Lannan Literary Awards
3 appearances
Anne Patricia Carson
アン・パトリシア・カーソン
Anne Patricia Carson
Profile
- Gender
- Female
- Born
- 1950-06-21 （Toronto, Ontario, Canada）
- Nationality
- Canada, Iceland
- Languages
- English
Career
- Occupations
- poet, essayist, translator, classicist, professor
- Active Years
- 1979-
- Affiliations
- McGill University, University of Michigan, New York University (NYU), Princeton University, Emory University, University of Calgary, Bard College
- Memberships
- Royal Society of Literature (International Writer), American Academy of Arts and Sciences (Honorary International Member), American Academy of Arts and Letters (Foreign Honorary Member)
- Influenced By
- Sappho, Homer, Euripides, Paul Celan, Emily Dickinson, Virginia Woolf
- Nominations
- National Book Critics Circle Award (Poetry) finalist — Autobiography of Red, T. S. Eliot Prize shortlist — Red Doc>, New Academy Prize in Literature longlist (2018)
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Toronto (St. Michael's College) | — | Classics / Comparative Literature | BA | 1970s | Canada |
| University of Toronto (St. Michael's College) | — | Classics / Comparative Literature | MA | 1974–1975 | Canada |
| University of Toronto | — | Classics | PhD | 1975–1981 | Canada |
| University of St Andrews | — | Greek metrics and textual criticism (diploma studies) | — | 1975–1976 | United Kingdom |
University of Toronto (St. Michael's College)
Classics / Comparative Literature
Degree:
BA
Period:
1970s
Year of Graduation:
1974
Country:
Canada
Bachelor of Arts
University of Toronto (St. Michael's College)
Classics / Comparative Literature
Degree:
MA
Period:
1974–1975
Year of Graduation:
1975
Country:
Canada
Master of Arts
University of Toronto
Classics
Degree:
PhD
Period:
1975–1981
Year of Graduation:
1981
Country:
Canada
Doctoral thesis: Odi et Amo Ergo Sum
University of St Andrews
Greek metrics and textual criticism (diploma studies)
Period:
1975–1976
Year of Graduation:
1976
Country:
United Kingdom
Studied Greek metrics and textual criticism
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Quarterly Review of Literature Betty Colladay Award | Canicula di Anna | — | Quarterly Review of Literature | Winner |
| 1996 | Lannan Literary Award (Poetry) | — | Poetry | Lannan Foundation | Winner |
| 2001 | Griffin Poetry Prize | Men in the Off Hours | — | The Griffin Trust for Excellence in Poetry | Winner (Canadian prize) |
| 2001 | T. S. Eliot Prize | The Beauty of the Husband | — | T. S. Eliot Foundation | Winner |
| 1998 | Guggenheim Fellowship | — | — | John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation | Fellowship |
| 2000 | MacArthur Fellowship | — | — | MacArthur Foundation | Fellowship |
| 2010 | PEN Award for Poetry in Translation | An Oresteia | Translation | PEN America | Winner |
| 2014 | Griffin Poetry Prize | Red Doc> | — | The Griffin Trust for Excellence in Poetry | Winner (Canadian prize) |
| 2020 | Princess of Asturias Award for Literature | — | Literature | Fundación Princesa de Asturias | Winner |
| 2020 | Governor General's Award for English-language poetry | Norma Jeane Baker of Troy | Poetry | Canada Council for the Arts | Winner |
| 2021 | PEN/Nabokov Award for Achievement in International Literature | — | — | PEN America | Winner |
| 2005 | Order of Canada (Member) | — | — | Office of the Governor General of Canada | Appointed Member |
Quarterly Review of Literature Betty Colladay Award
1984
Work:
Canicula di Anna
Organization:
Quarterly Review of Literature
Result:
Winner
Lannan Literary Award (Poetry)
1996
Category:
Poetry
Organization:
Lannan Foundation
Result:
Winner
Griffin Poetry Prize
2001
Work:
Men in the Off Hours
Organization:
The Griffin Trust for Excellence in Poetry
Result:
Winner (Canadian prize)
T. S. Eliot Prize
2001
Work:
The Beauty of the Husband
Organization:
T. S. Eliot Foundation
Result:
Winner
Guggenheim Fellowship
1998
Organization:
John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation
Result:
Fellowship
MacArthur Fellowship
2000
Organization:
MacArthur Foundation
Result:
Fellowship
PEN Award for Poetry in Translation
2010
Work:
An Oresteia
Category:
Translation
Organization:
PEN America
Result:
Winner
Griffin Poetry Prize
2014
Work:
Red Doc>
Organization:
The Griffin Trust for Excellence in Poetry
Result:
Winner (Canadian prize)
Princess of Asturias Award for Literature
2020
Category:
Literature
Organization:
Fundación Princesa de Asturias
Result:
Winner
Governor General's Award for English-language poetry
2020
Work:
Norma Jeane Baker of Troy
Category:
Poetry
Organization:
Canada Council for the Arts
Result:
Winner
PEN/Nabokov Award for Achievement in International Literature
2021
Organization:
PEN America
Result:
Winner
Order of Canada (Member)
2005
Organization:
Office of the Governor General of Canada
Result:
Appointed Member
Awards & Nominations
Los Angeles Times Book Prize
1 appearances
-
Edition 22 (2001) Winner
T. S. Eliot Prize
1 appearances
-
Edition 9 (2001) Winner
Griffin Poetry Prize
2 appearances
-
Edition 1 (2001) Winner
-
Edition 14 (2014) Winner
PEN Award for Poetry in Translation
1 appearances
-
Edition 15 (2010) Winner
Princess of Asturias Awards
1 appearances
-
Edition 40 (2020) Winner
Works
Major Works
Eros the Bittersweet
1986 criticism / essayA seminal critical study that examines eros as a bittersweet experience, drawing on Sappho, Plato and ancient sources.
