Believer Book Award

Believer Book Award is an American literary award presented yearly by The Believer magazine to novels and story collections, nonfiction books or essay collections, poetry collections, and, beginning in 2021 (awarding to books published in 2020), works of graphic narrative the magazine's editors thought were the "strongest and most under-appreciated" of the year.^[1] A shortlist and longlist are announced for each genre, along with reader's favorites, then a final winner is selected by the magazine's editors. The inaugural award was in 2005 for books published in 2004.

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.
2004	Sam Lipsyte	Home Land	Winner	^[2]
	Lucy Ellmann	Dot in the Universe	Shortlist	^[3]
	Francisco Goldman	The Divine Husband
	Michelle de Kretser	The Hamilton Case
	Selah Saterstrom	The Pink Institution
2005	Sesshu Foster	Atomik Aztex	Winner	^[4]
	John Wray	Canaan's Tongue	Shortlist	^[5]
	Tom Bissell	God Lives in St. Petersburg
	Trinie Dalton	Wide Eyed
	Aimee Bender	Willful Creatures
2006	Cormac McCarthy	The Road	Winner	^[6]
2007	Tom McCarthy	Remainder	Winner	^[7]
	Alain Mabanckou	African Psycho	Shortlist	^[8]
	Joe Weisberg	An Ordinary Spy
	Elizabeth Hand	Generation Loss
	Jesse Ball	Samedi the Deafness
	Gerard Donovan	Sunless
	Selah Saterstrom	The Meat and Spirit Plan
	Lydie Salvayre	The Power of Flies
	Miranda Mellis	The Revisionist
	Steve Erickson	Zeroville
2008	Emily Perkins	Novel About My Wife	Winner	^[9]^[10]
	Tod Wodicka	All Shall Be Well; And All Shall Be Well; and All Manner of Things Shall Be Well	Shortlist	^[11]
	Shannon Burke	Black Flies
	Jim Krusoe	Girl Factory
	John Olson	Souls of Wind
	Toby Olson	Tampico
	Samantha Hunt	The Invention of Everything Else
	Mary Ruefle	The Most of It
2009	Percival Everett	I Am Not Sidney Poitier	Winner	^[12]
	Mary Robison	One D.O.A., One on the Way	Shortlist	^[13]
	Blake Butler	Scorch Atlas
	Christopher Miller	The Cardboard Universe: A Guide to the World of Phoebus K. Dank
	Padgett Powell	The Interrogative Mood
2010	James Hynes	Next	Winner	^[14]
	Kira Henehan	Orion You Came and You Took All My Marbles	Shortlist	^[15]
	Paul Murray	Skippy Dies
	Danielle Dutton	Sprawl
	Grace Krilanovich	The Orange Eats Creeps
2011	Ben Lerner	Leaving the Atocha Station	Winner	^[16]^[17]
	Helen DeWitt	Lightning Rods	Shortlist	^[18]^[19]^[20]
	Lars Iyer	Spurious
	Jesse Ball	The Curfew
	Michelle Latiolais	Widow
2012	Tamara Faith Berger	Maidenhead	Winner	^[21]
	Sergio De La Pava	A Naked Singularity	Shortlist	^[22]
	Barbara Browning	I'm Trying to Reach You
	Karl Ove Knausgård	My Struggle
	Jim Krusoe	Parsifal
2013	Rebecca Lee	Bobcat and Other Stories	Winner	^[23]
