ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Former University of Michigan faculty member Anne Carson, who taught in Ann Arbor, Mich., from 2003 to 2009, has been awarded the 2026 Nobel Prize in Literature, the Swedish Academy announced Thursday, Oct. 8.
Carson, 76, is a poet, essayist and translator known for drawing on ancient Greek literature while breaking traditional genre boundaries. The Nobel committee recognized her for creating new forms for contemporary literature in playful dialogue with the classical tradition.
University of Michigan President Domenico Grasso said the campus is grateful for her contributions as a faculty member and mentor in the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts. Carson was born in Toronto in 1950 and later moved to Ann Arbor to teach, remaining connected to the city after she left the classroom.
She met her husband and frequent collaborator, Robert Currie, in Ann Arbor. Currie grew up in Michigan. Carson primarily resides in Reykjavik, Iceland, and holds Icelandic and Canadian citizenship while still dividing time with Ann Arbor.
In a conversation with the Nobel organization after the announcement, Carson took the call from Reykjavik and described the news as a little insane. The University of Michigan is Ann Arbor’s defining institution, employing roughly 50,000 people and anchoring the city’s academic and cultural life that shaped her Michigan years.
Carson’s books include Eros the Bittersweet, Autobiography of Red, Nox and Wrong Norma. Saul Bellow and Alice Munro are among previous Canadian-born writers to receive the literature prize.
