Awards & Winners

National Book Award for Fiction

National Book Award

The National Book Award for Fiction is one of four annual National Book Awards, which recognize outstanding literary work by United States citizens. Since 1987 they have been administered and presented by the National Book Foundation, but they are awards "by writers to writers". The panelists are five "writers who are known to be doing great work in their genre or field". General fiction was one of four categories when the awards were re-established in 1950. For several years beginning 1980, prior to the Foundation, there were multiple fiction categories: hardcover, paperback, first novel or first work of fiction; from 1981 to 1983 hardcover and paperback children's fiction; and only in 1980 five awards to mystery fiction, science fiction, and western fiction. When the Foundation celebrated the 60th postwar awards in 2009, all but three of the 77 previous winners in fiction categories were in print. The 77 included all eight 1980 winners but excluded the 1981 to 1983 children's fiction winners. The award recognizes one book written by a U.S. citizen and published in the U.S. from December 1 to November 30. The National Book Foundation accepts nominations from publishers until June 15, requires mailing nominated books to the panelists by August 1, and announces five finalists in October. The winner is announced on the day of the final ceremony in November. The award is $10,000 and a bronze sculpture; other finalists get $1000, a medal, and a citation written by the panel.
Date Established : 1950

Check all the winners of National Book Award for Fiction presented under National Book Award since 1937 .


James McBride

Honored for : The Good Lord Bird

Nominations 2013 »

Nominee Nominated Work
Rachel Kushner The Flamethrowers
Jhumpa Lahiri The Lowland
James McBride The Good Lord Bird
Thomas Pynchon Bleeding Edge
George Saunders Tenth of December: Stories

Louise Erdrich

Honored for : The Round House

Nominations 2012 »

Nominee Nominated Work
Louise Erdrich The Round House
Junot Díaz This is How You Lose Her
Dave Eggers A Hologram for the King
Ben Fountain Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk
Kevin Powers The Yellow Birds

Jesmyn Ward

Honored for : Salvage the Bones

Nominations 2011 »

Nominee Nominated Work
Jesmyn Ward Salvage the Bones
Andrew Krivak The Sojourn
Téa Obreht The Tiger's Wife
Julie Otsuka The Buddha in the Attic
Edith Pearlman Binocular Vision

Jaimy Gordon

Honored for : Lord of Misrule

Nominations 2010 »

Nominee Nominated Work
Peter Carey Parrot and Olivier in America
Nicole Krauss Great House
Lionel Shriver So Much for That
Karen Tei Yamashita I Hotel
Jaimy Gordon Lord of Misrule

Colum McCann

Honored for : Let the Great World Spin

Nominations 2009 »

Nominee Nominated Work
Colum McCann Let the Great World Spin
Bonnie Jo Campbell American Salvage
Daniyal Mueenuddin In Other Rooms, Other Wonders
Jayne Anne Philips Lark and Termite
Marcel Theroux Far North

Peter Matthiessen

Honored for : Shadow Country

Nominations 2008 »

Nominee Nominated Work
Peter Matthiessen Shadow Country
Aleksandar Hemon The Lazarus Project
Rachel Kushner Telex from Cuba
Marilynne Robinson Home
Salvatore Scibona The End

Denis Johnson

Honored for : Tree of Smoke

Nominations 2007 »

Nominee Nominated Work
Denis Johnson Tree of Smoke
Mischa Berlinski Fieldwork
Lydia Davis Varieties of Disturbance
Joshua Ferris Then We Came to the End
Jim Shepard Like You'd Understand, Anyway

Richard Powers

Honored for : The Echo Maker

Nominations 2006 »

Nominee Nominated Work
Richard Powers The Echo Maker
Mark Z. Danielewski Only Revolutions
Ken Kalfus A disorder peculiar to the country
Dana Spiotta Eat the Document
Jess Walter The Zero

William T. Vollmann

Honored for : Europe Central

Nominations 2005 »

Nominee Nominated Work
William T. Vollmann Europe Central
E. L. Doctorow The March
Mary Gaitskill Veronica
Christopher Sorrentino Trance
Rene Steinke Holy Skirts

Lily Tuck

Honored for : The News from Paraguay

Nominations 2004 »

