The National Book Critics Circle revealed the longlist for its fiction prize on Monday, with 10 books in contention for the annual award voted on by members of the organization’s board. (Disclosure: This reporter is a member of the board.)
The group of critics is releasing longlists for the awards for the first time in its history, in honor of the 50th anniversary of the organization.
Percival Everett made the longlist for James, his retelling of Mark Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry Finn told from the point of view of the enslaved Jim. The novel previously won the Kirkus Prize and the National Book Award and was shortlisted for the Booker Prize.
Everett was joined on the longlist by his wife, Danzy Senna, who was nominated for Colored Television. Ayşegül Savaş was longlisted for The Anthropologists alongside Marie-Helene Bertino for Beautyland, Joseph O’Neill for Godwin, and Vinson Cunningham for Great Expectations.
Also nominated for the award were My Friends by Hisham Matar, Small Rain by Garth Greenwell, Us Fools by Nora Lange, and Sister Deborah, written by Scholastique Mukasonga and translated by Mark Polizzotti.
The shortlists for the National Book Critics Circle Award will be revealed on Jan. 23, 2025, with the winners announced at a ceremony in New York on March 20, 2025.
Michael Schaub is a contributing writer.
