By Monique Santos
Joyce Carol Oates, one of America’s most talented writers, who has produced a vast amount of literary work has won the Fitzgerald Prize at the elegant Hôtel Belles Rives in France. The is the place where F. Scott Fitzgerald lived and wrote “Tender is the Night” and where Joyce Carol Oates received the 13th annual Literary Award for her work, “48 Clues into the Disappearance of My Sister.”
Once called the Villa Saint-Louis, the Hôtel Belles Rives is a five-star luxury hotel in Antibes, France with beach access with a reputation for great status and quality service. While this historic, family-owned hotel has been around since 1929, it has been called home by F. Scott Fitzgerald, one of the greatest American writers of the early 20th century. It also serves as an annual host to the Fitzgerald Prize.
The Fitzgerald Prize is awarded for writing that resembles the influence of F. Scott Fitzgerald. Since Fitzgerald is greatly known for “The Great Gatsby,” a story that reflects the American experience of the 1920s, those who can capture his ability to demonstrate life and the process of living in society are awarded this prize. This prize is based on the judgment of a respected jury of French artists, the hotel’s owner, and the Francis Scott Fitzgerald Academy president.
In June, a suspenseful mystery by Joyce Carol Oates was given the honor of receiving the Fitzgerald Prize. Born in New York, in 1938, Oates is a novelist, essayist, and poet who has written in many genres including short stories, children’s fiction, horror, mystery, drama, poetry, nonfiction, and more.
Joyce Carol Oates has won many awards for her writing, including the National Book Award, for her novel Them (1969), two O. Henry Awards, the National Humanities Medal, and the Jerusalem Prize (2019).
The story that won her the Fitzgerald Prize, was one of Oates’ mysteries. “48 Clues into the Disappearance of My Sister” is about a girl who leaves her family in New York, leaving no trace behind to answer why she left and where she went. Doing this, the woman left behind a sister determined to find the answers to these questions, using all the clues she could get to reveal the truth behind her sister’s disappearance. This story does not just dive into the mysterious nature of a missing person, but it also touches upon sibling rivalry. According to the judge, Marianne Estène-Chauvin, Oates “exemplifies the elegance and depth that the Fitzgerald Prize seeks to honor” through this most recent story of hers because of how it depicts human relationships.
Now, Oates adds another award to her resume and the Hôtel Belles Rives continues to uphold the legend of F. Scott Fitzgerald.
(Photos – Grégoire Bernardi/AP Content Services for Hôtel Belles Rives)
