Canadian author Anne Carson has been awarded the 2026 Nobel Prize in Literature. The Swedish Academy announced her name as this year’s laureate at around 5pm Bangladesh time on Thursday.

The Swedish Academy said Carson was awarded the prize for bringing ancient traditions into contemporary literature in new ways and for adding a new dimension to modern literature through her innovative and diverse writing.

Born in Toronto, Canada, in 1950, Carson published her doctoral dissertation on classics, Odi et Amo Ergo Sum, in 1981. Throughout her career, she has worked as a poet, translator and university teacher.

A defining feature of much of Carson’s literary work is the combination of a linguist’s meticulous attention to words and a poet’s quest for new meanings. She has said that tracing the origin or etymology of words is the first step in her writing process.

The Swedish Academy keeps the names of Nobel Prize in Literature nominees secret for 50 years. As a result, it is difficult to predict the winner in advance.

Since 1901, the Nobel Prize in Literature has been awarded 118 times. A total of 122 writers have received the prize, including 18 women. The Literature Nobel has also been jointly awarded to multiple laureates on four occasions.