Short Talks by Anne Carson

The first collection of poems by the winner of the 2026 Nobel Prize for Literature.

Short Talks is a series of profound, elegiac prose poems that touch on subjects like travel, animals, philosophy, and art, delivered with Anne Carson’s now-signature—and singular—heart and wit.

First published in 1992, the 2015 reissue features a foreword by poet Margaret Christakos, a “Short Talk on Afterwords” by Carson herself, and a new cover and design by renowned typographer Robert Bringhurst.

Praise for Short Talks:

“…her bold and inventive oeuvre that, in playful dialogue with the classical tradition, has created new forms for contemporary literature.”—The Nobel Prize in Literature 2026

“I find I can’t overstate the influence Carson has had on me… She seemed, then and now, to offer an entirely new model of what a poet could be, what a poetry book could contain. And her body of work demonstrates the dazzling scales a writer can achieve while staying basically the same.”—Elisa Gabbert, The New York Times

“Sometimes humorous, other times eerie, these prose-poems range in topic from waterproofing to Gertrude Stein at 9:30 at night—the most fascinating micro-lectures you’ll ever attend.”—Literary Hub

“In these poems, Carson’s voice reaches in like a light in a velvety dark room.”—The Rumpus

“Anne Carson’s short talks are witty, concise and true. She writes with the precision of a diamond-cutter. Every facet of each piece is made to shine. Every sentence is lambent. Multum in parvo indeed!”—Rachel Wyatt

“The voice is laconic and composed but its images come off these pages resonant (more than resonant, shaking) with their own newness. ‘What if the names for things were utterly different?’ it asks, and goes on to show us how things glow when their utterly right names reach them.”—Don Coles