Nobel Prize in Literature winner announced: Who received this year’s award
Photo: Who has won the Nobel Prize in Literature (Getty Images)
The Nobel Committee today, October 8, announced the winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature. It is Canadian writer Anne Carson “for her bold and inventive oeuvre that, in playful dialogue with the classical tradition, has created new forms for contemporary literature," according to the press service of the Nobel Foundation.
Last year's literature prize
Last year, the Nobel Prize in Literature was awarded to Hungarian writer László Krasznahorkai “for his compelling and visionary oeuvre that, in the midst of apocalyptic terror, reaffirms the power of art.”
His novel Herscht 07769 was recognized for its precise depiction of instability in the country. The reader is transported to a small town in Germany suffering from social anarchy, murders, and arson. This book is about violence and beauty.
Krasznahorkai strongly spoke out against former Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. The writer criticized the policies of the Hungarian government. In connection with this, he emigrated from Hungary. The Nobel laureate also has a clear pro-Ukrainian position and condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The Nobel Prize in Literature
The first Nobel Prize in Literature laureate was René Sully-Prudhomme. This prize, unlike other literary awards, is given for a person’s entire body of work over the course of their lifetime, although individual works are also highlighted.
The obverse of the medal features a profile of Alfred Nobel, while the reverse depicts a young man sitting under a laurel tree, enchanted as he listens to and records a song by the Muse. It also bears a motto that, translated from Latin, means: “Blessed is life lived, improved through the arts discovered.” Also, unlike the medals for physics and chemistry, the names of the laureates are engraved on a hidden plate on the edge, or beneath the figures.
Nobel Week 2026
Nobel Week has been underway since October 5. The Nobel Prize is one of the world’s most prestigious awards, presented annually for outstanding scientific research, inventions, and activities that in one way or another have an impact on society.
On Monday, October 5, the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel “for discoveries concerning light-controlled ion channels and optogenetics.”
Tomorrow, the announcement of the Peace Prize laureate is expected. They will be revealed on Friday, October 9. Nobel Week will conclude with the results of the Prize in Economic Sciences.