	Bennett Sims	A Questionable Shape	Shortlist	^[24]
	Keith Ridgway	Hawthorn and Child
	Kiese Laymon	Long Division
	Fiona Maazel	Woke Up Lonely
2014	Ottessa Moshfegh	McGlue	Winner	^[25]
	Valeria Luiselli	Faces in the Crowd	Shortlist	^[26]
	Diane Cook	Man V. Nature
	Elizabeth McCracken	Thunderstruck and Other Stories
	Antoine Volodine	Writers
2017	Matthew Rohrer	The Others	Winner
	Leyna Krow	I’m Fine, But You Appear to Be Sinking	Shortlist	^[27]
	Andrew Durbin	MacArthur Park
	Jenny Zhang	Sour Heart
	Deepak Unnikrishnan	Temporary People
2018	Rita Bullwinkel	Belly Up	Winner	^[28]
	Shelley Jackson	Riddance; Or: The Sybil Joines Vocational School for Ghost Speakers & Hearing-Mouth Children	Shortlist	^[28]
	Hideo Yokoyama, trans. by Louise Heal Kawai	Seventeen
	Mathias Énard	Tell Them of Battles, Kings,
	Ben Passmore	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.
2019	Fiction	Ebony Flowers	Hot Comb	Winner	^[29]^[30]
		Donatella Di Pietrantonio trans. by Ann Goldstein	A Girl Returned	Shortlist	^[29]^[30]
		Sarah Rose Etter	The Book of X
		Adam Ehrlich Sachs	The Organs of Sense
		Hebe Uhart, trans. by Maureen Shaughnessy	The Scent of Buenos Aires
	Nonfiction	Trisha Low	Socialist Realism	Winner	^[29]^[30]
		Emmanuel Carrère, trans. by John Lambert	97,196 Words	Shortlist	^[29]^[30]
		Andrea Long Chu	Females
		Keum Suk Gendry-Kim, trans. by Janet Hong	Grass
		Heather Christle	The Crying Book
	Poetry	Deborah Landau	Soft Targets	Winner	^[29]^[30]
		Cameron Awkward-Rich	Dispatch	Shortlist	^[29]^[30]
		Steve Healey	Safe Houses I Have Known
		Franny Choi	Soft Science
		Christopher Kondrich	Valuing
2020	Fiction	Vigdis Hjorth, trans. by Charlotte Barslund	Long Live the Post Horn!	Winner	^[31]^[32]
		Souvankham Thammavongsa	How to Pronounce Knife	Shortlist	^[31]^[32]
		Lisa Robertson	The Baudelaire Fractal
		Nathalie Léger	The White Dress
		Peter Cameron	What Happens at Night
	Graphic Narrative	Jonathan Hill	Odessa	Winner	^[31]^[32]
		Vivian Chong and Georgia Webber	Dancing after TEN	Shortlist	^[31]^[32]
		Lawrence Lindell	From Truth with Truth
		Gipi, trans. by Jaime Richards	One Story
		Danny Noble	Shame Pudding: A Graphic Memoir
	Nonfiction	Ashon T. Crawley	The Lonely Letters	Winner	^[31]^[32]
		Alysia Li Ying Sawchyn	A Fish Growing Lungs	Shortlist	^[31]^[32]
		Emerson Whitney	Heaven
		Namwali Serpell	Stranger Faces
		Emily J. Lordi	The Meaning of Soul: Black Music and Resilience Since the 1960s
	Poetry	Yona Harvey	You Don’t Have to Go to Mars For Love	Winner	^[31]^[32]
		Candice Wuehle	Death Industrial Complex	Shortlist	^[31]^[32]
		Noah Falck	Exclusions
		John Murillo	Kontemporary Amerikan Poetry
		Tess Taylor	Rift Zone

