The National Book Critics Circle (NBCC) is an American nonprofit organization (501(c)(3)) with more than 700 members. It is the professional association of American book review editors and critics, known primarily for the National Book Critics Circle Awards, a set of literary awards presented every March.
The organization was founded in April 1974 in New York City by "John Leonard, Nona Balakian, and Ivan Sandrof intending to extend the Algonquin round table to a national conversation". [1]
It was formally chartered in October 1974 as a New York state non-profit corporation, and the Advisory Board voted in November to establish annual literary awards. [2]
In the first newsletter three months later, President Ivan Sandrof proclaimed the primary purpose "to improve and maintain the standards of literary criticism in an era of diminishing and deteriorating values". At that time there were 140 members, with outreach to freelance critics planned for that year. [2]
NBCC first presented its Awards in January 1976 to books published during 1975 in four categories. [3]
Only active review editors and reviewers may be voting members; they elect the 24 Directors who formally make nominations and alone make final selections each year. [4] [5]
A fifth award category for books (Autobiography/Biography) was added for 1983 and divided in two for 2005. Since 2005, there have been eight awards. Six National Book Critics Circle Awards recognize "best books" published in the United States during the preceding year in six categories: fiction, nonfiction, autobiography, biography, criticism, and poetry. [4] Annually "the most accomplished reviewer" among its members is recognized by the Nona Balakian Citation for Excellence in Reviewing (from 1991).
The NBCC also recognizes no more than one person or organization for "exceptional contributions to books" with the Ivan Sandrof Lifetime Achievement Award (from 1981 under more than one name).All eight awards are officially dated in the preceding year. [4]
As a professional association, NBCC also works to improve the quality of reviews and provides services to its members. [1] [2] [5]
In 2020, more than half of the 24 board members resigned over conflicting views on how to address perceived racial disparities both on the board, and within the industry they represent. This demonstrative revolt has also been attributed to breaches in confidentiality stemming from leaked emails, and the dismissive, antagonistic communication style of a long-standing board member, Carlin Romano, whom half the board members describe as a bully. [6] Overall, the mass resignations amount to a controversy seen as part of an industry-wide reckoning concerning the lack of diversity in publishing [7] and literary awards.
Vice President Digby Diehl, Los Angeles Times
Secretary Nona Balakian, The New York Times Book Review
Treasurer Susan Heath, The Saturday Review
John Barkham, John Barkham Reviews
Alvin Beam, Cleveland Plain Dealer
Alice Cromie, Freelance Critic
Martha Duffy, Time
Eliot Fremont-Smith, The Village Voice
Elizabeth Hardwick, New York Review of Books
Herbert A. Kenny, Freelance Critic
John Leonard, The New York Times Book Review
Thorpe Menn, The Kansas City Star
Stanton Peckham, Denver Post
Peter S. Prescott, Newsweek
Larry Swindell, Philadelphia Inquirer
Jonathan Yardley, Miami Herald
1974-1976: Ivan Sandrof, Worcester Telegram-Gazette
1976-1982: Eliot Fremont-Smith, Village Voice
1982-1984: Richard Locke, Vanity Fair
1984-1986: Brigitte Weeks, The Washington Post Book World
1986-1990: Nina King, Newsday
1990-1992: Jack Miles, Los Angeles Times
1992-1994 Herbert Liebowitz, Parnassus
1994-1996 Carlin Romano, Philadelphia Inquirer
1996-1998 Art Winslow, The Nation
1998-2000 Barbara Hoffert, Library Journal
2001-2004 Elizabeth Taylor, Chicago Tribune
2004-2006 Rebecca T. Miller, Library Journal
2006-2008 John Freeman, Freelance Critic
2008-2011 Jane Ciabattari, Freelance Critic
2011-2013 Eric Banks, Bookforum
2013-2015 Laurie Muchnick, Bloomberg News
2015-2017 Tom Beer, Newsday
2017-2019 Kate Tuttle, Boston Globe
2019-2020 Laurie Hertzel, Minneapolis Star Tribune
2020-2020: Jane Ciabattari, Freelance Critic (acting)
2020–2022: David Varno, Publishers Weekly
2022-2023: Megan Labrise, Kirkus
2023-present: Heather Scott Partington, Freelance Critic
The National Book Critics Circle Awards are a set of annual American literary awards by the National Book Critics Circle (NBCC) to promote "the finest books and reviews published in English". The first NBCC awards were announced and presented January 16, 1976.
The Pushcart Prize is an American literary prize published by Pushcart Press that honors the best "poetry, short fiction, essays or literary whatnot" published in the small presses over the previous year. Magazine and small book press editors are invited to submit up to six works they have featured. Anthologies of the selected works have been published annually since 1976. It is supported and staffed by volunteers.
