LONDON, January 15, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

Author to make first official visit to the UK to accept the award

It is announced today that Anne Tyler - Pulitzer-prize winning author of Breathing Lessons, The Accidental Tourist, The Amateur Marriage, Digging to America and many other novels - will be the 25^th recipient of the annual Sunday Times Award for Literary Excellence, an award bestowed in recognition of a lifetime's achievement in books.

Andrew Holgate, Literary Editor of The Sunday Times, will present the prize at a public event at the Sheldonian on 1^st April 2012, as part of The Sunday Times Oxford Literary Festival. Following the presentation, Anne Tyler will be interviewed by Peter Kemp, the chief fiction reviewer of The Sunday Times.

Anne Tyler's trip to the UK to accept the prize will be her first official visit to the UK.

Andrew Holgate commented:

'2012 is the 25th year of The Sunday Times Award for Literary Excellence, which is given in recognition of a lifetime's achievement in literature. Since 1987, the prize has been awarded to a remarkable range of authors, from Anthony Burgess, Muriel Spark and Margaret Atwood to Ted Hughes, Seamus Heaney and John le Carré. I can think of no modern English-language author who more deserves to be added to that list than Anne Tyler. The apparent effortlessness of her prose is matched by her empathy for her characters, the depth of her human understanding and the consistency of her literary vision. Readers the world over treasure Anne Tyler for the profound way she seems to peer into their hearts, and we are thrilled that she has chosen to visit the UK for the first time to accept the award.'

Anne Tyler said:

'I am surprised and delighted by the news of this award.  I know what a great honour it is, and what good company I'm keeping; the list of those who have received it before me is dazzling.'

About The Sunday Times Oxford Literary Festival: This year's festival runs from 24^th March - 1^st April. For more information or to book tickets for the event, please visit http://www.oxfordliteraryfestival.org.

About Anne Tyler:Born in Minneapolis in 1941, Anne Tyler lives in Baltimore where her novels are set. She is the Pulitzer-prize winning author of Breathing Lessons and other bestselling novels, including The Accidental Tourist, Saint Maybe, Back When We Were Grownups, The Amateur Marriage, Digging to America and Noah's Compass.

Her forthcoming novel, The Beginner's Goodbye, tells the story of Aaron, widowed in a freak accident when a tree plunges through the roof of his house, killing his wife Dorothy.

As those around him fuss and flap and bring him casserole after casserole, Aaron ploughs on. He busies himself with work at the family firm, a publisher with a successful line in 'Beginner's Guides' to every stage and aspect of life. But then Dorothy starts to materialize in the oddest places. At first, she only comes for a short while, leaving Aaron longing for more. Gradually she stays for longer, and as they talk they also bicker ...

The Beginner's Goodbye will be published in hardback from Chatto&Windus on 5^th April 2012.

Notes to Editors

The Oxford Literary Festivaltakes place each year over nine days based at Christ Church, Corpus Christi and Merton Colleges, with major events at the Sheldonian Theatre and the Bodleian Library. The Festival is staged in some of the most historic and beautiful university buildings in Europe and reflects the great traditions of scholarship, research and discourse that have distinguished Oxford in so many fields over the centuries. The Festival is noted for the quality of its speakers, debates and educational programmes with an increasing emphasis on the literatures and cultures of the global community. It is a charitable company limited by guarantee - registration No 1128820. The Sunday Times has been the media sponsor since 2003 and BBC Four is the broadcast media partner. HSBC Premier was announced as Global Banking Partner in 2011.

The Sunday Times is the largest circulation quality newspaper in the UK with a circulation of 1,000,848 (ABC June 2011), 2.8 million readers (NRS Jun 2011) and a combined paying digital and paper audience of almost 1.1 million. Renowned for its technological innovation, The Sunday Times is available for download on all platforms and devices including Android, Amazon Kindle and iOS. The Sunday Times has a reputation for courageous and campaigning investigative journalism, breaking many major world exclusives. With 12 sections every week, The Sunday Times offers great value to readers and it is recognised for not only breaking news but for its unrivalled coverage of sports, business, the arts and entertainment.

SOURCE News International