Controversy Erupts Over Princeton’s Congratulations to N. Carson Amid Past Tenure Rejection

Following Canadian poet N. Carson’s receipt of the Nobel Prize in Literature, Princeton University issued a congratulatory message that has sparked criticism on social media. The backlash centers on Princeton’s history of denying her tenure in the 1980s, with the public and alumni expressing dissatisfaction at the university seemingly claiming credit for her success now. Princeton has declined to comment publicly on the tenure process, and Carson’s agents have yet to respond.

After Canadian poet and essayist N. Carson was awarded the prestigious Nobel Prize in Literature, the American academic institution Princeton University congratulated her, drawing sharp criticism online. Many have voiced frustration that Princeton refused to grant her a tenure-track position in the 1980s, yet is now attempting to associate itself with her achievement. In their congratulatory message, Princeton and its Classics Department identified Carson as a former faculty member.

Only last year, the university invited Carson to deliver a special lecture attended by over 400 audience members. Nonetheless, social media users have questioned Princeton’s past decision to deny her tenure. Ezra E. Fitz, a writer who graduated from Princeton in 2000, wrote on Facebook with irony, “It would have been better if she had been granted tenure! I would have loved to take her class in the 90s. Even if it was on translating phone directories, I would have been thrilled to attend.”

Scholar Roy Scranton noted in the 2014 Contemporary Literature Journal that Princeton declined to offer Carson tenure in the mid-1980s. Prior to Princeton, Carson taught at the University of Calgary and went on to teach at Emory University and later McGill University. During this time, retired Princeton professor and novelist Joyce Carol Oates, who has been nominated for the Nobel Prize multiple times, praised Carson’s writing as “risky and original.” On the social platform X, Oates shared, “We met decades ago at Princeton, where N was teaching in the Classics Department, and I was a one-year visiting professor in Creative Writing. Nobody could have predicted N’s travels across universities and my remaining at Princeton. For some writers, academic tenure can hinder their freedom.”

Princeton University officials have refused to comment on the online criticism or details of Carson’s tenure review, citing policy not to disclose tenure deliberations. Carson’s agent, Nicole Aragi, has also not issued any official statements on the matter to date.