NEW YORK – American novelist Lorrie Moore won a National Book Critics Circle (NBCC) Award for fiction on March 21 for I Am Homeless If This Is Not My Home, which follows a devastated high school teacher who goes on a road trip with the animated corpse of his ex-girlfriend, who has died by suicide.
In a citation, one of the judges, David Varno, praised the novel by Moore, 67, as “a heartbreaking and hilarious ghost story” and “an unforgettable achievement from a landmark American author”.
The awards, which were announced at a ceremony at the New School in New York City, are among the most prestigious literary prizes in the United States.
Unlike other major awards, the recipients are chosen by book critics instead of committees made up of authors or academics.
The critics’ organisation, which was founded in 1974, is made up of more than 700 critics and review editors.
The recent awards recognised works published in 2023 and were open to authors of books published in English in the US.
In addition to giving prizes in literary categories such as biography, criticism, autobiography, fiction and poetry, the group also recognises individuals and organisations for their contributions to literary culture.
Becca Rothfeld, the non-fiction book critic for The Washington Post and author of an upcoming debut essay collection, All Things Are Too Small, received the Nona Balakian Citation for Excellence in Reviewing. The award, named after a former New York Times Book Review editor, is given to an NBCC member for criticism.
The organisation’s service award was given to author and critic Marion Winik, a former treasurer for the group who helped to steer it through the pandemic.
Judy Blume, 86, a novelist beloved for classics like Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret (1970) and Tales Of A Fourth Grade Nothing (1972), received the lifetime achievement award.
In a recorded speech to accept the honour, the Ivan Sandrof Lifetime Achievement Award, named for the organisation’s first president, Blume acknowledged librarians for their work promoting intellectual freedom.
She also thanked her parents for giving her “the freedom to choose my own books”.
Librarians, who have come under pressure from some parents and lawmakers as book bans have surged across the country, were also honoured when the American Library Association (ALA) received the Toni Morrison Achievement Award.
“At a time when our nation’s libraries remain under relentless assault from both political and economic forces, the ALA towers over the literary landscape as a beacon for our most vulnerable voices,” the award chair, Mr Jacob M. Appel, said in a citation. NYTIMES
