Often called the "American Nobel," the Neustadt Prize has been a marker of the state of international literature since its conception in 1969. This book is coming out in conjunction with the fiftieth anniversary, and with the reception event for the 25th Neustadt Prize (for Albanian novelist, poet, and playwright Ismail Kadare). As the prize is housed at the University of Oklahoma and World Literature Today, extra promotion will occur with those institutions. In addition, this book includes original illustrated portraits of each prizewinning author at the beginning of each chapter.