Nov. 20, 2008
National Book Awards announced
Last night the National Book Foundation handed out this year's National Book Awards at a ceremony on Wall Street. The winners are:
For fiction: Peter Matthiessen for
Shadow Country, a mysterious epic novel that takes place in the Everglades of the early 20th century
For nonfiction: Annette Gordon-Reed for
The Hemingses of Monticello: An American Family, about the family of Sally Hemings, a slave in Thomas Jefferson's household, and its connections to Jefferson
For poetry: Mark Doty for Fire to Fire: New and Collected Poems, which spans 20 years of his work
For young people's literature: Judy Blundell for What I Saw and How I Lied, a noirish novel set shortly after World War II
Each recipient receives $10,000 and a bronze statue by artist Suzanne Ball of Cold Spring, N.Y.
Gail Godwin, chair of the fiction panel and member of The Writer's Editorial Board, presented the fiction award to Matthiessen. Also in attendance were poet Robert Pinsky, Daniel Handler (aka children's author Lemony Snicket) and Maxine Hong Kingston, author of The Woman Warrior, who was honored with a Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters.
--Sarah C. Lange, associate editor
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