Anne Carson and two chemists win the 2026 Nobel Prizes
Canadian poet and classicist Anne Carson, 76, has won the Nobel Prize in Literature, which the Swedish Academy recognised for her inventive work that dialogues with classical tradition to create new forms for contemporary literature. French chemist Henri B. Kagan and Japanese chemist Kensō Soai jointly received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for discovering non-linear effects and autocatalysis in asymmetric organic synthesis.
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Anne Carson, a Canadian poet, essayist and translator aged 76, has been awarded the 2026 Nobel Prize in Literature. The Swedish Academy recognised her for what they described as "her bold and inventive oeuvre that, in playful dialogue with the classical tradition, has created new forms for contemporary literature". Carson is known for blending poetry, fiction and classical scholarship. When she learned of the award by telephone while staying in Iceland, she responded characteristically with humour, remarking that the judges were "crazy" to honour her. Ingrid Carlberg, the Academy's permanent secretary, noted that Carson described herself as "listening to the wind" in Iceland at the moment she received the call.
The Nobel Prize in Chemistry has been awarded jointly to Henri B. Kagan, a French chemist at Paris-Saclay University, and Kensō Soai, a Japanese chemist at Tokyo University of Science. They received the prize for their discovery of non-linear effects and autocatalysis in asymmetric organic synthesis. The Nobel Prize remains one of the world's most prestigious honours for lifetime achievement in literature and landmark discoveries in the sciences. Each prize comes with a monetary award of 12 million Swedish kronor.
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