About the National Book Foundation Distinguished Contribution to American Letters
The National Book Foundation's Distinguished Contribution to American Letters (DCAL) is among the most prestigious lifetime achievement awards in American literature. Presented annually at the National Book Awards ceremony in New York, the award recognises an author who has made an indelible mark on American literary culture through the sustained excellence and originality of their body of work. The DCAL was established in 1988 and has been given to some of the defining literary figures of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, including Philip Roth, Toni Morrison, John Updike, Saul Bellow, Studs Terkel, and Ray Bradbury. More recent honorees include Tom Wolfe, Ursula K. Le Guin, Don DeLillo, Robert Caro, Isabel Allende, Art Spiegelman, Barbara Kingsolver, and George Saunders. The recipient is selected by the NBF's board of directors and is honoured with a medal and a citation read aloud at the gala ceremony each November. Unlike the competitive National Book Awards, which are given in specific categories such as Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, and Young People's Literature, the DCAL is not subject to a public nomination or judging process—it is a discretionary honour bestowed by the Foundation. The award carries a $10,000 cash prize and is considered one of the highest distinctions an American author can receive. Recipients often deliver a celebrated acceptance speech that itself becomes a significant piece of literary culture.