References

^ "The Believer Book Award" Archived 2011-03-05 at the Wayback Machine, The Millions, March 3, 2011
^ "The Believer Book Award 2004 winner". The Believer. Archived from the original on March 7, 2014. Retrieved March 6, 2014.
^ "The Believer Book Award 2004 finalists". The Believer. March–April 2005. Archived from the original on March 7, 2014. Retrieved March 6, 2014.
^ "The Believer Book Award 2005 winner". The Believer. Archived from the original on March 7, 2014. Retrieved March 6, 2014.
^ "The Believer Book Award 2005 finalists". The Believer. March–April 2006. Archived from the original on March 7, 2014. Retrieved March 6, 2014.
^ "The Believer Book Award 2006 winner". The Believer. Archived from the original on March 7, 2014. Retrieved March 6, 2014.
^ "The Believer Book Award 2007 winner". The Believer. Archived from the original on March 7, 2014. Retrieved March 6, 2014.
^ "The Believer Book Award 2007 finalists". The Believer. March–April 2008. Archived from the original on November 7, 2017. Retrieved March 6, 2014.
^ "The Believer Book Award 2008 winner". The Believer. Archived from the original on March 7, 2014. Retrieved March 6, 2014.
^ "Emily Perkins Wins Fifth Annual Believer Book Award". Poets & Writers. March 23, 2009. Archived from the original on April 15, 2015. Retrieved October 9, 2012.
^ "The Believer Book Award 2008 finalists". The Believer. March–April 2009. Archived from the original on October 21, 2013. Retrieved March 6, 2014.
^ "The Believer Book Award 2009 winner". The Believer. Archived from the original on March 7, 2014. Retrieved March 6, 2014.
^ "The Believer Book Award 2009 finalists". The Believer. March–April 2010. Archived from the original on March 7, 2014. Retrieved March 6, 2014.
^ "The Believer Book Award 2010 winner". The Believer. Archived from the original on March 7, 2014. Retrieved March 6, 2014.
^ "The Believer Book Award 2010 finalists". The Believer. March–April 2011. Archived from the original on March 7, 2014. Retrieved March 6, 2014.
^ "The Believer Book Award 2011 winner". The Believer. Archived from the original on March 7, 2014. Retrieved March 6, 2014.
^ "Heather Christle and Ben Lerner Win Believer Awards". Poets & Writers. May 1, 2012. Archived from the original on April 15, 2015. Retrieved October 9, 2012.
^ "The Believer Book Award 2011 finalists". The Believer. March–April 2012. Archived from the original on March 7, 2014. Retrieved March 6, 2014.
^ Jaesung Lee (March 1, 2011). "The Believer's book award finalists include Grace Krilanovich". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on July 10, 2012. Retrieved October 9, 2012.
^ "Small Presses Dominate Believer Book Prize Shortlist". Poets & Writers. March 5, 2012. Archived from the original on September 30, 2012. Retrieved October 9, 2012.
^ "The Believer Book Award 2013 finalists". The Believer. March–April 2013. Archived from the original on March 7, 2014. Retrieved March 6, 2014.
^ Mark Medley (April 29, 2013). "Tamara Faith Berger wins The Believer Book Award". National Post. Archived from the original on 2013-06-29. Retrieved April 29, 2013.
^ "Announcing the 2013 Believer Book and Poetry Award Winners". The Believer. May 2014. Archived from the original on 2014-05-02. Retrieved May 1, 2014.
^ "The Believer Book Award 2014 finalists". The Believer. March–April 2014. Archived from the original on March 7, 2014. Retrieved March 6, 2014.
^ "The Believer Book Award". The Believer. November 2015. Archived from the original on November 24, 2015. Retrieved November 23, 2015.
^ "The Believer Book Award 2015 finalists". The Believer. March–April 2015. Archived from the original on April 7, 2015. Retrieved April 7, 2015.
^ "The Believer Book Award". The Believer. Archived from the original on December 18, 2018. Retrieved December 18, 2018.
^ ^a ^b "The 2018 Believer Book Awards". The Believer. Archived from the original on July 19, 2019. Retrieved July 18, 2019.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f "The 2019 Believer Book Awards". The Believer. Archived from the original on August 6, 2020. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f "The Believer Book Awards Go to Trisha Low and Deborah Landau". Poetry Foundation. Archived from the original on July 24, 2020. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h "The 2020 Believer Book Awards Winners and Finalists". The Believer. Archived from the original on May 18, 2021. Retrieved January 23, 2022.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h "Believer Book Awards, Skylight Booksellers Form Union, and More". Poets and Writers. Archived from the original on January 23, 2022. Retrieved January 23, 2022.

External links

Believer Book Award at LibraryThing

[1] "The Believer Book Award" Archived 2011-03-05 at the Wayback Machine, The Millions, March 3, 2011

[2] "The Believer Book Award 2004 winner". The Believer. Archived from the original on March 7, 2014. Retrieved March 6, 2014.

[:1-3] "The Believer Book Award 2004 finalists". The Believer. March–April 2005. Archived from the original on March 7, 2014. Retrieved March 6, 2014.

[4] "The Believer Book Award 2005 winner". The Believer. Archived from the original on March 7, 2014. Retrieved March 6, 2014.

[:2-5] "The Believer Book Award 2005 finalists". The Believer. March–April 2006. Archived from the original on March 7, 2014. Retrieved March 6, 2014.

[bba2006-6] "The Believer Book Award 2006 winner". The Believer. Archived from the original on March 7, 2014. Retrieved March 6, 2014.

