ARTFEED — Contemporary Art Intelligence

Anne Carson Awarded Nobel Prize in Literature

award · 2026-10-08

On 8 October, the Swedish Academy announced that Canadian poet, translator, and essayist Anne Carson has received the Nobel Prize for Literature. Ingrid Carlberg, the academy's secretary, delivered the news to Carson via phone while she was in Iceland, where she noted she was listening to the wind. Since her 1986 debut, Eros the Bittersweet, which reinterpreted her doctoral thesis, Carson has authored over 20 works, including poetry, essays, and translations. Key titles include If Not, Winter (2002), Antigonick (2012), Nox (2010), and Float (2016). Carson often explores female figures like Antigone and Marilyn Monroe in her play Norma Jeane Baker of Troy (2019). At 76, she is recognized for her unique style, humor, and impact on contemporary artists.

Key facts

  • Anne Carson won the Nobel Prize for Literature on 8 October.
  • The Swedish Academy secretary Ingrid Carlberg informed Carson by phone; Carson was in Iceland.
  • Carson has published over 20 books since Eros the Bittersweet in 1986.
  • Her works include If Not, Winter (2002), Antigonick (2012), Nox (2010), and Float (2016).
  • Carson's play Norma Jeane Baker of Troy (2019) conflates Helen of Troy with Marilyn Monroe.
  • She has influenced artists Roni Horn, Tacita Dean, and Johanna Hedva.
  • In 2025, she wore boxing gloves during an LRB lecture, referencing her Parkinson's diagnosis.
  • Carson is 76 years old.

Entities

Artists

Institutions

  • Swedish Academy
  • National Book Awards
  • LRB (London Review of Books)
  • ArtReview
  • Nobel Prize in Literature
  • Nobel Committee for Literature
  • Nobel Prize
  • University of Toronto
  • University of Calgary
  • McGill University
  • University of Michigan
  • Princeton University
  • Cornell University
  • New York University
  • Griffin Poetry Prize
  • National Book Award
  • New York Times
  • NPR
  • London Review of Books
  • The Nation
  • Smithsonian Magazine
  • TT News Agency
  • AFP
  • Getty Images
  • RUV
  • Chateau Marmont
  • Nobel Foundation
  • Artribune
  • Academia Sueca
  • Modern Library
  • Premio T. S. Elliot
  • Princesa de Asturias
  • Nobel de Literatura
  • T. S. Eliot Prize
  • Princess of Asturias Award
  • La nave di Teseo
  • Utopia
  • Crocetti
  • World Literature Forum
  • Lumen
  • Penguin Random House
  • AP
  • EPA
  • NZZ
  • Financial Times
  • Stockholm University
  • Order of Canada
  • Associated Press
  • Wikimedia
  • dpa
  • The Conversation
  • Swedish Royal Academy of Sciences
  • L'Arche
  • Nobel committee for Literature
  • Académie suédoise
  • Université de Toronto
  • Université de St Andrews
  • Université McGill
  • RFI
  • Invision
  • France24
  • Cultura Inquieta

Locations

  • Iceland
  • Canada
  • New York
  • London
  • Sweden
  • Toronto
  • United States
  • Longmont
  • Colorado
  • Michigan
  • USA
  • Troy
  • Los Angeles
  • Stockholm
  • Denmark
  • Islandia
  • Estocolmo
  • Suecia
  • Camino de Santiago
  • Spain
  • Italy
  • Greece
  • Hungary
  • Switzerland
  • Berlin
  • Germany
  • France
  • Oslo
  • Norway
  • United Kingdom
  • South Korea
  • Islande
  • Danemark
  • Écosse
  • Montréal

Sources