2001 in literature

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Last updated June 01, 2025

This article contains information about the literary events and publications of 2001.

Events

February 15 – The author Michael Crichton signs a new deal with HarperCollins Publishers that reportedly earns him $40 million for two books.
April 1 – The BookCrossing scheme for leaving books for strangers to find is launched.
April 13 – The film version of Helen Fielding's 1996 novel Bridget Jones's Diary has uncredited cameo roles as themselves for Salman Rushdie, Julian Barnes and Jeffrey Archer, at a literary party.
July 19 – The English popular novelist and politician Jeffrey Archer, having been found guilty of perjury in a libel trial, is sentenced to imprisonment.^[1]
September 19 – Amiri Baraka reads his poem "Somebody Blew Up America?" at a poetry festival in New Jersey, eight days after the September 11 attacks.
November 4 – Film premiere of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone , first in the commercially successful Harry Potter film series based on the novels of J. K. Rowling.
December 10 – The live-action film version of J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring , directed by Peter Jackson, opens in London. Its appearance has a strong impact on readership of the trilogy.^[2]

New books

Deaths

January 5 – G. E. M. Anscombe, English analytic philosopher (died 2001)
January 8 – Catherine Storr, English children's writer (born 1913)
January 11 – Lorna Sage, English scholar (born 1943)
January 31 – Gordon R. Dickson, Canadian-born American science fiction writer (born 1923)^[6]
February 7 – Anne Morrow Lindbergh, American author and aviator (born 1906)
February 14
- Alan Ross, Indian-born English poet and editor (born 1922)
- Richard Laymon, American horror fiction writer (born 1947)
March 1 – Mahmud Arif, Saudi Arabian poet (born 1909)^[7]
March 12 – Robert Ludlum, American novelist (born 1927)
May 11 – Douglas Adams, English writer, humorist and dramatist (born 1952)^[8]
May 13
- Jason Miller, American actor and playwright (born 1939)^[9]
- R. K. Narayan, Indian novelist writing in English (born 1906)^[10]
June 1 – Hank Ketcham, American cartoonist (born 1920)
June 27 – Tove Jansson, Finnish children's author writing in Swedish (born 1914)^[11]
July 3 – Mordecai Richler, Canadian author, screenwriter and essayist (born 1931)^[12]
July 18 – James Hatfield, American author (born 1958)
July 31 – Poul Anderson, American fantasy and sci-fi author (born 1926)^[13]
August 6 – Jorge Amado, Brazilian writer (born 1912)^[14]
August 20 – Fred Hoyle, English astronomer and science fiction writer (born 1915)
November 10 – Ken Kesey, American author (born 1935)^[15]
November 25 – David Gascoyne, English surrealist poet (born 1916)^[16]
December 21 – Dick Schaap, American journalist and author (born 1934)^[17]
December 14 – W. G. Sebald, German novelist and academic (born 1944)^[18]

Awards

Nobel Prize for Literature: V.S. Naipaul

Australia

Miles Franklin Award: Frank Moorhouse, Dark Palace

Canada

Giller Prize for Canadian Fiction: Richard B. Wright – Clara Callan
See 2001 Governor General's Awards for a complete list of winners and finalists for those awards.
Edna Staebler Award for Creative Non-Fiction: Taras Grescoe – Sacré Blues ^[19]

France

Prix Décembre: Chloé Delaume, Le Cri du sablier
Prix Femina: Marie Ndiaye, Rosie Carpe
Prix Goncourt: Jean-Christophe Rufin, Rouge Brésil
Prix Médicis French: Edwy Plenel, Secrets de jeunesse
Prix Médicis Non-Fiction: Le Loup mongol
Prix Médicis International: Antonio Skarmeta, La noce du poète

United Kingdom

Booker Prize: Peter Carey, True History of the Kelly Gang
Carnegie Medal for children's literature: Terry Pratchett, The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents
James Tait Black Memorial Prize for fiction: Sid Smith, Something Like a House
James Tait Black Memorial Prize for biography: Robert Skidelsky, John Maynard Keynes: Volume 3 – Fighting for Britain 1937–1946
Caine Prize for African Writing: Helon Habila, "Love Poems"
Cholmondeley Award: Ian Duhig, Paul Durcan, Kathleen Jamie, Grace Nichols
Eric Gregory Award: Leontia Flynn, Thomas Warner, Tishani Doshi, Patrick Mackie, Kathryn Gray, Sally Read
Griffin Poetry Prize: Anne Carson, Men in the Off Hours and Nikolai Popov and Heather McHugh, translation of Glottal Stop: 101 Poems by Paul Celan
Hugo Award: J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Samuel Johnson Prize: Michael Burleigh, The Third Reich
Queen's Gold Medal for Poetry: Michael Longley
Orange Prize for Fiction: Kate Grenville, The Idea of Perfection
Whitbread Best Book Award: Patrick Neate, Twelve Bar Blues

