The Aspen Institute has revealed the shortlist for its 2025 Aspen Words Literary Prize, with five books in contention for the annual award recognizing “a work of fiction that illuminates a vital contemporary issue and demonstrates the transformative power of literature on thought and culture.”
Percival Everett was named a finalist for James, his retelling of Mark Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry Finn from the point of view of the enslaved Jim. The novel won the Kirkus Prize and National Book Award, and it was a finalist for the Booker Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award.
Tommy Orange was shortlisted for Wandering Stars; he was a finalist for the Aspen Words award in 2019 for his debut novel, There There. Yael van der Wouden made this year’s shortlist for her first novel, The Safekeep, which was also a finalist for the Booker Prize.
Two other debut books made the shortlist: Before the Mango Ripens by Afabwaje Kurian and There Is A Rio Grande in Heaven by Ruben Reyes Jr.
The Aspen Worlds Literary Prize was established in 2018. Previous winners include Tayari Jones for An American Marriage, Louise Erdrich for The Night Watchman, and Isabella Hammad for Enter Ghost.
The winner of this year’s prize will be announced at a ceremony in New York on April 23.
Michael Schaub is a contributing writer.
