National Book Awards 2023: Rushdie, July, and More Finalists Revealed

This year, the National Book Awards announced its finalists, featuring notable authors such as Salman Rushdie, Miranda July, and Percival Everett. The awards ceremony is scheduled for November 20 in New York City, where winners will receive $10,000. Rushdie's memoir, 'Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder,' recounts his harrowing experience following a stabbing incident in 2022, marking his first nomination in the non-fiction category. He faces competition from other significant works, including Eliza Griswold's 'Circle of Hope' and Kate Manne's 'Unshrinking.' In the fiction category, Percival Everett's novel 'James' reinterprets Mark Twain's classic, 'Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,' and has garnered critical acclaim. Everett's previous work, 'Erasure,' was adapted into the Oscar-winning film 'American Fiction.' He is up against Miranda July's 'All Fours,' which explores themes of sexual awakening, alongside other contenders like Kaveh Akbar's 'Martyr!' and Hisham Matar's 'My Friends.' The poetry finalists include Anne Carson and Diane Seuss, while the young people's literature category features works by authors such as Erin Entrada Kelly and Angela Shanté. Additionally, the translated literature category showcases international voices, with works translated from Arabic, Swedish, French, and Mandarin Chinese. A total of 1,917 books were submitted for consideration this year, highlighting the competitive nature of the awards and the diverse range of literary talent recognized in various categories.