L.A. author Justin Torres and Yale historian Ned Blackhawk were the big winners at the 74th National Book Awards, honored for their works in fiction and nonfiction, respectively, as the prestigious literary prizes were announced Wednesday at a gala at Cipriani Wall Street in New York City. Read more:LeVar Burton will replace Drew Barrymore as host of 74th National Book AwardsIn the days leading up to this evening’s ceremony, sponsors Zibby Media and Book of the Month announced they wouldn’t be attending the event. Zibby Owens posted an essay on Tuesday on Substack, explaining why her multimedia company, Zibby Media, had rescinded its National Book Award donation. “We don’t want to contribute to inflaming that.”Read more:How a UCLA author un-erased queer history in a National Book Award-nominated second novelTwenty-five titles were shortlisted for National Book Awards , and the finalists competed across five categories: fiction, nonfiction, poetry, translated literature and young people’s literature. National Book Award finalist and Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Rita Dove was honored with the National Book Foundation’s Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters.

Source: Los Angeles Times November 16, 2023 11:59 UTC