[7] "The Believer Book Award 2007 winner". The Believer. Archived from the original on March 7, 2014. Retrieved March 6, 2014.

[:3-8] "The Believer Book Award 2007 finalists". The Believer. March–April 2008. Archived from the original on November 7, 2017. Retrieved March 6, 2014.

[9] "The Believer Book Award 2008 winner". The Believer. Archived from the original on March 7, 2014. Retrieved March 6, 2014.

[10] "Emily Perkins Wins Fifth Annual Believer Book Award". Poets & Writers. March 23, 2009. Archived from the original on April 15, 2015. Retrieved October 9, 2012.

[:4-11] "The Believer Book Award 2008 finalists". The Believer. March–April 2009. Archived from the original on October 21, 2013. Retrieved March 6, 2014.

[12] "The Believer Book Award 2009 winner". The Believer. Archived from the original on March 7, 2014. Retrieved March 6, 2014.

[:5-13] "The Believer Book Award 2009 finalists". The Believer. March–April 2010. Archived from the original on March 7, 2014. Retrieved March 6, 2014.

[14] "The Believer Book Award 2010 winner". The Believer. Archived from the original on March 7, 2014. Retrieved March 6, 2014.

[:6-15] "The Believer Book Award 2010 finalists". The Believer. March–April 2011. Archived from the original on March 7, 2014. Retrieved March 6, 2014.

[16] "The Believer Book Award 2011 winner". The Believer. Archived from the original on March 7, 2014. Retrieved March 6, 2014.

[17] "Heather Christle and Ben Lerner Win Believer Awards". Poets & Writers. May 1, 2012. Archived from the original on April 15, 2015. Retrieved October 9, 2012.

[:7-18] "The Believer Book Award 2011 finalists". The Believer. March–April 2012. Archived from the original on March 7, 2014. Retrieved March 6, 2014.

[:8-19] Jaesung Lee (March 1, 2011). "The Believer's book award finalists include Grace Krilanovich". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on July 10, 2012. Retrieved October 9, 2012.

[:9-20] "Small Presses Dominate Believer Book Prize Shortlist". Poets & Writers. March 5, 2012. Archived from the original on September 30, 2012. Retrieved October 9, 2012.

[21] "The Believer Book Award 2013 finalists". The Believer. March–April 2013. Archived from the original on March 7, 2014. Retrieved March 6, 2014.

[:10-22] Mark Medley (April 29, 2013). "Tamara Faith Berger wins The Believer Book Award". National Post. Archived from the original on 2013-06-29. Retrieved April 29, 2013.

[23] "Announcing the 2013 Believer Book and Poetry Award Winners". The Believer. May 2014. Archived from the original on 2014-05-02. Retrieved May 1, 2014.

[:11-24] "The Believer Book Award 2014 finalists". The Believer. March–April 2014. Archived from the original on March 7, 2014. Retrieved March 6, 2014.

[:0-25] "The Believer Book Award". The Believer. November 2015. Archived from the original on November 24, 2015. Retrieved November 23, 2015.

[:12-26] "The Believer Book Award 2015 finalists". The Believer. March–April 2015. Archived from the original on April 7, 2015. Retrieved April 7, 2015.

[:13-27] "The Believer Book Award". The Believer. Archived from the original on December 18, 2018. Retrieved December 18, 2018.

[:14-28] "The 2018 Believer Book Awards". The Believer. Archived from the original on July 19, 2019. Retrieved July 18, 2019.

[:15-29] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f "The 2019 Believer Book Awards". The Believer. Archived from the original on August 6, 2020. Retrieved July 23, 2020.

[:16-30] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f "The Believer Book Awards Go to Trisha Low and Deborah Landau". Poetry Foundation. Archived from the original on July 24, 2020. Retrieved July 23, 2020.

[:17-31] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h "The 2020 Believer Book Awards Winners and Finalists". The Believer. Archived from the original on May 18, 2021. Retrieved January 23, 2022.

[:18-32] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h "Believer Book Awards, Skylight Booksellers Form Union, and More". Poets and Writers. Archived from the original on January 23, 2022. Retrieved January 23, 2022.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

[13]

[14]

[15]

[16]

[17]

[18]

[19]

[20]

[21]

[22]

[23]

[24]

[25]

[26]

[27]

[28]

[29]

[30]

[31]

[32]