National Book Award for Fiction

2012 Winner National Book Award for Fiction

Round House, The

by Louise Erdrich

2011 Winner National Book Award for Fiction

Salvage the Bones

by Jesmyn Ward

WINNER OF THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD 2011A hurricane is building over the Gulf of Mexico, threatening the coastal town of Bois Sauvage, Mississippi, and Esch's father is growing concerned. He's a hard drinker, largely absent, and it isn't often he worri… read more

2010 Winner National Book Award for Fiction

Lord Of Misrule

by Jaimy Gordon

NATIONAL BESTSELLER National Book Award Winner PEN/Faulkner Award Finalist Jaimy Gordon's third novel, Bogeywoman was on the Los Angeles Times list of Best Books for 2000. Her second novel, She Drove Without Stopping , brought her an Academy-… read more

2009 Winner National Book Award for Fiction

Let the Great World Spin

by Colum McCann

Colum McCann is an Irish writer whose novels include Songdogs, This Side of Brightness, Dancer, Zoli and Let the Great World Spin . His fiction has been published in 30 languages.  His book, Let The Great World Spin , received the 2009 National… read more

2002 Winner National Book Award for Fiction

Three Junes

by Julia Glass

Julia Glass is an American novelist and a painter. She was born in Boston, grew up in Lincoln, Massachusetts, attended Concord Academy and graduated from Yale. Her novel, Three Junes , won the National Book Award in 2002. This cleverly constructed … read more

2001 Winner National Book Award for Fiction

The Corrections, The

by Jonathan Franzen

Jonathan Franzen is an American novelist and essayist. This novel, The Corrections, is the winner of the National Book Awards for the year 2001. The book has been described as having substantial breadth and well worth reading. It is centered upon … read more

2000 Winner National Book Award for Fiction

In America

by Susan Sontag

Susan Sontag was an American author, literary theorist, essayist and political activist. Her novel, In America was the 2000 winner of the National Book Awards. This fascinating exploration into the lives of a group of artistic and intellectual Pol… read more

1999 Winner National Book Award for Fiction

Waiting

by Ha Jin

Jīn Xuěfēi is a contemporary Chinese-American writer using the pen name Ha Jin. He was born in Liaoning, China. The novel, Waiting , won the National Book Awards in 1999. This moving and deeply ironic novel centers on the lives of three people. … read more

1998 Winner National Book Award for Fiction

Charming Billy

by Alice McDermott

Alice McDermott is a novelist and short story writer who won the national Book Award for Fiction in 1998 with her perceptive novel, Charming Billy . In it, Billy Lynch has just passed away, and as forty-seven of his best friends and family gather; … read more

1997 Winner National Book Award for Fiction

Cold Mountain

by Charles Frazier

Charles Frazier, born in 1950, is an award-winning American historical novelist. His debut novel, Cold Mountain won the National Book Award in 1997. Utilizing the historical content of the Civil War, his novel explores social class transformation … read more

1996 Winner National Book Award for Fiction

Ship Fever

by Andrea Barrett

Andrea Barrett, born in 1954, is an American novelist, and short story writer. Barrett was born in Boston, Massachusetts. Her book, Ship Fever won the National Book Award in 1996. Barrett typically writes historical fiction, and this is one of her… read more

1995 Winner National Book Award for Fiction

Sabbath's Theater

by Philip Roth

Philip Milton Roth is an American novelist. Roth became one of the most honored authors of his generation. In this 1995 winner of the National Book Awards, Mickey Sabbath is a lecherous, unproductive former puppeteer with a strong inclination toward… read more

1994 Winner National Book Award for Fiction

A Frolic Of His Own

by William Gaddis

A Frolic of His Own is a novel by William Gaddis. Published in 1994 by Poseidon Press, A Frolic of His Own was Gaddis's fourth novel. It received the American Book Award and the National Book Award in 1994. The title comes from the decision in Jo… read more

1994 Winner National Book Award for Fiction

The Stone Diaries

by Carol Shields

The Stone Diaries is a 1993 award winning novel by Carol Shields. It is the fictional autobiography about the life of Daisy Goodwill Flett, a seemingly ordinary woman whose life is marked by death and loss from the beginning, when her mother dies dur… read more

1993 Winner National Book Award for Fiction

The Shipping News

by Proulx E Annie

Edna Annie Proulx is an American journalist and author. Her second novel, The Shipping News , won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the National Book Award for fiction in 1994. The novel centers on Quoyle, a third-rate hack journalist who lives an… read more

