Canadian short story writer Alice Munro has been awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. In announcing its decision Thursday, the Swedish Academy called the 82-year-old author the "master of the contemporary short story."
Munro began writing in her teens, and published many collections of stories over the decades. She has won numerous literary prizes, including the Governor General's prize, Canada's highest literary honor. The Nobel is likely to be the capstone of her career. She said earlier this year that she was "probably not going to write anymore."
Munro is the 13th woman to win the Literature prize. She said she hoped the award "would make people see the short story as an important art; not just something you played around with until you get a novel written."
The Nobel announcements continue Friday with the Peace Prize.