美国当代文学名家乔伊斯·卡罗尔·奥茨(Joyce Carol Oates,1938—)勤于耕耘,著作等身,创作历程延续达半个世纪之久。在新世纪第一个十年结束之际,奥茨的贡献在美国得到了广泛认可,以获得2010年美国国家人文科学奖章为显著标志。2011年3月2日在白宫举行的颁奖仪式上,总统奥巴马在致辞中引用了奥茨的话补充他的观点:“奥茨说过:‘我们这个国家, Joyce Carol Oates (1938-), a famous American contemporary literary genius, has been working diligently and writing his works for more than half a century. At the close of the first decade of the new century, Oates’s contribution was widely recognized in the United States, marked by the 2010 American National Humanities Medal. At the award ceremony held on March 2, 2011 at the White House, President Obama quoted Oates as saying in his address: ”Oates said: ’Our country,