1992 Winner National Book Award for Fiction

All the Pretty Horses

by Cormac McCarthy

Cormac McCarthy is an American novelist and playwright. He has also written plays and screenplays. This novel, All The Pretty Horses , won the National Book Award in 1992. The story reads like a Western novel, but is set in 1949 and revolves around… read more

1991 Winner National Book Award for Fiction

Mating

by Norman Rush

Norman Rush is an American novelist whose introspective novels and short stories are set in Botswana in the 1980s. His novel, Mating , was chosen for the National Book Award in 1991. The unnamed narrator of this dazzlingly expansive novel is an obs… read more

1990 Winner National Book Award for Fiction

Middle Passage

by Johnson Charles

Charles R. Johnson is an American scholar and author of novels, short stories, and essays. His 1990 winner of the national Book Awards, Middle Passage , is a historical novel set in 1830. It is focused on the final voyage of an illegal American sla… read more

1989 Winner National Book Award for Fiction

Spartina

by John Casey

John D. Casey is an American novelist and translator born in Massachusetts, graduated from Harvard. His novel, Spartina , was awarded the National Book Award in 1989. His story is focused on a man, Dick Pierce, who is obsessed with an unfinished bo… read more

1988 Winner National Book Award for Fiction

Paris Trout

by Pete Dexter

Pete Dexter is an American novelist. He was a columnist for the Philadelphia Daily News and The Sacramento Bee, and syndicated to many newspapers such as the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. He began writing fiction after a life-changing incident in 1981… read more

1987 Winner National Book Award for Fiction

Paco's Story

by Larry Heinemann

Larry Heinemann is an American novelist.  His body of work, which includes three novels and a memoir, is primarily concerned with the Vietnam War. His novel, Paco’s Story was the winner of the National Book Awards in 1987. The story chronicles … read more

1986 Winner National Book Award for Fiction

World's Fair

by E L Doctorow

Edgar Lawrence Doctorow was born in the Bronx, New York City, the son of second-generation Americans of Russian Jewish descent and is an American author. World’s Fair was the 1986 recipient of the National Book Award. In this wonderfully descrip… read more

1985 Winner National Book Award for Fiction

White Noise

by Don Delillo

Don DeLillo is an American author, playwright, and essayist. His novel, White Noise won the National Book Award in 1985. The book is essentially about America’s fear of death, but touches upon almost every essence of modern culture as well. It t… read more

1984 Winner National Book Award for Fiction

Victory Over Japan

by Ellen Gilchrist

Ellen Gilchrist is an American novelist, short story writer, philosopher, and poet. Her novel, Victory over Japan was the 1984 winner of the Nation Book Awards. This collection of 14 short stories encompasses an unforgettable group of enchanting S… read more

1983 Winner National Book Award for Fiction

The Color Purple

by Alice Walker

The Color Purple is an acclaimed epistolary novel by American author Alice Walker. Taking place mostly in rural Georgia, this collection of letters weaves an intricate mosaic of women joined by their love for each other, the men who abuse them, and … read more

1982 Winner National Book Award for Fiction

Rabbit Is Rich

by John Updike

Rabbit Is Rich is a 1981 novel by John Updike. It is the third novel of the four-part series which begins with Rabbit, Run and Rabbit Redux, and concludes with Rabbit At Rest. There is also a related 2001 novella, Rabbit Remembered. Rabbit Is Rich wa… read more

1981 Winner National Book Award for Fiction

Plains Song

by Wright Morris

Wright Marion Morris was an American novelist, photographer, and essayist. This 1981 National Book Award winner links three generations of late 1800’s Midwestern women to a form of unison singing in unmeasured time known as plainsong. The novel be… read more

1980 Winner National Book Award for Fiction

Sophie's Choice

by William Styron

Sophie’s Choice, first published in 1979, is a controversial novel written by American author William Styron, which follows the trials and tribulations of three people sharing a boarding house in Brooklyn. One of the three is Stingo, an aspiring … read more

1979 Winner National Book Award for Fiction

Going After Cacciato

by Tim O'Brien

Going After Cacciato is a war novel written by author Tim O'Brien and winner of the National Book Award for fiction in 1979. This complex novel is set during the Vietnam War and is told from the point of view of the protagonist, Paul Berlin. The … read more

1977 Winner National Book Award for Fiction

The Spectator Bird

by Wallace Stegner

Wallace Earle Stegner was an American historian, novelist, short story writer, and environmentalist. His novel, The Spectator Bird , won the National Book Award in 1977. The main character, Joe Allston, is seventy years old, living with his wife … read more