Nominee Nominated Work
Lily Tuck The News from Paraguay
Sarah Shun-lien Bynum Madeleine is Sleeping
Christine Schutt Florida
Joan Silber Ideas of Heaven: A Ring of Stories
Kate Walbert Our Kind

Shirley Hazzard

Honored for : The Great Fire

Nominations 2003 »

Nominee Nominated Work
Shirley Hazzard The Great Fire
T. Coraghessan Boyle Drop City
Edward P. Jones The Known World
Scott Spencer A Ship Made of Paper
Marianne Wiggins Evidence of Things Unseen

Julia Glass

Honored for : Three Junes

Nominations 2002 »

Nominee Nominated Work
Julia Glass Three Junes
Mark Costello Big if
Adam Haslett You Are Not a Stranger Here
Martha McPhee Gorgeous lies
Brad Watson The heaven of Mercury

Jonathan Franzen

Honored for : The Corrections

Nominations 2001 »

Nominee Nominated Work
Jonathan Franzen The Corrections
Dan Chaon Among the Missing
Jennifer Egan Look at Me
Louise Erdrich The Last Report on the Miracle at Little No Horse
Susan Straight Highwire Moon

Susan Sontag

Honored for : In America

Nominations 2000 »

Nominee Nominated Work
Susan Sontag In America
Charles Baxter The Feast of Love
Alan Lightman The diagnosis
Joyce Carol Oates Blonde
Francine Prose Blue Angel: A Novel

Ha Jin

Honored for : Waiting: A Novel

Nominations 1999 »

Nominee Nominated Work
Ha Jin Waiting: A Novel
Andre Dubus House of Sand and Fog
Kent Haruf Plainsong
Patricia Henley Hummingbird House
Jean Thompson Who Do You Love: Stories

Alice McDermott

Honored for : Charming Billy

Nominations 1998 »

Nominee Nominated Work
Alice McDermott Charming Billy
Allegra Goodman Kaaterskill Falls
Gayl Jones The healing
Robert Stone Damascus Gate
Tom Wolfe A Man in Full

Charles Frazier

Honored for : Cold Mountain

Nominations 1997 »

Nominee Nominated Work
Charles Frazier Cold Mountain
Don DeLillo Underworld
Diane Johnson Le Divorce
Ward Just Echo House
Cynthia Ozick The Puttermesser Papers

Andrea Barrett

Honored for : Ship Fever

Nominations 1996 »

Nominee Nominated Work
Andrea Barrett Ship Fever
Ron Hansen Atticus
Elizabeth McCracken The Giant's House
Steven Millhauser Martin Dressler: The Tale of an American Dreamer
Janet Peery The river beyond the world

Philip Roth

Honored for : Sabbath's Theater

Nominations 1995 »

Nominee Nominated Work
Philip Roth Sabbath's Theater
Madison Smartt Bell All Souls' Rising
Edwidge Danticat Krik? Krak!
Stephen Dixon Interstate
Rosario Ferré The house on the lagoon

William Gaddis

Honored for : A Frolic of His Own

Nominations 1994 »

Nominee Nominated Work
William Gaddis A Frolic of His Own
Ellen Currie Moses Supposes
Richard Dooling White man's grave
Howard Norman The Bird Artist
Grace Paley The Collected Stories

E. Annie Proulx

Honored for : The Shipping News

Nominations 1993 »

Nominee Nominated Work
E. Annie Proulx The Shipping News
Amy Bloom Come to Me
Thom Jones The Pugilist at Rest
Richard Powers Operation Wandering Soul
Bob Shacochis Swimming in the volcano

Cormac McCarthy

Honored for : All the Pretty Horses

Nominations 1992 »

Nominee Nominated Work
Cormac McCarthy All the Pretty Horses
Dorothy Allison Bastard Out of Carolina
Cristina García Dreaming in Cuban
Edward P. Jones Lost in the City
Robert Stone Outerbridge Reach

Norman Rush

Honored for : Mating

Nominations 1991 »

Nominee Nominated Work
Norman Rush Mating
Louis Begley Wartime Lies
Stephen Dixon Frog: A Novel
Stanley Elkin The MacGuffin
Sandra Scofield Beyond deserving

Charles R. Johnson

Honored for : Middle Passage

Nominations 1990 »

