LV casino executive establishes literary prize

Wednesday, April 11, 2001 | 11:03 a.m.

Las Vegas casino executive Glenn Schaeffer has established what is being called New Zealand's largest literary prize, an award designed to help writers from the country gain international exposure.

The award is being called the "Glenn Schaeffer Prize in Modern Letters," though the Mandalay Resort Group president said he hasn't decided if he wants the NZ$60,000 ($24,800) prize named after him. It will be administered through the International Institute of Modern Letters, with co-headquarters at UNLV and Victoria University in New Zealand.

"It isn't just me personally," Schaeffer said. "There are a number of sponsors, and I'm one of them. The idea of these fellowships is to identify bright new writers of literary merit."

The award will be presented once every two years to a New Zealand author who has been published at least once. It is designed to support an author during the writing process, and allows the writer to take academic residency at any affiliate university of the Institute, which include UNLV, Cornell University, the University of Iowa and the University of California, Irvine.

"One of the roles (of the prize) is to bring writers more to the attention of the American market," Schaeffer said. He called New Zealand one of the most literary nations in the world, based on its "high literary output and very sophisticated post-graduate programs."

Schaeffer, who has a home in New Zealand, has been an active contributor to that nation's arts community. Last year, he became a financial backer of the Suter Art Gallery, the third-largest art museum in that country. Schaeffer has also been the key donor behind the Institute, launched last year.

"Without him, it wouldn't have happened," said Eric Olsen, executive director of the Institute. "He's put up the seed money, and it's his creation."