Canadian poet and essayist Anne Carson was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature by the Swedish Academy in Stockholm on Thursday. Carson, aged 76, was honored for her innovative body of work that engages with classical traditions to shape new forms in contemporary literature, according to the award announcement.
The academy mentioned that Carson was taken by surprise when they reached out to her while she was in Iceland, “listening to the wind.” One of her notable works, ‘The Glass Essay’ in ‘Glass, Irony, and God’ from 1995, exemplifies the exploration of long-form poetry where genre distinctions blur.
Another significant piece from the same period, ‘Autobiography of Red: A Novel in Verse’ published in 1998, is often acclaimed as Carson’s masterpiece, showcasing her remarkable skill in bringing the classical literary heritage to life. Over the years, Carson has been the recipient of various literary accolades.
Her book ‘Norma Jeane Baker of Troy,’ intertwining Marilyn Monroe’s life with Helen of Troy’s story in Euripides’s play ‘Helen,’ received the 2020 Governor General Award in poetry. In the subsequent year, she was honored with a career achievement award from the PEN America Literary Awards, where judges praised her as a unique and visionary writer.
Carson’s literary journey began in 1984 with her first poetry book ‘Canicula di Anna,’ followed by the publication of her initial essay collection ‘Eros the Bittersweet’ two years later, which elevated her reputation in Canada and beyond. Aside from her own creations, Carson is renowned for her translations of Greek and Latin texts and adaptations for operas like ‘We Need to Talk’ and ‘H of H Playbook.’
In a conversation with CBC’s Writers & Company, Carson expressed her view that crafting a poem is akin to creating an object, likening them to drawings that are accessible through language. Notably, in 2002, she made history as the first woman to win Britain’s T.S. Eliot Prize for ‘The Beauty of the Husband: A Fictional Essay in 29 Tangos.’
Recently, Carson revealed in a London Review of Books essay from two years ago that she has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. Notable past recipients of the Nobel Prize in Literature include Rudyard Kipling, Ernest Hemingway, Albert Camus, Toni Morrison, and V.S. Naipaul. Among Canadian-born laureates, Saul Bellow (1976) and Alice Munro (2013) have been recognized, with Bellow having moved to the U.S. during his childhood.
The Nobel Peace Prize winner will be announced on Friday, followed by the Nobel Economics Prize on Monday. The Nobel laureates will be presented with 12 million Swedish crowns ($1.7 million Cdn) this year, in accordance with Alfred Nobel’s will, which stipulated that his estate should fund prizes for individuals contributing significantly to humanity.