The National Book Foundation has announced the ten books contending for this year’s National Book Award in Fiction. The longlisted titles were chosen from a total of 368 books submitted to the foundation by publishers, and will be judged by a panel comprised of Chris Bachelder, Laila Lalami (Chair), Min Jin Lee, Laurie Muchnick, and Chinelo Okparanta. All of the National Book Award Finalists will be announced on October 10, and the winners will be announced on Wednesday, November 14th at the 2018 National Book Awards Ceremony and Benefit Dinner in New York City.

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The full longlist:

Jamel Brinkley, A Lucky ManJamel Brinkley, A Lucky Man
Graywolf Press
(Read our interview with Brinkley here.)

Jennifer Clement, Gun LoveJennifer Clement, Gun Love
Hogarth / Penguin Random House
(Read an excerpt from Clement’s Widow Basquiat here.)

floridaLauren Groff, Florida
Riverhead Books / Penguin Random House
(Read our interview with Lauren Groff here, or learn about her favorite books here.)

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Daniel Gumbiner, The BoatbuilderDaniel Gumbiner, The Boatbuilder
McSweeney’s
(Read an excerpt from The Boatbuilder here.)

Brandon Hobson, Where the Dead Sit TalkingBrandon Hobson, Where the Dead Sit Talking
Soho Press

Tayari Jones, An American MarriageTayari Jones, An American Marriage
Algonquin Books / Workman Publishing
(Read an excerpt from An American Marriage here.)

Rebecca Makkai, The Great BelieversRebecca Makkai, The Great Believers
Viking Books / Penguin Random House
(Read Makkai on writing about the 1980s AIDS crisis in Chicago here.)

Sigrid Nunez, The FriendSigrid Nunez, The Friend
Riverhead Books / Penguin Random House
(Read an excerpt of The Friend here.)

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there thereTommy Orange, There There
Alfred A. Knopf / Penguin Random House
(Read Orange’s answers to the Lit Hub Questionnaire here.)

Nafissa Thompson-Spires, Heads of the Colored PeopleNafissa Thompson-Spires, Heads of the Colored People
Atria Books / 37 INK / Simon & Schuster
(Read Thompson-Spires on race, empathy, and the ethics of satire here.)

Emily Temple

Emily Temple

Emily Temple is the managing editor at Lit Hub. Her first novel, The Lightness, was published by William Morrow/HarperCollins in June 2020. You can buy it here.