Joyce Carol Oates Awarded 2012 Blue Metropolis International Literary Grand Prix.

Popular novelist Joyce Carol Oates (M) joins the likes of Margaret Atwood and Norman Mailer as being awarded the 2012 Blue Metropolis International Literary Grand Prix.

"The Blue Metropolis International Literary Grand Prix is awarded annually to a writer of international stature and accomplishment as a celebration of a lifetime of literary achievement.

This award is part of Montreal's Blue Metropolis Festival, which is described as follows:

"Blue Metropolis Foundation is a not-for-profit and charitable organization founded in 1997 that brings together people from different cultures to share the pleasure of reading and writing. The Foundation produces multilingual literary activities, such as the Blue Met International Literary Festival, the Blue Met Children's Festival, and education programmes for young people."

NoveList describes Joyce Carol Oates' writing as follows:

Genre: Literary fiction; Psychological fiction; Psychological suspense stories
Storyline: Character-driven
Tone: Bleak; Disturbing; Dramatic; Moody
Writing Style: Compelling; Stylistically complex

“Writing in a range of genres from family chronicles to psychological suspense, Oates offers provocative, often political, novels that address significant social issues. Oates' dark, gripping stories often focus on violence and victimization and the characters' response to it. By telling her stories in both first and third person, Oates creates an intimate relationship between the reader and the, often troubled, characters as she explores complex human interactions. These stories are generally set in small towns and rural areas, and often have a timeless feel”. - NoveList