1976 Winner National Book Award for Fiction

Jr

by William Gaddis

William Thomas Gaddis, Jr.  was an American novelist. He wrote five novels, two of which won National Book Awards. JR won the National Book Award in 1976. This ingenious, thought-provoking book is written entirely without the use of chapters. The… read more

1975 Winner National Book Award for Fiction

Dog Soldiers

by Robert Stone

Robert Stone is an American novelist. His work is typically characterized by psychological complexity, political concerns, and dark humor. The novel, Dog Soldiers , won the National Book Award for fiction in 1975. It is considered an action-thrille… read more

1975 Winner National Book Award for Fiction

The Hair Of Harold Roux

by Thomas Williams

Thomas Williams was an American writer. He worked as a writer and teacher at the University of New Hampshire, and is the author of seven novels. The winner of the National Book Awards in 1975, The Hair Of Harold Roux , is written as a novel-within-… read more

1974 Winner National Book Award for Fiction

Gravity's Rainbow

by Thomas Pynchon

Thomas Ruggles Pynchon, Jr. is an American novelist. TIME Magazine included the novel in its "All-Time 100 Greatest Novels," a list of the best English-language novels from 1923 to 2005. This novel; Gravity’s Rainbow is a fabulous work of hy… read more

1974 Winner National Book Award for Fiction

A Crown Of Feathers and Other Stories

by Isaac Bashevis Singer

I saac Bashevis Singer was an author noted for his short stories. He was one of the leading figures in the Yiddish literary movement, and received the Nobel Prize in literature in 1978. His novel, A Crown of Feathers and Other Stories won the Nati… read more

1973 Winner National Book Award for Fiction

Chimera

by John Barth

John Simmons Barth (born May 27, 1930) is an American novelist and short-story writer. His novel, Chimera , was the recipient of the National Book Award in 1973. The novel is a fabulous post-modern retelling of three famous myths. The first, the D… read more

1973 Winner National Book Award for Fiction

Augustus

by John Williams

John Williams (1922-1994) was born and raised in northeast Texas. He published two volumes of poetry and two other novels, Butcher's Crossing and Stoner . In the past year, Stoner has become an international best seller. Both novels are availa… read more

1972 Winner National Book Award for Fiction

The Complete Stories Of Flannery O'Connor

by Flannery O'Connor

1971 Winner National Book Award for Fiction

Mr Sammler's Planet

by Saul Bellow

Saul Bellow was a Canadian-born American writer. For his literary contributions, Bellow was awarded the Pulitzer Prize, the Nobel Prize for Literature, and the National Medal of Arts. Mr. Sammler’s Planet was the 1971 recipient of the National … read more

1970 Winner National Book Award for Fiction

Them

by Joyce Carol Oates

Joyce Carol Oates is an American author born in 1938. Her novel, Them , was chosen as a National Book Award winner in 1970. The story is set in the turbulent ‘60’s and is Maureen Wendall’s struggle to survive and rise above the poverty and so… read more

1969 Winner National Book Award for Fiction

Steps

by Jerzy Kosinski

Jerzy Kosiński was an award-winning Polish-American novelist. His novel, Steps , was the 1969 winner of the National Book Awards. This novel is comprised of a series of loosely connected vignettes. The book is meant to be shocking and brought the … read more

1968 Winner National Book Award for Fiction

The Eighth Day

by Thornton Wilder

Thornton Niven Wilder was an American playwright and novelist. He received three Pulitzer Prizes and won the National Book Award in 1968 for his famous novel, The Eighth Day . The story is set in a mining town in southern Illinois in the early 1900… read more

1967 Winner National Book Award for Fiction

The Fixer

by Bernard Malamud

Bernard Malamud was born in Brooklyn, New York, and was an author of novels and short stories. His novel, The Eighth Day was the winner of the National Book Awards as well as the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1967. In this fictionalized account of… read more

1966 Winner National Book Award for Fiction

The Collected Stories Of Katherine Anne Porter

by Katherine Anne Porter

Katherine Anne Porter born as Callie Russell Porter in Indian Creek, Texas, was the fourth of five children of Harrison Boone Porter and Alice Porter. Her family tree can be traced back to American frontiersman Daniel Boone. She was a Pulitzer Prize… read more

1965 Winner National Book Award for Fiction

Herzog

by Saul Bellow

Saul Bellow was a Canadian-born American writer. For his literary contributions, Bellow was awarded the Pulitzer Prize, the Nobel Prize for Literature, and the National Medal of Arts. His novel, Herzog, was the 1965 winner of the National Book Award… read more

