Believer Book Award was an American literary award presented yearly by The Believer magazine between 2005 and 2021. The award was given to those novels and story collections, nonfiction books or essay collections, poetry collections, and, beginning in 2021 (awarded to books published in 2020), works of graphic narrative that the magazine's editors thought were the "strongest and most under-appreciated" of the year."The Believer Book Award" , The Millions, March 3, 2011 A shortlist and longlist were announced for each genre, along with readers' favorites, then a final winner was selected by the magazine's editors.
The inaugural award was in 2005 for books published in 2004. The last award was given in 2021, when the magazine ceased production. The magazine was bought by McSweeney's in 2022 and resumed publication. It is not known whether the book award will also resume.
Winners and shortlist
2004–2018 The year below denotes when the books were published; the award is announced the following year. Thus below, the inaugural 2004 books were announced in early to mid-2005. From 2004 to 2018, a single award was presented. Beginning in 2019, awards were presented in categories. +Award winners and shortlists, 2004-2018 Year Author Title Result Ref.2004Home LandWinnerDot in the UniverseShortlist2005Atomik AztexWinnerCanaan's TongueShortlistGod Lives in St. PetersburgWide EyedWillful Creatures2006Winner2007RemainderWinnerAfrican PsychoShortlistGeneration LossSamedi the DeafnessSunlessZeroville2008Novel About My WifeWinnerAll Shall Be Well; And All Shall Be Well; and All Manner of Things Shall Be WellShortlistBlack FliesGirl FactorySouls of WindTampico2009I Am Not Sidney PoitierWinnerOne D.O.A., One on the WayShortlistScorch Atlas2010NextWinnerOrion You Came and You Took All My MarblesShortlistSkippy DiesSprawl2011Leaving the Atocha StationWinnerLightning RodsShortlist SpuriousWidow2012MaidenheadWinnerShortlistI'm Trying to Reach YouMy StruggleParsifal2013Bobcat and Other StoriesWinnerShortlistHawthorn and ChildLong DivisionWoke Up Lonely2014McGlueWinnerFaces in the CrowdShortlistMan V. NatureThunderstruck and Other StoriesWriters2017WinnerI’m Fine, But You Appear to Be SinkingShortlistMacArthur ParkSour HeartTemporary People2018Belly UpWinnerRiddance; Or: The Sybil Joines Vocational School for Ghost Speakers & Hearing-Mouth ChildrenShortlist, trans. by Louise Heal KawaiSeventeenTell Them of Battles, Kings,Your Black Friend and Other Strangers
2019–present The year below denotes when the books were published; the award is announced the following year. Thus below, the inaugural 2004 books were announced in early to mid-2005. From 2004 to 2018, a single award was presented. Beginning in 2019, awards were presented in categories. +Award winners and shortlists, 2019–present Year Category Author Title Result Ref.2019FictionHot CombWinner trans. by Ann GoldsteinShortlist, trans. by Maureen ShaughnessyNonfictionSocialist RealismWinner, trans. by John Lambert97,196 WordsShortlistFemales, trans. by Janet HongGrassPoetrySoft TargetsWinnerDispatchShortlistSafe Houses I Have KnownSoft ScienceValuing2020Fiction, trans. by Charlotte BarslundLong Live the Post Horn!WinnerHow to Pronounce KnifeShortlistWhat Happens at Night Graphic NarrativeOdessaWinner and Georgia WebberDancing after TENShortlistFrom Truth with TruthGipi, trans. by Jaime RichardsOne StoryShame Pudding: A Graphic MemoirNonfictionWinnerShortlistHeavenStranger FacesPoetryYou Don’t Have to Go to Mars For LoveWinnerDeath Industrial ComplexShortlistExclusionsKontemporary Amerikan PoetryRift Zone
See also Believer Poetry Award
References
External links Believer Book Award at LibraryThing