A Toronto poet just took home the world’s most prestigious literary award, along with a hefty cash prize.
Anne Carson, a Toronto-born poet, essayist, translator, and professor, has been awarded the 2026 Nobel Prize in Literature.
In what may be the shortest press release of the year, Nobel Prize organizers lauded Carson “for her bold and inventive oeuvre that, in playful dialogue with the classical tradition, has created new forms for contemporary literature.”
Don Usner/University of Toronto
The 76-year-old has penned more than 20 books and translations, earning her a lengthy list of accolades including Guggenheim and MacArthur Fellowships, a Lannan Literary Award, a pair of Griffin Poetry Prizes, the T. S. Eliot Prize, the Princess of Asturias Award, the Governor General’s Award for English-language poetry, the PEN/Nabokov Award, and was appointed a Member of the Order of Canada in 2005.
Carson will be awarded a prize of 12 million Swedish kronor, which exchanges to approximately CAD $1.71 million.
Carson’s alma mater, the University of Toronto (U of T), is celebrating her big honour.
“On behalf of the University of Toronto, I am absolutely delighted to congratulate alumna Anne Carson on winning the 2026 Nobel Prize in Literature,” said U of T President Melanie Woodin. “This is a very proud moment for our global alumni community and for the entire university.”