US author Joyce Carol Oates wins coveted French prize

Renowned American author Joyce Carol Oates has won France’s coveted Cino del Duca World Prize for her body of literary work.

Known for her prolific output, the 81-year-old writer has written 60 novels as well as multiple short story collections, plays, and a memoir, but has yet to win a Nobel Prize for Literature.

The Cino del Duca is often seen as a forerunner to the Nobel.

The ceremony to hand out the prize was to take place in France in June but has been cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Oates’ other literary honors include the US’ National Book Award.

The Cino del Duca is also France's richest prize, with a purse of €200,000 (some $220,000), second in the world only to the Nobel Prize. It is run by the Institut de France along with the Academie Francais, the official arbiter for the French language.

The prize is named for an Italian-born businessman, film producer, and philanthropist who made his fortune starting in the 1920s in France's publishing business.

Del Duca's prominent role in the French resistance during World War II earned him the prestigious Croix de Guerre from the French government.