American poet takes home Nobel

The Swedish Academy on Thursday honored New York–born poet Louise Glück with the Nobel Prize in literature “for her unmistakable poetic voice that with austere beauty makes individual existence universal.” Glück, 77, has avoided publicity and did not immediately offer a comment. The last American to win the Nobel Prize in literature was musician Bob Dylan in 2016.

Who is Glück? The Yale University faculty member debuted her first poem, “Firstborn,” in 1968 and has since released 12 collections of poetry. She tackles topics of loss and trauma, particularly in family life. Her poetry has garnered critical acclaim in the form of Guggenheim and National Endowment for the Arts fellowships, the American Academy of Arts and Letters’ Gold Medal in Poetry, and the National Humanities Medal. In 2012, she told the American Academy of Achievement that while she appreciates honors, her goal is to write poems that outlast her lifetime.

Dig deeper: Read about last year’s controversial winners, and why the Swedish Academy didn’t give out a Nobel Prize in literature at all the year before that.