At a Glance
- The National Book Critics Circle (NBCC) announced its 2025 shortlists on January 20, 2026.
- Six main categories-Autobiography, Biography, Criticism, Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry-feature 25 finalist titles.
- Special prizes include the Gregg Barrios Book in Translation Prize and the John Leonard Prize for debut works.
Why it matters: These finalists spotlight the year’s most compelling literary voices and set the stage for the NBCC’s awards ceremony on March 26, 2026.
The National Book Critics Circle (NBCC) announced its 2025 finalists across six categories, a move that signals the organization’s recognition of the most impactful books published in 2025. The announcement, released on January 20, 2026, also unveiled special award shortlists and honorees, setting the agenda for the upcoming awards ceremony and livestreamed reading.
The Shortlist Announcement
In a statement shared with News Of Los Angeles, NBCC President Adam Dalva expressed enthusiasm about the selected titles. “The NBCC is delighted to announce our 2025 shortlists,” Dalva said. “Out of the many hundreds of titles that our organization carefully considered this year, these singular and striking finalists rose to the top.” He continued, “Each of these books is an artistic achievement. They interrogate the lives we lead, broaden our creative and social horizons, move us and continually surprise us. Especially in this difficult time, every one of these writers and translators deserves to be celebrated – and to be widely read.”
Autobiography
- Memorial Days by Geraldine Brooks
- Mother Mary Comes to Me by Arundhati Roy
- Paper Girl by Beth Macy
- Shattered by Hanif Kureishi
- A Truce That Is Not Peace by Miriam Toews
Biography
- Love, Queenie: Merle Oberon, Hollywood’s First South Asian Star by Mayukh Sen
- A Perfect Turmoil: Walter E. Fernald and the Struggle to Care for America’s Disabled by Alex Green
- Pride and Pleasure: The Schuyler Sisters in an Age of Revolution by Amanda Vaill
- Queen Mother: Black Nationalism, Reparations, and the Untold Story of Audley Moore by Ashley D. Farmer
- Troublemaker: The Fierce, Unruly Life of Jessica Mitford by Carla Kaplan
Criticism
- Exophony: Voyages Outside the Mother Tongue by Yoko Tawada, translated by Lisa Hofmann-Kuroda
- Greyhound by Joanna Pocock
- Hayek’s Bastards: Race, Gold, IQ, and the Capitalism of the Far Right by Quinn Slobodian
- One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This by Omar El Akkad
- To Save and to Destroy: Writing as an Other by Viet Thanh Nguyen
Fiction
- The Antidote by Karen Russell
- Audition by Katie Kitamura
- On the Calculation of Volume (Book III) by Solvej Balle, translated from the Danish by Sophia Hersi Smith and Jennifer Russell
- We Do Not Part by Han Kang, translated from the Korean by e. yaewon and Paige Aniyah Morris
- The Wilderness by Angela Flournoy
Nonfiction
- America, América: A New History of the New World by Greg Grandin
- Daughters of the Bamboo Grove: From China to America, a True Story of Abduction, Adoption, and Separated Twins by Barbara Demick
- Empire of AI: Dreams and Nightmares in Sam Altman’s OpenAI by Karen Hao
- King of Kings: The Iranian Revolution, a Story of Hubris, Delusion, and Catastrophic Miscalculation by Scott Anderson
- No More Tears: The Dark Secrets of Johnson & Johnson by Gardiner Harris
Poetry
- Chronicle of Drifting by Yuki Tanaka
- Death of the First Idea by Rickey Laurentiis
- Night Watch by Kevin Young
- The Other Love by Henri Cole
- Unravel by Tolu Oloruntoba
Special Award Shortlists
Gregg Barrios Book in Translation Prize
- Exophony: Voyages Outside the Mother Tongue by Yoko Tawada, translated by Lisa Hofmann-Kuroda
- Heart Lamp by Banu Mushtaq, translated by Deepa Bhasthi
- Near Distance by Hanna Stoltenberg, translated by Wendy H. Gabrielsen
- Sad Tiger by Neige Sinno, translated by Natasha Lehrer
- The Frog in the Throat by Markus Werner, translated by Michael Hofmann
- The Wax Child by Olga Ravn, translated by Martin Aitken
John Leonard Prize
- Baldwin: A Love Story by Nicholas Boggs
- Crown by Evanthia Bromiley
- Hunchback by Saou Ichikawa, translated from the Japanese by Polly Barton
- Mood Machine: The Rise of Spotify and the Costs of the Perfect Playlist by Liz Pelly
- Salvage by Hedgie Choi
- The Slip by Lucas Schaefer
Honorees and Awards
- Service Award: Elizabeth Taylor
- Nona Balakian Citation for Excellence in Reviewing: Rhoda Fend
- Ivan Sandrov Lifetime Achievement Award: Frances FitzGerald
- Toni Morrison Achievement Award: winner to be announced at the ceremony
Event Details
The awards ceremony, featuring a reading from finalists, will take place on March 25, 2026 and will be livestreamed via the official NBCC YouTube channel. The full ceremony, including the announcement of the Toni Morrison Achievement Award winner, is scheduled for March 26, 2026 at The New School in New York City.
Key Takeaways
- The NBCC’s 2025 shortlist showcases 25 books that reflect diverse perspectives and literary excellence.
- Special prizes highlight translated works and debut authors, underscoring the organization’s commitment to broadening literary horizons.
- The upcoming ceremony and livestream will bring these celebrated titles to a wider audience, reinforcing the NBCC’s role in shaping national literary conversation.
