Neustadt International Prize for Literature


The Neustadt International Prize for Literature is a biennial award for literature sponsored by the University of Oklahoma and its international literary publication, World Literature Today.
It is considered one of the more prestigious international literary prizes, often compared with the Nobel Prize in Literature. The New York Times called the prize “The Oklahoma Nobel” in 1982, and the prize is sometimes referred to as the “American Nobel”. Since it was founded in 1970, some 30 of its laureates, candidates, or jurors have also been awarded Nobel Prizes. Like the Nobel, it is awarded to individuals for their entire body of work, not for a single one.

History

The Neustadt International Prize for Literature was established as the Books Abroad International Prize for Literature in 1969 by Ivar Ivask, editor of Books Abroad. It was subsequently renamed the Books Abroad/Neustadt Prize. It was renamed again, this time to Neustadt International Prize for Literature, in 1976.

Award

The Prize is a silver eagle feather, a certificate, and $50,000 USD. The award was endowed by Walter and Doris Neustadt of Ardmore, Oklahoma to ensure the award in perpetuity.
The charter of the Neustadt Prize stipulates that the award be given in recognition of outstanding achievement in poetry, fiction, or drama and that it be conferred solely on the basis of literary merit. Any living author writing in any language is eligible, provided only that at least a representative portion of his or her work is available in English, the language used during the jury deliberations. The prize may serve to crown a lifetime's achievement or to direct attention to an important body of work that is still developing. The prize is not open to application.

Selection

Candidates are selected by a jury of at least seven members. Selection is not limited by geographic area, language or genre.
The Neustadt International Prize for Literature is the only international literary award of this scope developed in the United States. It is one of few international prizes for which poets, novelists and playwrights alike are equally eligible.

Neustadt Laureates

Source:
YearPictureNameCountryLanguageGenreRef
1970Giuseppe Ungaretti
Italianpoetry, literary criticism, essay
1972Gabriel García Márquez
Spanishnovel, short story, autobiography, screenplay
1974Francis Ponge
Frenchpoetry, essay
1976Elizabeth Bishop
Englishpoetry, short story
1978Czesław Miłosz

Polishpoetry, essay
1980Josef Škvorecký
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NSK Neustadt Prize for Children's Literature

Source:
YearNameCountryLanguageRef
2003Mildred D. TaylorEnglish
2005Brian DoyleEnglish
2007Katherine PatersonEnglish
2009Vera B. WilliamsEnglish
2011Virginia Euwer WolffEnglish
2013Naomi Shihab NyeEnglish
2015Meshack AsareGhanaUSAUSAUSAUSACanada

List of Neustadt Laureates, Finalists and Jurors

YearFinalistCountryNominating Juror
1970Giuseppe Ungaretti
No information provided about the individual nominations from the jurors.
1970Conrad Aiken
No information provided about the individual nominations from the jurors.
1970John Berryman
No information provided about the individual nominations from the jurors.
1970Jorge Luis Borges
No information provided about the individual nominations from the jurors.
1970Edward Brathwaite
No information provided about the individual nominations from the jurors.
1970Hans Magnus Enzensberger
No information provided about the individual nominations from the jurors.
1970Graham Greene
No information provided about the individual nominations from the jurors.
1970Jorge Guillén
No information provided about the individual nominations from the jurors.
1970Zbigniew Herbert
No information provided about the individual nominations from the jurors.
1970Pierre-Jean Jouve
No information provided about the individual nominations from the jurors.
1970Pablo Neruda
No information provided about the individual nominations from the jurors.
1970Francis Ponge
No information provided about the individual nominations from the jurors.
1970Alexander Solzhenitsynplainlist|
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