Awards season is upon us, and all week long, the National Book Award judges will be releasing their 2025 longlists across five categories. These are among the most prestigious honors bestowed upon books in a given year. The National Book Award began in 1936 by the American Booksellers Association, took a break during World War II, and then resumed under the leadership of several collaborating book industry organizations in 1950. A few decades later, the National Book Foundation took over, with the goal of ensuring these books are not only honored but that their impact is felt across the country in a real, meaningful way.
The National Book Award honor books written by U.S. authors for books published in the United States. The five categories include Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, Translated Literature, and Young People’s Literature. Starting in 2013, the Foundation elected to present a longlist in each category, composed of ten titles and released in September. Those longlists are whittled down to a shortlist and shared in October, as a run-up to the awards, which are presented in November at the National Book Award Ceremony and Dinner. Finalists each take home $1,000, while the winner in each category received $10,000 and a bronze sculpture.
This morning, the National Book Award presented their Longlist for Fiction. Eight of the honorees this year have earned such recognition before, and the range of fiction includes two debut authors and one short story collection.
The ten longlist titles for the 2025 National Book Award for Fiction are:
The True True Story of Raja the Gullible (and His Mother) by Rabih Alameddine Flashlight by Susan Choi The Wilderness by Angela Flournoy The Sisters by Jonas Hassen Khemiri A Guardian and a Thief by Megha Majumdar Only Son by Kevin Moffett The Antidote by Karen Russell North Sun: Or, the Voyage of the Whaleship Esther by Ethan Rutherford Palaver by Bryan Washington The Pelican Child by Joy WilliamsJudges for Fiction include Chair Rumaan Alam, Debra Magpie Earling, Attica Locke, Elizabeth McCracken, and Cody Morrison.
More information about the National Book Award Longlist for Fiction is available on their website. You can check out the rest of the Award Longlists for Young People’s Literature, Translated Literature, Nonfiction, and Poetry.
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