1964 Winner National Book Award for Fiction

The Centaur

by John Updike

John Hoyer Updike was an American novelist, poet, short story writer, art critic, and literary critic. His novel, The Centaur, won the National Book Award in 1964. It is the story of George Caldwell, an aging, self-deprecating high school teacher an… read more

1963 Winner National Book Award for Fiction

Morte D'Urban

by J F Powers

J. F. Powers was a Roman Catholic American novelist and short-story writer who often drew his inspiration from developments in the Catholic Church, and was known for his studies of Midwestern Catholic priests. His novel, Morte D’Urbane, won the Na… read more

1962 Winner National Book Award for Fiction

The Moviegoer

by Walker Percy

The Moviegoer was published in 1961 by Walker Percy. This novel tells the story of Binx Bolling, a young businessman in New Orleans after the Korean war who feels alienated from his own life. His life is full of daydreams, and he tends to find more … read more

1961 Winner National Book Award for Fiction

The Waters Of Kronos

by Conrad Richter

Conrad Michael Richter was a Pulitzer Prize-winning American novelist whose work focuses on life along the American frontier. His novel, The Waters of Kronos, won the National Book Award in 1961. The novel is based on Richter's Pennsylvania childhoo… read more

1960 Winner National Book Award for Fiction

Goodbye Columbus

by Philip Roth

Goodbye, Columbus (1959) is the title of the first book published by the American novelist Philip Roth, a collection of six stories. In addition to its title novella, set in New Jersey, Goodbye, Columbus contains the five short stories "The Conv… read more

1959 Winner National Book Award for Fiction

The Magic Barrel

by Bernard Malamud

Bernard Malamud was an author of novels and short stories. His novel, The Magic Barrel, won the National Book Award in 1959. The novel is comprised of thirteen stories, most taking place in dingy streets in New York, and others in Italy. The book ha… read more

1958 Winner National Book Award for Fiction

The Wapshot Chronicle

by John Cheever

John William Cheever was an American novelist and short story writer. His novel, The Wapshot Chronicle, won the National Book Award in 1958. The story is the family saga of the Wapshot family. Captain Leander Wapshot and his sons, Coverly and Moses,… read more

1957 Winner National Book Award for Fiction

The Field Of Vision

by Wright Morris

Wright Marion Morris was an American novelist, photographer, and essayist. His novel, The Field Of Vision, won the National Book Award in 1957. The book’s focus is a family from Nebraska, now on vacation in Mexico. The family has been in pursuit o… read more

1956 Winner National Book Award for Fiction

Ten North Frederick

by John O'Hara

John Henry O'Hara was an American writer. O'Hara was a keen observer of social status and class differences, and wrote frequently about the socially ambitious. His novel, Ten North Frederick, won the National Book Award in 1956. This exemplary novel… read more

1955 Winner National Book Award for Fiction

A Fable

by William Faulkner

A Fable is a novel written in 1954 by the American author William Faulkner, which won him both the Pulitzer prize and the National Book Award in 1955. Despite these recognitions, however, the novel received mixed critical reviews and a reputation as … read more

1954 Winner National Book Award for Fiction

The Adventures Of Augie March

by Saul Bellow

The Adventures of Augie March (1953) is a novel by Saul Bellow. It centers on the eponymous character who grows up during the Great Depression. This picaresque novel is an example of bildungsroman, tracing the development of an individual through a s… read more

1953 Winner National Book Award for Fiction

Invisible Man

by Ralph Ellison

Even though Ralph Ellison's novel Invisible Man is sometimes featured on banned books lists, it remains a consistent staple on many high school reading curriculums. In the novel, Ellison laments the feeling of hopelessness and invisibility that ma… read more

1952 Winner National Book Award for Fiction

From Here To Eternity

by James Jones

James Ramon Jones was an American author known for his explorations of World War II and its aftermath. His novel, From Here to Eternity, won the Nation Book Award in 1952. This action-drama novel is set in the 1930’s in Hawaii, and culminates in t… read more

1951 Winner National Book Award for Fiction

Collected Stories Of William Faulkner

by William Faulkner

William Cuthbert Faulkner was a Nobel Prize-winning American novelist and short story writer. He was also a published poet and an occasional screenwriter. His novel, The Collected Stories of William Faulkner, won the National Book Award in 1951. Th… read more

1950 Winner National Book Award for Fiction

The Man With the Golden Arm

by Nelson Algren

Nelson Algren was an American writer. He wrote his first story in 1933 while he was in Texas working at a gas station. Before returning home one evening, he was caught stealing a typewriter from an abandoned classroom. For this, he spent nearly five… read more