 million Swedish kronor (approx. 1.61 billion KRW) in prize money, along with a medal and a diploma.
(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
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