The Society of American Historians Prize for Historical Fiction, formerly known as the James Fenimore Cooper Prize, is a biennial award given for the best Historical American fiction by the Society of American Historians. It is awarded in the odd-numbered years.Society of American Historians Prize for Historical Fiction (formerly known as the James Fenimore Cooper Prize)
History The prize has been awarded since 1993. It is given to honor a work of literary fiction that "makes a significant contribution to historical understanding, portrays authentically the people and events of the historical past, and displays skills in narrative construction and prose style" and that concerns American history. The prize, which until 2018 was named for nineteenth-century American historical novelist James Fenimore Cooper, carries a cash award of .
Awards 1993: Shaman by Noah Gordon 1995: In the Lake of the Woods by Tim O'Brien 1997: The Cattle Killing by John Edgar Wideman 1999: Gain by Richard Powers 2001: Tie: A Dangerous Friend by Ward Just and Bone by Bone by Peter Matthiessen 2003: Paradise Alley by Kevin Baker 2005: The Plot Against America by Philip Roth 2007: The Last Town on Earth by Thomas Mullen 2009: Loving Frank by Nancy Horan 2011: Matterhorn: A Novel of the Vietnam War by Karl Marlantes 2013: Remember Ben Clayton by Stephen Harrigan 2015: Saint Monkey by Jacinda Townsend 2017: No prize awarded 2019: There There by Tommy Orange 2021: Conjure Women by Afia Atakora 2023: A Dangerous Business by Jane Smiley
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