America Award in Literature

America Award
Awarded for	A lifetime contribution to international writing
Date	annual
Country	United States
Presented by	Contemporary Arts Educational Project, Inc. (in loving memory of Anna Fahrni)
First awarded	1994
Official website	www.greeninteger.com/america.cfm

The America Award is a lifetime achievement literary award for international writers. It describes itself as a modest attempt at providing alternatives to the Nobel Prize in Literature. It was first presented in 1994. The award does not entail any prize money.^[1][2] It is sponsored by the Contemporary Arts Educational Project, Inc., in loving memory of Anna Fahrni, and by the publisher Green Integer.

Jury

Each year, the jury comprises 6 to 8 American poets, prose writers, playwrights and literary critics. The rotating panel has included Douglas Messerli [chairman], Will Alexander, Luigi Ballerini, Charles Bernstein, Peter Constantine, Peter Glassgold, Deborah Meadows, Martin Nakell, John O'Brien, Marjorie Perloff, Dennis Phillips, Joe Ross, Jerome Rothenberg, Paul Vangelisti, and Mac Wellman.^[3]

Winners

• 1994 – Aimé Cesaire [Martinique]
• 1995 – Harold Pinter [England]
• 1996 – José Donoso [Chile] (awarded prior to his death)
• 1997 – Friederike Mayröcker [Austria]
• 1998 – Rafael Alberti [Spain] (awarded prior to his death)
• 1999 – Jacques Roubaud [France]
• 2000 – Eudora Welty [USA]
• 2001 – Inger Christensen [Denmark]
• 2002 – Peter Handke [Austria]
• 2003 – Adonis [Syria/Lebanon]
• 2004 – José Saramago [Portugal]
• 2005 – Andrea Zanzotto [Italy]
• 2006 – Julien Gracq (Louis Poirier) [France]
• 2007 – Paavo Haavikko [Finland]
• 2008 – John Ashbery [USA]
• 2009 – Günter Kunert [GDR/Germany]
• 2010 – Javier Marías [Spain]
• 2011 – Ko Un [South Korea]
• 2012 – Ivo Michiels [Belgium]
• 2013 – Reiner Kunze [GDR/Germany]
• 2014 – László Krasznahorkai [Hungary]
• 2015 – Edward Albee [USA]
• 2016 – César Aira [Argentina]

References