Thurber Prize for American Humor

Last updated

The Thurber Prize for American Humor, named after American humorist James Thurber, recognizes outstanding contributions in humor writing. The prize is given out by the Thurber House. It was first awarded irregularly, but since 2004 has been bestowed annually. In 2015, the finalists were for the first time, all women. [1] Winners of the Thurber Prize have included authors from an array of diverse backgrounds, from The Daily Show hosts Jon Stewart and Trevor Noah to The New Yorker staff writers Calvin Trillin and Ian Frazier, as well as university professors Julie Schumacher and Harrison Scott Key. [2]

Contents

Honorees

Award winners and finalists [3]
YearAuthorTitleResultRef.
1997 Ian Frazier Coyote v. AcmeWinner [4]
Al Franken Rush Limbaugh Is a Big Fat Idiot and Other Observations Finalist
David Sedaris Naked Finalist
1999 The Onion editorial staff Our Dumb Century Winner
2001 David Sedaris Me Talk Pretty One Day Winner [5]
Henry Alford Big KissSpecial Honor
Andy Borowitz The Trillionaire Next DoorFinalist
Bill Bryson In a Sunburned Country Finalist
Brett LeveridgeMen My Mother DatedFinalist
Jim MullenIt Takes a Village IdiotFinalist
2004 Christopher Buckley No Way to Treat a First Lady Winner [6]
Robert Kaplow Me and Orson WellesFinalist
Dan ZevinThe Day I Turned UncoolFinalist
2005 Jon Stewart , Ben Karlin, David Javerbaum and The Daily Show writing staff America (The Book) Winner [7]
Andy Borowitz The Borowitz Report: The Big Book of ShockersFinalist
Firoozeh Dumas Funny in Farsi Finalist
2006 Alan Zweibel The Other ShulmaWinner [8]
Kinky Friedman Texas Hold 'Em: How I Was Born in a Manger, Died in the Saddle, and Came Back as a Horny ToadFinalist
Bill Scheft Time Won't Let MeFinalist
2007 Joe Keenan My Lucky Star Winner [9] [10] [11]
Merrill Markoe Walking In Circles Before Lying DownFinalist
Bob Newhart I Shouldn't Even Be Doing This! And Other Things That Strike Me As FunnyFinalist
2008 Larry Doyle I Love You Beth Cooper Winner [12]
Patricia Marx Him Her Him Again The End of HimFinalist [13] [14]
Simon Rich Ant Farm: And Other Desperate SituationsFinalist
2009 Ian Frazier Lamentations of the FatherWinner [15]
Sloane Crosley I Was Told There'd Be Cake Finalist [4] [16]
Don Lee Wrack and RuinFinalist
Laurie Notaro The Idiot Girl and the Flaming Tantrum of DeathFinalist
2010 Steve Hely How I Became a Famous NovelistWinner [17]
Jancee Dunn Why Is My Mother Getting a Tattoo?Finalist [18]
Rhoda Janzen Mennonite in a Little Black DressFinalist [18]
2011 David Rakoff Half EmptyWinner [19] [20]
Mike Birbiglia Sleepwalk With Me and Other Painfully True StoriesFinalist [21]
Rick Reilly Sports from HellFinalist [21]
2012 Calvin Trillin Quite Enough of Calvin Trillin: Forty Years of Funny StuffWinner [22] [23]
Nate DiMeo Pawnee: The Greatest Town in AmericaFinalist [24] [25]
Patricia Marx Starting from HappyFinalist [24] [25]
2013Dan ZevinDan Gets a MinivanWinner [26]
Shalom Auslander Hope: A TragedyFinalist [27]
Dave Barry and Alan Zweibel LunaticsFinalist [27]
2014John KenneyTruth in AdvertisingWinner [28]
Liza Donnelly Women on MenFinalist [29] [30]
Bruce McCall and David Letterman This Land Was Made for You and Me (But Mostly Me)Finalist [29] [30]
2015 Julie Schumacher Dear Committee MembersWinner [31] [32] [33]
Roz Chast Can't We Talk About Something More Pleasant? Finalist [34] [35]
Annabelle Gurwitch I See You Made an Effort: Compliments, Indignities, and Survival Stories from the Edge of 50Finalist [34] [35]
2016 Harrison Scott Key The World's Largest ManWinner [36] [37]
Jason GayLittle VictoriesFinalist [38] [39]
Mary Norris Between You & Me: Confessions of a Comma Queen Finalist [38] [39]
2017 Trevor Noah Born a Crime Winner [40] [41]
Ken Pisani Amp'dFinalist [42] [43]
Aaron Thier Mr. EternityFinalist [42] [43]
2018 Patricia Lockwood Priestdaddy Winner [44]
Jenny Allen Would Everybody Please Stop?Finalist [45] [46]
John Hodgman Vacationland: True Stories from Painful BeachesFinalist [45] [46]
2019 Simon Rich Hits and MissesWinner [47]
Sloane Crosley Look Alive Out ThereFinalist
John KenneyLove Poems for Married PeopleFinalist
2020 Damon Young What Doesn't Kill You Makes You Blacker Winner [48] [49]
Dave Barry Lessons from LucyFinalist [50]
Kira Jane Buxton Hollow Kingdom Finalist [50]
2021 James McBride Deacon King Kong Winner [51]
Mike Birbiglia The New One: Painfully True Stories from a Reluctant DadFinalist [52]
Alexandra Petri Nothing Is Wrong and Here Is WhyFinalist [52]
2022Steven RowleyThe GuncleWinner [53]
Annabelle Gurwitch You're Leaving When? Adventures in Downward MobilityFinalist [54]
Danielle Henderson The Ugly CryFinalist [54]
2023S.E. BoydThe LemonWinner
Elaine Hsieh Chou Disorientation Finalist
Elinor Lipman Ms. DemeanorFinalist

