Anne Carson
Canadian poet and essayist Anne Carson wins the Nobel Prize in literature for blending classical myth with modern verse.
Anne Carson won the Nobel Prize in literature Thursday. The Swedish Academy honored work that blends poetry, prose and classical scholarship.
Toronto-born, Carson is 76. Greek and Roman texts feed her work, along with modern influence and her own life, according to the Associated Press. "Bold and inventive oeuvre that, in playful dialogue with the classical tradition, has created new forms for contemporary literature," the academy said. Her prize carries 12 million Swedish kronor. About $1.2 million, BBC News reported.
Carson has taught classics for more than three decades. More than 20 books carry her name, The Punch reported, including "Autobiography of Red," a novel in verse built from a Greek myth, and "The Beauty of the Husband," a narrative poem told in 29 tangos, according to NPR. She has collaborated with musicians Laurie Anderson and Lou Reed, and translated fragments of the Greek poet Sappho, the AP reported. Her work moves between classical and modern poetry, and between different genres and art forms, Nobel committee chairman Anders Olsson told BBC News.
By phone, in Iceland. Ingrid Carlberg reached Carson there. The academy's permanent secretary said Carson told her she was "listening to the wind," according to BBC News. Surprised but happy, Carlberg said. Carson lives in Michigan now. She has held Icelandic citizenship since 2022, BBC News reported.
Mark Carney posted that the win was "an extraordinary achievement and a proud moment for Canada." Canada's prime minister said her work carries "wit, imagination, and a style entirely her own," BBC News reported. Carson is only the second Canadian to win the prize, after Alice Munro in 2013, whose book sales rose sharply after she won the prize herself, the AP noted. Nearly 100,000 copies of "Autobiography of Red" have sold in the United States alone, the AP reported, citing her publisher, Alfred A. Knopf.
Asked how the Nobel might affect her own sales, Carson said she would get a sticker on the front of her book. Stickers help, she said. The academy's call felt "rather halting," she told Icelandic broadcaster RUV.
"I think they're all crazy," she said.