Canadian poet and writer Anne Carson has won the 2026 Nobel Prize in Literature, announced by the Swedish Academy on Thursday.

The Academy honoured the 76-year-old for her bold and inventive oeuvre that, in playful dialogue with the classical tradition, has created new forms for contemporary literature.

Born in Toronto on June 21, 1950, Carson is a classicist whose work blends verse, prose, dialogue and translation. Her acclaimed works include Autobiography of Red from 1998 and Eros the Bittersweet.

Carson learned of the win while at her home in Iceland. She told broadcaster RUV she was surprised, joking that she would get a sticker on the front of her book.

The prize carries 12 million Swedish crowns, about $1.2 million. Carson is the second Canadian to win the literature prize after Alice Munro in 2013.

Carson earned bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees at the University of Toronto and taught at universities in Canada and the US. She is known for translations of classical Greek literature.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney congratulated her, calling it a proud moment for Canada. She is the third Canada-born writer to win the prize, after Saul Bellow in 1976 and Alice Munro in 2013.