The Truman Capote Award for Literary Criticism is awarded for literary criticism by the University of Iowa on behalf of the Truman Capote Estate. The value of the award is $30,000 (USD), and is said to be the largest annual cash prize for literary criticism in the English language.[1] The formal name of the prize is the Truman Capote Award for Literary Criticism in Memory of Newton Arvin, commemorating not only Capote but also his friend Newton Arvin, a distinguished critic and Smith College professor until he lost his job after his homosexuality was exposed.[2]
Past recipients:
The Truman Capote Literary Trust also established a lifetime achievement award, worth $100,000, and administered through the Stanford University Creative Writing Program. It has been awarded to Alfred Kazin (1996)[7] and George Steiner (1998).[8] The Truman Capote Literary Trust was established in 1994 (after the death of Capote's longtime companion Jack Dunphy) by Capote's executor, Alan U. Schwartz,[9] pursuant to Capote's will.[2] It also funds a variety of fellowships and scholarships, all financed by the continuing royalties and revenues from Capote's literary works.