Unlike the Swedes, the Norwegian Nobel Committee has recognized the existence of women, awarding this year’s Peace Prize to two journalists, Maria Ressa and Dmitry Muratov, “for their efforts to safeguard freedom of expression, which is a precondition for democracy and lasting peace.” Notably, Ressa’s book HOW TO STAND UP TO A DICTATOR is scheduled for publication in the UK next April from WH Allen. Rights are represented by Rafe Sagalyn at ICM in the US, and Helen Manders at Curtis Brown UK for translation (on behalf of Stephanie Thwaites). Additionally, for US readers to experience the words of new […]
Awards
Nobel to Gurnah, As US Readers Will Have to Wait
Tanzanian-born novelist Abdulrazak Gurnah was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature “for his uncompromising and compassionate penetration of the effects of colonialism and the fate of the refugee in the gulf between cultures and continents.” Gurnah writes in English, and teaches English Literature at the University of Kent in Canterbury. His principal publisher has been Bloomsbury UK. His longtime editor there Alexandra Pringle said, “He is one of the greatest living African writers, and no one has ever taken any notice of him and it’s just killed me. I did a podcast last week and in it I said that […]
MacArthur Foundation Names 2021 Fellows, Including 11 Authors
The MacArthur Foundation named 25 fellows for 2021, including authors Hanif Abdurraqib, Daniel Alarcón, Reginald Dwayne Betts, Don Mee Choi, Nicole Fleetwood, Ibram X. Kendi, Monica Muñoz Martinez, Desmond Meade, Safiya Noble, Jacqueline Stewart, and Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor.
National Book Awards Cancels Plans for In-Person Ceremony, Returns to Virtual Event
After planning for an in-person event for vaccinated guests, the National Book Awards ceremony will be held virtually this year, “in light of public health concerns and ongoing uncertainty related to the coronavirus.” The ceremony will be streamed live on the National Book Foundation’s website, YouTube, and Facebook at 7 PM Eastern on November 17. NBF board chair David Steinberger said: “Although we were cautiously optimistic about the opportunity to gather, the National Book Foundation Board and staff have carefully considered the options for this year’s National Book Awards and closely monitored best health and safety practices associated with COVID-19. The […]
National Book Foundation Names 5 Under 35
The National Book Foundation named their 5 Under 35 fiction writers for 2021. Chair of the NBF board David Steinberger said, “Each year, we take great pleasure in honoring five authors whose debut titles provide a first look at their exceptional talent as fiction writers. Their remarkable books are an achievement, and it’s a privilege to welcome these authors into the National Book Foundation family and to ensure their work reaches an even wider audience.” Caleb Azumah Nelson, Open Water (Black Cat) Selected by Brit Bennett Nathan Harris, The Sweetness of Water (Little, Brown) Selected by Charmaine Craig Lee Lai, […]
NBF to Honor Karen Tei Yamashita
The National Book Foundation will award Karen Tei Yamashita the 2021 Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters, to be presented at the in-person National Book Award ceremony in November. (The presenter of the award is to be announced.) Her novel I HOTEL was a National Book Award Finalist in 2010. “A bold and groundbreaking writer, Yamashita’s deeply creative body of work has made an enduring impact on our literary landscape,” NBF board of directors chair David Steinberger said. “Whether it’s an evocative exploration of cities, collaborative performance productions, or connecting the plots of Jane Austen to Japanese American life, […]