NEW YORK (AP) 鈥� Gayl Jones' 鈥淭he Birdcatcher,鈥� a short, lyrical novel about a writer's trip to Ibiza and the gifted, unstable couple she stays with, is a National Book Award finalist for fiction.
The nonprofit National Book Foundation announced Tuesday five finalists in each of five competitive categories 鈥� fiction, nonfiction, poetry, young people鈥檚 literature and translated books 鈥� winnowed from
Nominees include the activist and a young people's literature nominee co-authored with Derrick Barnes and Dawud Anyabwile. whose previous honors include the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Critics Circle award, is a poetry finalist for 鈥淏alladz," and by Robert Samuels and Toluse Olorunnipa, is a nonfiction nominee.
Jones, and six other previous works of fiction, is the most established writer in a category that features three debut novels.
Nominees for translated books Japanese author Yoko Tawada and translator Margaret Mitsutani, for the novel 鈥淪cattered All Over the Earth.鈥�
Winners, each receiving $10,000, will be announced Nov. 16 during a dinner benefit in Manhattan, in person for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic began. The will be presented to and Tracie D. Hall, the executive director of the American Library Association.
Each category's nominees are selected by panels of five, with judges including authors, editors, booksellers and other members of the literary community. Altogether, publishers submitted 1,772 works, including 607 nonfiction books and 463 fiction books.
Out of the 25 books nominated Tuesday, 10 were released by Penguin Random House 鈥� the country's largest trade publisher 鈥� and one by Simon & Schuster, which Penguin is attempting to buy. The U.S. Department of Justice alleging the new company and drive down author advances. A judge's decision is expected this fall.
Fiction nominees besides 鈥淭he Birdcatcher鈥� include three literary debuts: Tess Gunty's 鈥淭he Rabbit Hutch,鈥� Sarah Thankam Mathews' 鈥淎ll This Could Be Different鈥� and Alejandro Varela's 鈥淭he Town of Babylon.鈥� Jamil Jan Kochai is a finalist for his second book of fiction, 鈥淭he Haunting of Hajji Hotak and Other Stories."
In nonfiction, finalists along with 鈥淢y Name is George Floyd鈥� are Meghan O鈥橰ourke's 鈥淭he Invisible Kingdom: Reimagining Chronic Illness,鈥� Imani Perry's 鈥淪outh to America: A Journey Below the Mason-Dixon to Understand the Soul of a Nation,鈥� David Quammen's "Breathless: The Scientific Race to Defeat a Deadly Virus" and Ingrid Rojas Contreras' memoir 鈥淭he Man Who Could Move Clouds.鈥�
In addition to 鈥淰ictory. Stand!: Raising My Fist for Justice,鈥� young people's literature finalists include Kelly Barnhill's 鈥淭he Ogress and the Orphans,鈥� Sonora Reyes's 鈥淭he Lesbiana鈥檚 Guide to Catholic School,鈥� Sabaa Tahir's 鈥淎ll My Rage鈥� and Lisa Yee's 鈥淢aizy Chen鈥檚 Last Chance.鈥�
Poetry finalists besides 鈥淏alladz鈥� are Allison Adelle Hedge Coke's 鈥淟ook at This Blue,鈥� John Keene's 鈥淧unks," Roger Reeves' 鈥淏est Barbarian鈥� and Jenny Xie's 鈥淭he Rupture Tense.鈥�
Alongside 鈥淪cattered All Over the Earth鈥� in translated literature, Jon Fosse's 鈥淎 New Name: Septology VI-VII鈥� is a nominee, with translation from the Norwegian by Damion Searls. The other finalists are Scholastique Mukasonga's 鈥淜ibogo,鈥� translated from the French by Mark Polizzotti; Mo虂nica Ojeda's 鈥淛awbone,鈥� translated from the Spanish by Sarah Booker; and Samanta Schweblin's "Seven Empty Houses, translated from the Spanish by Megan McDowell.
Hillel Italie, The Associated Press
