By Erin L. Cox, Publisher | @erinlcox
Rewatch the evening’s events
Last night in New York City, the National Book Foundation hosted the 76th National Book Awards, awarding prizes for Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, Translated Literature, and Young People’s Literature, plus two Lifetime Achievement awards.Hosted by actor and author Jeff Hiller, the evening was infused with light-hearted humor despite the threats both at home and abroad to free speech and the written word.
The evening began with two lifetime achievement awards.
Roxane Gay received the Literarian Award for Outstanding Service to the American Literary Community, presented by novelist and friend Jacqueline Woodson. Gay was given this award not only for her own literary contributions, but for the work she does to support other writers through her imprint Roxane Gay Books at Grove Atlantic which seeks to support writers of colors, queer writers, writers with disabilities, and writers from varied backgrounds and marginalized identities.
In her speech, Gay highlighted that her work does not have to be something that she does alone, that the industry could play a larger part in supporting these writers. “There is room for all of our voices. And, the people in this room have the power to do better. You have the power to address the imbalances. You have the power to ensure that writers from all walks of life have genuine opportunities to publish their books.”
George Saunders was recognized with the National Book Foundation’s Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters, presented by New Yorker fiction editor Deborah Treisman. Saunders is an award-winning and bestselling author of 13 books, including the short story collection Tenth of December which was a finalist for the National Book Award in 2013.
Saunders noted in his speech that he has come to understand “writing as a kind of sacrament by which we remind ourselves that the person we happen to be at this moment, through habit, is not the limit of who we might become.”
These two speeches set the tone for the evening, full of hope for a better world, more equitable world through the power of writing. The winners would continue this in their own speeches.
Robin Myers and Gabriela Cabezón Cámara
Winner for Translated Literature, Argentinian writer Gabriela Cabezón Cámara delivered her acceptance speech in Spanish, followed by her translator Robin Myers noting “she said ‘I’m going to speak in Spanish because there are fascists who don’t like that.'”
Myers continued by harkening back to last year’s poetry winner Lena Khalaf Tuffaha’s speech where she noted that she did not write to console and did not want her writing to be a consolation. “Gabi’s book is not a consolation. It gave me a new language to think not about hope, but about love.”
Patricia Smith, Poetry Award winner, read a powerful poem about the importance of identity and the drive and search for something better or to be something better that plagued her and us.
Patricia Smith
“But, what does the poet say to me. Child, look at where you are. Look at the blessings you’re trying so hard to be beyond. Child, look at where you are.”
Ending with the pride her mother could feel with her receiving this prize.
Though the evening was celebratory and there were many moments of levity – Rabih Alameddine’s recounting of a story where his literary agent Nicole Aragi (who he referred to as a “dominatrix”) fought for more money on an advance to the confusion of his mother, the wars around the world and the threats to freedom continued to be on the minds of the winners and audience.
Omar El Akkad, Nonfiction Award winner, highlighted how hard it was to be celebratory when he had seen so much and continue to see such much war, violence, pain, and inequity. All of the winners highlighted how important it is for each of them to continue to write the truth and to share stories that bridge our humanity.
Full list of winners below:
Winner for Fiction:
Rabih Alameddine, The True True Story of Raja the Gullible (and His Mother)
Grove Press / Grove Atlantic
Winner for Nonfiction:
Omar El Akkad, One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This
Knopf / Penguin Random House
Winner for Poetry:
Patricia Smith, The Intentions of Thunder: New and Selected Poems
Scribner / Simon & Schuster
Winner for Translated Literature:
Gabriela Cabezón Cámara, We Are Green and Trembling
Translated from the Spanish by Robin Myers
New Directions Publishing
Winner for Young People’s Literature:
Daniel Nayeri, The Teacher of Nomad Land: A World War II Story
Levine Querido
The winners were selected from approximately 1,835 books: 434 in Fiction, 652 in Nonfiction, 285 in Poetry, 139 in Translated Literature, and 325 in Young People’s Literature. The winners are selected by a panel of judges for each category.
To watch the evening’s proceedings please see below.