Nominee Nominated Work
Charles R. Johnson Middle Passage
Felipe Alfau Chromos
Elena Castedo Paradise
Jessica Hagedorn Dogeaters
Joyce Carol Oates Because It Is Bitter, and Because It Is My Heart

John Casey

Honored for : Spartina

Nominations 1989 »

Nominee Nominated Work
John Casey Spartina
E. L. Doctorow Billy Bathgate
Katherine Dunn Geek Love
Oscar Hijuelos The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love
Amy Tan The Joy Luck Club

Pete Dexter

Honored for : Paris Trout

Nominations 1988 »

Nominee Nominated Work
Pete Dexter Paris Trout
Don DeLillo Libra
Mary McGarry Morris Vanished
J. F. Powers Wheat that springeth green
Anne Tyler Breathing Lessons

Larry Heinemann

Honored for : Paco's Story

Nominations 1987 »

Nominee Nominated Work
Larry Heinemann Paco's Story
Alice McDermott That Night
Toni Morrison Beloved
Howard Norman The Northern Lights
Philip Roth The Counterlife

E. L. Doctorow

Honored for : World's Fair

Nominations 1986 »

Nominee Nominated Work
E. L. Doctorow World's Fair
Norman Rush Whites
Peter Taylor A Summons to Memphis

Don DeLillo

Honored for : White Noise

Nominations 1985 »

Nominee Nominated Work
Don DeLillo White Noise
Ursula K. Le Guin Always Coming Home
Hugh Nissenson The Tree of Life

Ellen Gilchrist

Honored for : Victory Over Japan: A Book of Stories

Nominations 1984 »

Nominee Nominated Work
Ellen Gilchrist Victory Over Japan: A Book of Stories
Alison Lurie Foreign Affairs
Philip Roth The Anatomy Lesson

Tim O'Brien

Honored for : Going After Cacciato

Nominations 1979 »

Nominee Nominated Work
Tim O'Brien Going After Cacciato
John Cheever The Stories of John Cheever
John Irving The World According to Garp
Diane Johnson Lying low
David Plante The Family

Mary Lee Settle

Honored for : Blood Tie

Nominations 1978 »

Nominee Nominated Work
Mary Lee Settle Blood Tie
Robert Coover The Public Burning
Peter De Vries Madder Music
James Alan McPherson Elbow Room
John Sayles Union Dues

Wallace Stegner

Honored for : The Spectator Bird

Nominations 1977 »

Nominee Nominated Work
Raymond Carver Will You Please Be Quiet, Please?
Donald Heiney The Balloonist
Ursula K. Le Guin Orsinian Tales
Cynthia Seton A fine romance
Wallace Stegner The Spectator Bird

William Gaddis

Honored for : J R

Nominations 1976 »

Nominee Nominated Work
William Gaddis J R
Saul Bellow Humboldt's Gift
Hortense Calisher The Collected Stories of Hortense Calisher
Johanna Kaplan Other People's Lives
Vladimir Vladimirovich Nabokov Tyrants Destroyed and Other Stories
Larry Woiwode Beyond the bedroom wall

Robert Stone

Honored for : Dog Soldiers

Nominations 1975 »

Nominee Nominated Work
Robert Stone Dog Soldiers
Thomas Williams The Hair of Harold Roux
Donald Barthelme Guilty Pleasures
Gail Godwin The odd woman
Joseph Heller Something Happened
Toni Morrison Sula
Vladimir Vladimirovich Nabokov Look at the Harlequins!
Grace Paley Enormous Changes at the Last Minute
Philip Roth My Life As a Man
Mark Smith The Death of a Detective

Thomas Williams

Honored for : The Hair of Harold Roux

Nominations 1975 »

Nominee Nominated Work
Robert Stone Dog Soldiers
Thomas Williams The Hair of Harold Roux
Donald Barthelme Guilty Pleasures
Gail Godwin The odd woman
Joseph Heller Something Happened
Toni Morrison Sula
Vladimir Vladimirovich Nabokov Look at the Harlequins!
Grace Paley Enormous Changes at the Last Minute
Philip Roth My Life As a Man
Mark Smith The Death of a Detective

Thomas Pynchon

Honored for : Gravity's Rainbow

Nominations 1974 »