United States

Agnes Lynch Starrett Poetry Prize awarded to Gabriel Gudding for A Defense of Poetry
Aiken Taylor Award for Modern American Poetry, Frederick Morgan
Bernard F. Connors Prize for Poetry, Gabrielle Calvocoressi, “Circus Fire, 1944”
Bollingen Prize for Poetry, Louise Glück
Brittingham Prize in Poetry, Robin Behn, Horizon Note
Compton Crook Award: Syne Mitchell, Murphy's Gambit
Frost Medal: Sonia Sanchez
Hugo Award: J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Newbery Medal for children's literature: Richard Peck, A Year Down Yonder
National Book Award for Fiction: to The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen
National Book Critics Circle Award: to Austerlitz by W.G. Sebald
PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction: to Philip Roth for The Human Stain
Pulitzer Prize for Drama: David Auburn, Proof
Pulitzer Prize for Fiction: Michael Chabon, The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay
Pulitzer Prize for Poetry: Stephen Dunn, Different Hours
Wallace Stevens Award: John Ashbery
Whiting Awards:

Fiction: Emily Carter, Matthew Klam, Akhil Sharma, Samrat Upadhyay, John Wray

Nonfiction: Judy Blunt, Kathleen Finneran

Plays: Brighde Mullins

Poetry: Joel Brouwer, Jason Sommer

Other

Camões Prize: Eugénio de Andrade
Europe Theatre Prize: Lev Dodin, Michel Piccoli
Finlandia Prize: Hannu Raittila, Canal Grande
International Dublin Literary Award: Alistair MacLeod, No Great Mischief
Premio Nadal: Fernando Marías, El Niño de los Coroneles
Premio Strega: Domenico Starnone, Via Gemito
Premio de Novela Ciudad de Torrevieja (first award): Javier Reverte, La Noche Detenida
Premio Antón Losada Diéguez (category Creación literaria): Xurxo Borrazás, Na maleta
SAARC Literary Award: Ganesh Narayandas Devy, Shamsur Rahman
Viareggio Prize: Niccolò Ammaniti, Io non ho paura , Michele Ranchetti, Verbale, and Giorgio Pestelli, Canti del destino

References

↑ Andrew George (2002). A View from the Bottom Left-hand Corner: Impressions of a Raw Recruit Through Selected Parliamentary Sketches and Essays 1997-2002. Patten Press. p. 91. ISBN 978-1-872229-45-4.
↑ Withers, Hannah; Ross, Lauren. "Young People Are Reading More Than You". McSweeneys. Retrieved 2012-12-14.
↑ Jonathan Franzen (15 September 2001). The Corrections: A Novel. Farrar, Straus and Giroux. ISBN 978-1-4299-2861-8.
1 2 3 Olson, Danel (2011). 21st-century Gothic: Great Gothic Novels Since 2000. Scarecrow Press. p. 523. ISBN 978-0-8108-7728-3.
↑ Faculty of Arts, 2002, Edna Staebler Award Archived 2014-06-06 at Archive-It , Wilfrid Laurier University, Previous winners, Tom Allen. Retrieved 2012-11-26.
↑ "Gordon R. Dickson -- Science Fiction Writer, 77". The New York Times. February 16, 2001. Retrieved April 1, 2010.
↑ "رحيل محمود عارف". Al-Faisal (in Arabic) (295): 125. March 2001.
↑ Lewis, Judith; Shulman, Dave (24 May 2001). "Lots of Screamingly Funny Sentences. No Fish. – page 1". LA Weekly. Archived from the original on 10 October 2011. Retrieved 20 August 2009.
↑ Henn, Jennifer (May 24, 2001). "Jason Miller dies". Scranton Times Tribune. Archived from the original on January 14, 2009.
↑ N. Ram (15 May 2001). "I'm giving you a lot of trouble". Rediff.com . Archived from the original on 4 October 2009. Retrieved 8 September 2009.
↑ Prideaux, Sue (2014-01-15). "Tove Jansson: Life, Art, Words by Boel Westin – review". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 November 2014.
↑ Michael McNay (July 5, 2001). "Mordecai Richler". The Guardian.
↑ Douglas Martin (3 August 2001). "Poul Anderson, Science Fiction Novelist, Dies at 74". The New York Times. Retrieved 24 October 2018.
↑ "Jorge Amado dies at 88; Brazil's leading novelist". New York Times. 7 August 2001. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
↑ Baker, Jeff (November 11, 2001). "All times a great artist, Ken Kesey is dead at age 66". The Oregonian. p. A1.
↑ Valentine Cunningham (27 November 2001). "David Gascoyne". The Guardian. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
↑ Penner, Mike (22 December 2001). "Dick Schaap, 67; Sports Journalist (obituary)". Los Angeles Times . Archived from the original on 7 August 2020. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
↑ Eric Homberger (17 December 2001). "WG Sebald". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 October 2010.
↑ Faculty of Arts, 2001, Edna Staebler Award Archived 2014-06-06 at Archive-It , Wilfrid Laurier University, Previous winners, Taras Grescoe. Retrieved 2012-11-26.

