TORONTO – Alice Munro won the Nobel Prize for literature on Thursday, becoming the first Canadian woman to do so. The win was major news in the international press. Here’s a round-up of how different outlets around the world referred to Munro in their stories:

Agence France-Presse: “as unassuming and modest as the characters in her collections of short stories and novels”; “brilliant, dignified and elegant”

CNN: “gained world renown for writing about everyday people”

The Guardian: “the Canadian doyenne of the short story”

The Independent: “a perfectionist who works for months and months on each of her stories, with little time to spare for literary festivals or parties”; “subtly political in her celebration of the human spirit and its need for freedom”

New York Times: “renowned Canadian short-story writer whose visceral work explores the tangled relationships between men and women, small-town existence and the fallibility of memory”

The New Yorker: “one of those writers who, no matter how popular her books may be, is our writer”

People’s Daily (China): “primarily known for her short stories”

USA Today: “the most popular writer to win the award”

Wall Street Journal: a writer with a “simple, easy-to-read style”

Washington Post: “dissident writer” whose “work is seen as a challenge to the country’s rulers”