The literary world celebrated its biggest night at a gala in downtown Manhattan as the winners of the 2025 National Book Awards (NBA) were announced, recognising a powerful and diverse collection of work across all major categories, per lithub.com.
Rabih Alameddine took home the coveted Fiction prize for his novel, The True True Story of Raja the Gullible (and His Mother), capping off a celebrated evening.
The Non-Fiction award went to Omar El Akkad for his insightful work, One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This.
Other winners included:
* Poetry: Patricia Smith, for The Intentions of Thunder.
* Translated Literature: Gabriela Cabezón Cámara and translator Robin Myers, for We Are Green and Trembling.
* Young People’s Literature: Daniel Nayeri, for The Teacher of Nomad Land: A World War II Story.
The ceremony also honoured two giants for their contributions to the American literary community. Acclaimed author and cultural critic Roxane Gay received the Literarian Award for Outstanding Service. In her acceptance speech, Gay challenged the industry to use its power responsibly and cautioned against focusing on “nonsense metrics like social media.”
The Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters was presented to celebrated short story master George Saunders, who delivered a characteristically charming speech describing writing as “a kind of sacrament.”
The evening served as a reminder of the power of books, with winners across all five categories delivering memorable and moving speeches that underscored the importance of literature in the current cultural landscape.