Nominee Nominated Work
Thomas Pynchon Gravity's Rainbow
Isaac Bashevis Singer A Crown of Feathers and Other Stories
Doris Betts Beasts of the southern wild and other stories
John Cheever The World of Apples
Ellen Douglas Apostles of light
Stanley Elkin Searches and Seizures
John Gardner Nickel mountain
John Leonard Black conceit
Thomas McGuane Ninety-two in the shade.
Wilfrid Sheed People will always be kind
Gore Vidal Burr
Joy Williams State of grace

Isaac Bashevis Singer

Honored for : A Crown of Feathers and Other Stories

Nominations 1974 »

Nominee Nominated Work
Thomas Pynchon Gravity's Rainbow
Isaac Bashevis Singer A Crown of Feathers and Other Stories
Doris Betts Beasts of the southern wild and other stories
John Cheever The World of Apples
Ellen Douglas Apostles of light
Stanley Elkin Searches and Seizures
John Gardner Nickel mountain
John Leonard Black conceit
Thomas McGuane Ninety-two in the shade.
Wilfrid Sheed People will always be kind
Gore Vidal Burr
Joy Williams State of grace

John Barth

Honored for : Chimera

Nominations 1973 »

Nominee Nominated Work
John Barth Chimera
John Edward Williams Augustus
Brock Brower The Late Great Creature
Alan Friedman Hermaphrodeity
Barry Hannah Geronimo Rex
George V. Higgins The Friends of Eddie Coyle
R. M. Koster The prince
Vladimir Vladimirovich Nabokov Transparent Things
Ishmael Reed Mumbo jumbo
Thomas Rogers The Confession of a Child of the Century
Isaac Bashevis Singer Enemies, A Love Story
Eudora Welty The Optimist's Daughter

John Edward Williams

Honored for : Augustus

Nominations 1973 »

Nominee Nominated Work
John Barth Chimera
John Edward Williams Augustus
Brock Brower The Late Great Creature
Alan Friedman Hermaphrodeity
Barry Hannah Geronimo Rex
George V. Higgins The Friends of Eddie Coyle
R. M. Koster The prince
Vladimir Vladimirovich Nabokov Transparent Things
Ishmael Reed Mumbo jumbo
Thomas Rogers The Confession of a Child of the Century
Isaac Bashevis Singer Enemies, A Love Story
Eudora Welty The Optimist's Daughter

Flannery O'Connor

Honored for : The Complete Stories

Nominations 1972 »

Nominee Nominated Work
Flannery O'Connor The Complete Stories
Frederick Buechner Lion Country
E. L. Doctorow The Book of Daniel
Stanley Elkin The Dick Gibson show
Tom McHale Farragan's retreat
Joyce Carol Oates Wonderland
Cynthia Ozick The Pagan Rabbi and Other Stories
Walker Percy Love in the Ruins
Earl Thompson A garden of sand
John Updike Rabbit Redux

Saul Bellow

Honored for : Mr. Sammler's Planet

Nominations 1971 »

Nominee Nominated Work
Saul Bellow Mr. Sammler's Planet
James Dickey Deliverance
Shirley Hazzard The bay of noon
John Updike Bech
Eudora Welty Losing Battles

Joyce Carol Oates

Honored for : Them

Nominations 1970 »

Nominee Nominated Work
Joyce Carol Oates Them
Leonard Gardner Fat City
Leonard Michaels Going places
Jean Stafford The Collected Stories of Jean Stafford
Kurt Vonnegut Slaughterhouse-Five

Jerzy Kosi?ski

Honored for : Steps

Nominations 1969 »

Nominee Nominated Work
Jerzy Kosi?ski Steps
John Barth Lost in the Funhouse
Frederick Exley A Fan's Notes
Joyce Carol Oates Expensive People
Thomas Rogers The Pursuit of Happiness

Thornton Wilder

Honored for : The Eighth Day

Nominations 1968 »

Nominee Nominated Work
Thornton Wilder The Eighth Day
Norman Mailer Why Are We in Vietnam?
Joyce Carol Oates A Garden of Earthly Delights
Chaim Potok The Chosen
William Styron The Confessions of Nat Turner

Bernard Malamud

Honored for : The Fixer

Nominations 1967 »

Nominee Nominated Work
Bernard Malamud The Fixer
Louis Auchincloss The Embezzler
Edwin O'Connor All in the Family
Walker Percy The Last Gentleman
Harry Mark Petrakis A Dream of Kings
Wilfrid Sheed Office Politics