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[1] Andrew George (2002). A View from the Bottom Left-hand Corner: Impressions of a Raw Recruit Through Selected Parliamentary Sketches and Essays 1997-2002. Patten Press. p. 91. ISBN 978-1-872229-45-4.

[2] Withers, Hannah; Ross, Lauren. "Young People Are Reading More Than You". McSweeneys. Retrieved 2012-12-14.

[3] Jonathan Franzen (15 September 2001). The Corrections: A Novel. Farrar, Straus and Giroux. ISBN 978-1-4299-2861-8.

[Snicket-4] 1 2 3 Olson, Danel (2011). 21st-century Gothic: Great Gothic Novels Since 2000. Scarecrow Press. p. 523. ISBN 978-0-8108-7728-3.

[5] Faculty of Arts, 2002, Edna Staebler Award Archived 2014-06-06 at Archive-It , Wilfrid Laurier University, Previous winners, Tom Allen. Retrieved 2012-11-26.

[6] "Gordon R. Dickson -- Science Fiction Writer, 77". The New York Times. February 16, 2001. Retrieved April 1, 2010.

[7] "رحيل محمود عارف". Al-Faisal (in Arabic) (295): 125. March 2001.

[8] Lewis, Judith; Shulman, Dave (24 May 2001). "Lots of Screamingly Funny Sentences. No Fish. – page 1". LA Weekly. Archived from the original on 10 October 2011. Retrieved 20 August 2009.

[9] Henn, Jennifer (May 24, 2001). "Jason Miller dies". Scranton Times Tribune. Archived from the original on January 14, 2009.

[10] N. Ram (15 May 2001). "I'm giving you a lot of trouble". Rediff.com . Archived from the original on 4 October 2009. Retrieved 8 September 2009.

[11] Prideaux, Sue (2014-01-15). "Tove Jansson: Life, Art, Words by Boel Westin – review". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 November 2014.

[12] Michael McNay (July 5, 2001). "Mordecai Richler". The Guardian.

[13] Douglas Martin (3 August 2001). "Poul Anderson, Science Fiction Novelist, Dies at 74". The New York Times. Retrieved 24 October 2018.

[14] "Jorge Amado dies at 88; Brazil's leading novelist". New York Times. 7 August 2001. Retrieved 5 April 2021.

[15] Baker, Jeff (November 11, 2001). "All times a great artist, Ken Kesey is dead at age 66". The Oregonian. p. A1.

[16] Valentine Cunningham (27 November 2001). "David Gascoyne". The Guardian. Retrieved 5 April 2021.

[la_obit-17] Penner, Mike (22 December 2001). "Dick Schaap, 67; Sports Journalist (obituary)". Los Angeles Times . Archived from the original on 7 August 2020. Retrieved 31 May 2025.

[18] Eric Homberger (17 December 2001). "WG Sebald". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 October 2010.

[wlu01-19] Faculty of Arts, 2001, Edna Staebler Award Archived 2014-06-06 at Archive-It , Wilfrid Laurier University, Previous winners, Taras Grescoe. Retrieved 2012-11-26.

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2001 in literature

Contents

Events

New books

Fiction

Children and young people

Drama

Poetry

Non-fiction