Nobel Prize in literature to be awarded in Stockholm

BREAKING: Canadian poet and essayist Anne Carson wins Nobel Prize in Literature

IE 11 is not supported. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser.Skip to ContentCanadian poet Anne Carson in Stockholm in 2015.Pontus Lundahl / AlamyShareAdd NBC News to GoogleOct. 8, 2026, 5:45 AM EDT / Updated Oct. 8, 2026, 7:13 AM EDT / Source: The Associated PressBy The Associated PressSTOCKHOLM — Canadian poet and essayist Anne Carson won the Nobel Prize in literature Thursday “for her bold and inventive oeuvre that, in playful dialogue with the classical tradition, has created new forms for contemporary literature.”

Ingrid Carlberg, permanent secretary of the Swedish Academy, said the author was in Iceland “listening to the wind” when the academy reached her to notify her of the win.

Toronto-born Carson draws on themes and stories from ancient Greek and Roman literature for works that often blend elements of poetry, essay and fiction.

The prize was announced by the Swedish Academy in Stockholm. The prize money this year is 12 million Swedish kronor (about $1.2 million).

Three science awards were announced earlier this week. The Nobel for medicine went to three scientists whose work led to a tool that uses light to help unravel how the brain works. The physics award recognized a scientist’s efforts to demystify a rare group of neutrinos. The chemistry prize recognized two scientists for untangling mysterious mirror images in molecules, a discovery that has been used to develop countless drugs.

This week ends with Friday’s peace prize. The Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences will be announced Monday.