The Canadian writer Anne Carson has been awarded the Nobel Prize in literature. Carson, 76, is known for her unique approach to both classical and modern poetry. The Swedish Academy honored her for her “bold and inventive oeuvre that, in playful dialogue with the classical tradition, has created new forms for contemporary literature.”
Carson’s works include The Beauty of the Husband, Autobiography of Red, and Eros the Bittersweet. Her writing explores eclectic themes and styles. Autobiography of Red, for instance, is a novel in verse rooted in Greek mythology, while The Beauty of the Husband narrates a marriage in 29 tangos.
Beyond writing, Carson is a professor who has taught courses on translation, artistic collaboration, and the classics. In a 2016 interview with NPR’s Scott Simon about her collection Float, Carson discussed her attraction to ancient Greece. She noted, “The Greek language seems different than other languages…it seems, somehow, more original, more like being in the morning of language.”
On her writing approach, Carson said, “With every sentence, there is that attempt to make something new happen inside, moving from this word to that word.”
Other recent Nobel Prize in Literature recipients include Hungarian novelist László Krasznahorkai, South Korean author Han Kang, and Norwegian playwright Jon Fosse. The award has also been given to Toni Morrison, Bob Dylan, and Kazuo Ishiguro.