Katherine Anne Porter

Honored for : The Collected Stories of Katherine Anne Porter

Nominations 1966 »

Nominee Nominated Work
Katherine Anne Porter The Collected Stories of Katherine Anne Porter
Jesse Hill Ford The Liberation of Lord Byron Jones
Peter Matthiessen At play in the fields of the Lord
James Merrill The (Diblos) Notebook
Flannery O'Connor Everything That Rises Must Converge
Harry Mark Petrakis Pericles on 31st Street

Saul Bellow

Honored for : Herzog

Nominations 1965 »

Nominee Nominated Work
Saul Bellow Herzog
Louis Auchincloss The Rector of Justin
John Hawkes Second Skin
Richard E. Kim The Martyred
Wallace Markfield To an Early Grave
Vladimir Vladimirovich Nabokov The Defense
Isaac Bashevis Singer Short Friday

John Updike

Honored for : The Centaur

Nominations 1964 »

Nominee Nominated Work
John Updike The Centaur
Bernard Malamud Idiots first
Mary McCarthy The Group
Thomas Pynchon V.
Harvey Swados The will

J. F. Powers

Honored for : Morte D'Urban

Nominations 1963 »

Nominee Nominated Work
J. F. Powers Morte D'Urban
Vladimir Vladimirovich Nabokov Pale Fire
Katherine Anne Porter Ship of Fools
Dawn Powell The Golden Spur
Clancy Sigal Going away
John Updike Pigeon Feathers and Other Stories

Walker Percy

Honored for : The Moviegoer

Nominations 1962 »

Nominee Nominated Work
Walker Percy The Moviegoer
Hortense Calisher False entry
George P. Elliott Among the Dangs
Joseph Heller Catch-22
Bernard Malamud A New Life
William Keepers Maxwell The Chateau
J. D. Salinger Franny and Zooey
Isaac Bashevis Singer The Spinoza of Market Street
Edward Lewis Wallant The Pawnbroker
Joan Williams The morning and the evening
Richard Yates Revolutionary Road

Conrad Richter

Honored for : The Waters of Kronos

Nominations 1961 »

Nominee Nominated Work
Conrad Richter The Waters of Kronos
Louis Auchincloss The House of Five Talents
Kay Boyle Generation Without Farewell
John Hersey The Child Buyer
John Knowles A Separate Peace
Harper Lee To Kill a Mockingbird
Wright Morris Ceremony in Lone Tree
Flannery O'Connor The Violent Bear It Away
Elizabeth Spencer The Light in the Piazza
Francis Steegmuller The Christening Party
John Updike Rabbit, Run
Mildred Walker The Body of a Young Man

Philip Roth

Honored for : Goodbye, Columbus

Nominations 1960 »

Nominee Nominated Work
Philip Roth Goodbye, Columbus
Louis Auchincloss Pursuit of the prodigal
Hamilton Basso The Light Infantry ball
Saul Bellow Henderson the Rain King
Evan S. Connell Mrs. Bridge
William Faulkner The Mansion
Mark Harris Wake Up, Stupid
John Hersey The War Lover
Harold L. Humes Men Die
Shirley Jackson The Haunting of Hill House
Elizabeth Janeway The Third Choice
James Jones The Pistol
Warren Miller The Cool World
James Purdy Malcolm
Leo Rosten The Return of Hyman Kaplan
John Updike The Poorhouse Fair
Robert Penn Warren The Cave
Morris West The Devil's Advocate

Bernard Malamud

Honored for : The Magic Barrel

Nominations 1959 »

Nominee Nominated Work
Bernard Malamud The Magic Barrel
J. P. Donleavy The Ginger Man
William Humphrey Home from the Hill
Vladimir Vladimirovich Nabokov Lolita
John O'Hara From the Terrace
J.R. Salamanca The lost country
Anya Seton The Winthrop Woman
John D. Voelker Anatomy of a murder

John Cheever

Honored for : The Wapshot Chronicle

Nominations 1958 »