David Biespiel is an American poet, critic, memoirist, and novelist. He was born and raised in the Meyerland section of Houston, Texas. He is the founder of the Attic Institute of Arts and Letters in Portland, Oregon and Poet-in-Residence at Oregon State University.
Wyatt Mason is an American journalist, essayist, critic and translator.
John Leonard was an American literary, television, film, and cultural critic.
Charles Finch is an American author and literary critic. He has written a series of mystery novels set in Victorian era England, as well as literary fiction and numerous essays and book reviews.
Carlin Romano is an American writer and educator. Romano writes for The Chronicle of Higher Education.
Ron Charles is a book critic at The Washington Post. His awards include the 2008 National Book Critics Circle Award Nona Balakian Citation for book reviews, and 1st Place for A&E Coverage from the Society for Features Journalism in 2011. He was one of three jurors for the 2014 Pulitzer Prize in Fiction.
The National Book Critics Circle Award for Nonfiction, established in 1976, is an annual American literary award presented by the National Book Critics Circle (NBCC) to promote "the finest books and reviews published in English." Awards are presented annually to books published in the U.S. during the preceding calendar year in six categories: Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, Memoir/Autobiography, Biography, and Criticism.
Steven G. Kellman is an American critic and academic, best known for his books Redemption:The Life of Henry Roth (2005) and The Translingual Imagination (2000).
Maureen Corrigan is an American author, scholar, and literary critic. She is the book critic on the NPR radio program Fresh Air and writes for the "Book World" section of The Washington Post. In 2014, she wrote So We Read On, a book on the origins and power of The Great Gatsby. In 2005, she published a literary memoir Leave Me Alone, I'm Reading: Finding and Losing Myself in Books. Corrigan was awarded the 2018 Nona Balakian Citation for Excellence in Reviewing by the National Book Critics Circle for her reviews on Fresh Air on NPR and in The Washington Post, and the 1999 Edgar Award for Criticism by the Mystery Writers of America for her book, Mystery & Suspense Writers, with Robin W. Cook.
The Ivan Sandrof Lifetime Achievement Award, established in 1981, is an annual literary award presented by the National Book Critics Circle in honor of its first president, Ivan Sandrof. The award "is given to a person or institution who has, over time, made significant contributions to book culture." The Sandrof Award has also been presented as the "Ivan Sandrof Award for Lifetime Achievement in Publishing" and the "Ivan Sandrof Award, Contribution to American Arts & Letters."
The Nona Balakian Citation for Excellence in Reviewing, established in 1991, is an annual literary award presented by the National Book Critics Circle (NBCC) to honor Nona Balakian, one of three NBCC founders. The award recognizes an NBCC's members "outstanding work" and has been called "the most prestigious award for book criticism in the country."
Anna Balakian was the former chair of the Department of Comparative Literature at New York University. She served as president of the American Comparative Literature Association from 1977 to 1980 and was a longtime leader in the International Comparative Literature Association. The author of numerous acclaimed books and articles, she was the recipient of many awards and was internationally recognized as an authority on symbolism and surrealism.
The John Leonard Prize for Best First Book, established in 2013, is an annual literary award presented by the National Book Critics Circle (NBCC) for authors' first books in any genre. Unlike other NBCC awards, recipients are selected by members, not the board.
Nona Balakian was a literary critic and an editor at the New York Times Sunday Book Review. She served on the Pulitzer Prize committee and was a board member of the Authors Guild and the Pen Club as well as a founder of the National Book Critics Circle, whose Nona Balakian Citation for Excellence in Reviewing is named for her.
The National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction, established in 1976, is an annual American literary award presented by the National Book Critics Circle (NBCC) to promote "the finest books and reviews published in English."
The National Book Critics Circle Award for Memoir and Autobiography, established in 2005, is an annual American literary award presented by the National Book Critics Circle (NBCC) to promote "the finest books and reviews published in English." Awards are presented annually to books published in the U.S. during the preceding calendar year in six categories: Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, Memoir/Autobiography, Biography, and Criticism. Between 1983 and 2004, the award was presented jointly with biography.
The National Book Critics Circle Award for Poetry, established in 1975 is an annual American literary award presented by the National Book Critics Circle (NBCC) to promote "the finest books and reviews published in English." Awards are presented annually to books published in the U.S. during the preceding calendar year in six categories: Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, Memoir/Autobiography, Biography, and Criticism.
The National Book Critics Circle Award for Criticism, established in 1975, is an annual American literary award presented by the National Book Critics Circle (NBCC) to promote "the finest books and reviews published in English." Awards are presented annually to books published in the U.S. during the preceding calendar year in six categories: Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, Memoir/Autobiography, Biography, and Criticism.