Recent NDSU graduate Damon Barta was a runner-up in the prestigious 2008 Norton Scholar’s Prize competition. Barta graduated in 2008, earning a bachelor’s degree in English.

Barta received a $1,000 cash award for the essay, “An Exile Writes Home: Jim Burden’s Nebraska,” which is a critical study of Willa Cather's novel, “My Antonia.” The essay utilizes the framework of exile to examine the unreliability of the novel’s narrator, Jim Burden, and to understand Burden’s complicated view of the character Antonia Shimerda. Barta’s essay was selected as one of four runners-up from among 180 submissions.

Gary Totten, associate professor of English and graduate program director, nominated Barta for the award. “I nominated Damon for the prize after being impressed by his paper, which he wrote for my course on 20th century American literature,” Totten said. “Damon's recognition in such a competitive and nationally prominent prize competition attests to his exceptional academic ability, and provides excellent publicity for NDSU.”

Barta said it was a great honor to be selected. “This kind of recognition is not only personally gratifying, but serves also as a testament to the strength of NDSU's English department. In particular, I would like to thank Gary Totten for nominating me and for his many words of encouragement,” he said.

The Norton Scholar’s Prize is an annual competition of outstanding undergraduate essays on literary topics andt is conducted by W.W. Norton and Co., the nation’s largest independent, employee-owned book publishing house.