erosclassical reworkingtriangulations of desire
Autobiography of Red
1998 poetry / novel in verseA novel in verse that reimagines the myth of Geryon to explore love, loss, and identity.
transformationmemory of loveloss
Men in the Off Hours
2000 poetry / essaysA hybrid collection mixing short poems, essays, epitaphs and translations, notable for its varied forms and classical references.
elegymodernizing the classicsfragments
The Beauty of the Husband
2001 poetry / fictional essayComposed as 29 'tangos', the work investigates love, betrayal, and the textualization of memory. Winner of the T. S. Eliot Prize.
love and betrayalnarrative of marriagememory
Red Doc>
2013 long-form poetry / experimental proseA bold, formally experimental follow-up to Autobiography of Red; recipient of the Griffin Poetry Prize.
mourningelegy for the mothertextual fragmentation
Nox
2010 epitaph / essay-art bookA mourning work for her brother combining folded format, photographs and fragmentary texts.
lossfamilytext as object
Norma Jeane Baker of Troy
2019 poetry / dramatic poemA reworking of Euripides' Helen that interrogates misogyny, fame and the construction of female figures.
myth reworkingfemale imagefame and the body
Wrong Norma
2024 poetry / experimental literatureA recent volume featuring formal experiments and novel re-assemblies of ancient texts.
memorymisreading of textsidentity
Bibliography
- Eros the Bittersweet (1986)
- Canicula di Anna (1984)
- Autobiography of Red (1998)
- Men in the Off Hours (2000)
- The Beauty of the Husband (2001)
- Nox (2010)
- Antigonick (2012)
- Red Doc> (2013)
- Norma Jeane Baker of Troy (2019)
- Wrong Norma (2024)
Adaptations
- Antigone (directed by Ivo van Hove, starring Juliette Binoche, 2015) — stage production
- An Oresteia (staged by Classic Stage Company, New York, 2009)
Translations by Author
- Sophocles: Electra (2001)
- If Not, Winter: Fragments of Sappho (2002)
- Grief Lessons and other translations of Euripides
- An Oresteia (translations of Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, 2009)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- fusion of classical scholarship and contemporary poeticsgenre-crossing (poetry, essay, translation, drama)fragmentary and experimental layouts
- Recurring Motifs
- eros (the bittersweet nature of desire)loss and mourningreworking of ancient mythquestions of language and translation
Health
-
Parkinson's disease診断: 2024–現在Diagnosis disclosed in 2024. Long-term impacts on writing and public activity are not yet fully determined.
Legacy
Renowned for combining classical scholarship with poetic experimentation, Carson has received wide international acclaim across late 20th and early 21st centuries. Her awards and hybrid works have significantly influenced contemporary poetry and classical translation.
Academic Societies
- Royal Society of Literature (International Writer)
- American Academy of Arts and Sciences (Honorary)
- American Academy of Arts and Letters (Foreign Honorary Member)
In Popular Culture
- Mentioned on the TV series 'The L Word' (references to Eros the Bittersweet and Autobiography of Red), indicating cultural penetration.
Quotes
-
"a singular voice in the literature of our country"
Source: Announcement of appointment to the Order of Canada (2005)
Trivia
- Granted Icelandic citizenship in 2022.
- One of the first women to win the T. S. Eliot Prize (2001).
- Collaborates frequently with her husband and artist Robert Currie.
- Nox, an epitaph for her brother, is noted for its distinctive folding format and fragmentary text.