Posted on November 20, 2025 at 8:30 AM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek
Today's news of literary awards and honors is a mix of the formal and informal.
Formal awards
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Here are the winners of the National Book Awards: The True True Story of Raja the Gullible (and His Mother) by Rabih Alameddine (fiction); One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This by Omar El Akkad (nonfiction); The Intentions of Thunder by Patricia Smith (poetry); We Are Green and Trembling, written by Gabriela Cabezón Cámara and translated by Robin Myers (translated literature); and The Teacher of Nomad Land by Daniel Nayeri (young people's literature) (NPR).
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The Cercador Prize, which goes to translators and is given by independent booksellers, has been awarded to Christina MacSweeney for her translation of Jazmina Barrera’s The Queen of Swords (Literary Hub).
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Souvankham Thammavongsa has become a two-time winner of Canada's Giller Prize, with a victory for the novel Pick a Colour (Toronto Star).
YEAR-END Best-of lists
Categories: Today in Books