Overview
- The National Book Foundation announced on Tuesday the five finalists in each of the five categories, creating a 25-book shortlist that will compete for $10,000 prizes and the winners’ ceremony on Nov. 18 in New York.
- Finalists include high-profile authors such as Edwidge Danticat and Valeria Luiselli, major translated works by Karl Ove Knausgaard and Samar Yazbek with translators credited, and a mix of small and large publishers.
- The nonprofit named the Nonfiction judges as Eve L. Ewing, Audrey I-Wei Huang, Jonathan C. Slaght, Robert Warrior and Lidia Yuknavitch, underscoring the panels of authors and literary figures that selected the shortlists.
- The shortlists drew attention for what they left out as well as who was included, with Marlon James’s The Disappearers omitted from the final fiction slate after appearing on September’s longlist.
- Shortlisting typically boosts sales and visibility for authors, translators and smaller presses, and the program will also present honorary medals to Salman Rushdie and Perri Klass at the Nov. 18 event.