The Vigdís Prize Laureate Anne Carson wins 2026 Nobel Prize in Literature

Anne Carson, classical scholar, poet and translator, has been awarded the 2026 Nobel Prize in Literature. Carson received the Vigdís International Prize in 2023, an award presented annually by the Icelandic Government, the University of Iceland and the Vigdís Finnbogadóttir Institute.

Carson was awarded the Nobel Prize for what the Nobel Committee described as a for her daring and inventive oeuvre, which, in a playful dialogue with the classical tradition, creates new forms for contemporary literature,

Born in Canada, Carson has held Icelandic citizenship since 2022. She has spent much of her career as a professor of Classics, teaching Greek language and classical Greek literature at universities in North America, including McGill University, Princeton University and New York University. She is also widely acclaimed as a poet, prose writer, essayist and translator.

In recognition of her outstanding contribution to languages and culture, Carson received the Vigdís International Prize in 2023. The prize is awarded annually to an individual whose work has made a groundbreaking contribution to languages, cultures and translation. It was established by the Icelandic Government, the University of Iceland and the the Vigdís International Centre for Multilingualism and Intercultural Understanding in 2020 to mark a milestone birthday of Vigdís Finnbogadóttir, as well as the 40th anniversary of her historic election as President of Iceland.

“Anne Carson’s contribution to languages and culture has earned widespread recognition in both academia and the arts. Her literary works are at times deeply intertwined with the legacy of classical culture, while also demonstrating the profound relationship between the humanities and artistic creation. She has translated some of the most important works of Ancient Greek and Latin literature, and in her own writing has carried the vision of the classical tragedians into contemporary culture. Through her work in Classics, creative writing and translation, Anne Carson is a worthy recipient of the 2023 Vigdís Prize,” the Vigdís Prize Selection Committee stated when announcing the award.

The committee comprised Rósa Signý Gísladóttir, Associate Professor of Linguistics; Birna Bjarnadóttir, Research Lecturer in Literature; and Sigtryggur Magnason, Icelandic scholar and then adviser to the Minister of Infrastructure.

Carson received the Vigdís Prize on 6 October 2023 at a ceremony held at the University of Iceland. On that occasion, she delivered the inaugural lecture in the Guttormur J. Guttormsson Lecture Series at the University of Iceland. The lecture can be read on the Vigdís International Centre's website.

A recording of the award ceremony is available here.

The University of Iceland extends its warmest congratulations to Anne Carson on being awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature.