The longlist for the National Book Award for fiction has been revealed, with 10 books in contention for the annual literary prize.
Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah was nominated for his novel Chain-Gang All-Stars; the book was a national bestseller and a pick for Jenna Bush Hager’s Today show book club. Adjei-Brenyah was previously a National Book Foundation 5 Under 35 honoree, as was Justin Torres, who made this year’s fiction longlist for his novel Blackouts.
Jayne Anne Phillips, who was a finalist for the National Book Award in 2009 for Lark and Termite, made this year’s longlist for Night Watch, alongside Tania James for Loot, Hanna Pylväinen for The End of Drum-Time, and LaToya Watkins for Holler, Child.
Paul Harding earned a nomination this year for This Other Eden, along with Mona Susan Power for A Council of Dolls, Aaliyah Bilal for Temple Folk, and Eliot Duncan for Ponyboy.
Judging this year’s prize are Steph Cha, Calvin Crosby, Silas House, Mat Johnson, and Helena María Viramontes. The longlist will be winnowed down into a shortlist, which will be made public on Oct. 3. The winner will be announced at the National Book Awards ceremony in New York on Nov. 15.
Michael Schaub is a contributing writer.