Nominee Nominated Work
John Cheever The Wapshot Chronicle
James Agee A Death in the Family
James Gould Cozzens By Love Possessed
Mark Harris Something about a soldier
Andrew Nelson Lytle The Velvet Horn
Bernard Malamud The Assistant
Wright Morris Love Among the Cannibals
Vladimir Vladimirovich Nabokov Pnin
Ayn Rand Atlas Shrugged
Nancy Ross The return of Lady Brace
May Sarton The birth of a grandfather

Wright Morris

Honored for : The Field of Vision

Nominations 1957 »

Nominee Nominated Work
Wright Morris The Field of Vision
Nelson Algren A Walk on the Wild Side
James Baldwin Giovanni's Room
Saul Bellow Seize the Day
B. J. Chute Greenwillow
Alfred Bertram Guthrie These Thousand Years
John Hersey A single pebble
John Hunt Generations of Men
Edwin O'Connor The Last Hurrah
J. F. Powers Presence of Grace
Elizabeth Spencer The Voice at the Back Door
James Thurber Further fables for our time

John O'Hara

Honored for : Ten North Frederick

Nominations 1956 »

Nominee Nominated Work
John O'Hara Ten North Frederick
Paul Bowles The spider's house
Shirley Ann Grau The black prince and other stories
MacKinlay Kantor Andersonville
Flannery O'Connor A Good Man Is Hard To Find
May Sarton Faithful Are the Wounds
Robert Penn Warren Band of angels
Eudora Welty The bride of the Innisfallen
Herman Wouk Marjorie Morningstar

William Faulkner

Honored for : A Fable

Nominations 1955 »

Nominee Nominated Work
William Faulkner A Fable
Harriette Simpson Arnow The Dollmaker
Hamilton Basso The View from Pompey's Head
Davis Grubb The Night of The Hunter
Randall Jarrell Pictures from an Institution
Milton Lott The Last Hunt
Frederick Manfred Lord Grizzly
William March The Bad Seed
Wright Morris The Huge Season
Frank Rooney The Courts of Memory
John Steinbeck Sweet Thursday

Saul Bellow

Honored for : The Adventures of Augie March

Nominations 1954 »

Nominee Nominated Work
Saul Bellow The Adventures of Augie March

Ralph Ellison

Honored for : Invisible Man

Nominations 1953 »

Nominee Nominated Work
Ralph Ellison Invisible Man
Isabel Bolton Many mansions
H. L. Davis Winds of Morning
Thomas Gallagher The Gathering Darkness
Ernest Hemingway The Old Man and the Sea
Carl Jonas Jefferson Selleck
Peter Martin The Landsmen
May Sarton A Shower of Summer Days
Jean Stafford Catherine Wheel
John Steinbeck East of Eden
William Carlos Williams The Build-Up

James Jones

Honored for : From Here to Eternity

Nominations 1952 »

Nominee Nominated Work
James Jones From Here to Eternity
James Agee Morning watch
Truman Capote The Grass Harp
William Faulkner Requiem for a Nun
Caroline Gordon The strange children
Thomas Mann The Holy Sinner
John P. Marquand Melville Goodwin, USA
J. D. Salinger The Catcher in the Rye
William Styron Lie Down in Darkness
Jessamyn West The witch diggers
Herman Wouk The Caine Mutiny

William Faulkner

Honored for : The Collected Stories of William Faulkner

Nominations 1951 »

Nominee Nominated Work
William Faulkner The Collected Stories of William Faulkner

Nelson Algren

Honored for : The Man with the Golden Arm

Nominations 1950 »

Nominee Nominated Work
Nelson Algren The Man with the Golden Arm

Richard Llewellyn

Honored for : How Green Was My Valley

Nominations 1940 »

Nominee Nominated Work
Richard Llewellyn How Green Was My Valley

John Steinbeck

Honored for : The Grapes of Wrath

Nominations 1939 »

Nominee Nominated Work
John Steinbeck The Grapes of Wrath
Sholem Asch The Nazarene

Daphne du Maurier

Honored for : Rebecca

Nominations 1938 »

Nominee Nominated Work
Daphne du Maurier Rebecca

A. J. Cronin

Honored for : The Citadel

Nominations 1937 »

Nominee Nominated Work
A. J. Cronin The Citadel
Conrad Richter The Sea of Grass
Kenneth Roberts Northwest Passage
Leo Rosten The education of H * Y * M * A * N K * A * P * L * A * N