The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in Stockholm has awarded the 2026 Nobel Prize in Literature to Canadian author and poet Anne Carson. The Academy’s Secretary-General, Ingrid Carlberg, announced the winner of the prestigious prize on Thursday.

Carson was honoured for her bold and inventive body of work that, in playful dialogue with the classical tradition, has created new forms for contemporary literature. Carlberg said she telephoned the writer, who is currently in Iceland, where she was “listening to the wind.”

The 76-year-old author was described as being very taken by surprise when she received the news. Carson studied at the University of Toronto and has taught comparative literature and creative writing at institutions across Canada and the United States.

She has written more than 20 books and is known as a poet, essayist and classicist. Her writings often bring a modern twist to mysticism and antiquity, exploring themes of love, desire and despair.

Hungarian author László Krasznahorkai won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2025. Carson’s recognition places her among the most distinguished literary figures of her generation.