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pulitzer Prize for Poetry</span> American award for distinguished poetry

The Pulitzer Prize for Poetry is one of the seven American Pulitzer Prizes awarded annually for Letters, Drama, and Music. It was first presented in 1922, and is given for a distinguished volume of original verse by an American author, published during the preceding calendar year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pulitzer Prize for History</span> American award for history books

The Pulitzer Prize for History, administered by Columbia University, is one of the seven American Pulitzer Prizes that are annually awarded for Letters, Drama, and Music. It has been presented since 1917 for a distinguished book about the history of the United States. Thus it is one of the original Pulitzers, for the program was inaugurated in 1917 with seven prizes, four of which were awarded that year. The Pulitzer Prize program has also recognized some historical work with its Biography prize, from 1917, and its General Non-Fiction prize, from 1962.

The International Dublin Literary Award, established as the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award in 1996, is presented each year for a novel written or translated into English. It promotes excellence in world literature and is solely sponsored by Dublin City Council, Ireland. At €100,000, the award is one of the richest literary prizes in the world. If the winning book is a translation, the prize is divided between the writer and the translator, with the writer receiving €75,000 and the translator €25,000. The first award was made in 1996 to David Malouf for his English-language novel Remembering Babylon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pulitzer Prize for Biography</span> American award for distinguished biographies

The Pulitzer Prize for Biography is one of the seven American Pulitzer Prizes annually awarded for Letters, Drama, and Music. The award honors "a distinguished and appropriately documented biography by an American author." Award winners received $15,000 USD.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Griffin Poetry Prize</span> Canadian poetry award

The Griffin Poetry Prize is Canada's poetry award. It was founded in 2000 by businessman and philanthropist Scott Griffin.

The PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction is awarded annually by the PEN/Faulkner Foundation to the authors of the year's best works of fiction by living Americans, Green Card holders or permanent residents. The winner receives US$15,000 and each of four runners-up receives US$5000. Judges read citations for each of the finalists' works at the presentation ceremony in Washington, D.C.. The organization claims it to be "the largest peer-juried award in the country." The award was first given in 1981.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baillie Gifford Prize</span> Non-fiction writing award

The Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction, formerly the Samuel Johnson Prize, is an annual British book prize for the best non-fiction writing in the English language. It was founded in 1999 following the demise of the NCR Book Award. With its motto "All the best stories are true", the prize covers current affairs, history, politics, science, sport, travel, biography, autobiography and the arts. The competition is open to authors of any nationality whose work is published in the UK in English. The longlist, shortlist and winner is chosen by a panel of independent judges, which changes every year. Formerly named after English author and lexicographer Samuel Johnson, the award was renamed in 2015 after Baillie Gifford, an investment management firm and the primary sponsor. Since 2016, the annual dinner and awards ceremony has been sponsored by the Blavatnik Family Foundation.

The PEN Translation Prize is an annual award given by PEN America to outstanding translations into the English language. It has been presented annually by PEN America and the Book of the Month Club since 1963. It was the first award in the United States expressly for literary translators. A 1999 New York Times article called it "the Academy Award of Translation" and that the award is thus usually not given to younger translators.

The Orwell Prize is a British prize for political writing. The Prize is awarded by The Orwell Foundation, an independent charity governed by a board of trustees. Four prizes are awarded each year: one each for a fiction and non-fiction book on politics, one for journalism and one for "Exposing Britain's Social Evils" ; between 2009 and 2012, a fifth prize was awarded for blogging. In each case, the winner is the short-listed entry which comes closest to George Orwell's own ambition to "make political writing into an art".

The Wolfson History Prizes are literary awards given annually in the United Kingdom to promote and encourage standards of excellence in the writing of history for the general public. Prizes are given annually for two or three exceptional works published during the year, with an occasional oeuvre prize. They are awarded and administered by the Wolfson Foundation, with winning books being chosen by a panel of judges composed of eminent historians.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rawi Hage</span> Lebanese-Canadian journalist, novelist, and photographer

Rawi Hage is a Lebanese-Canadian journalist, novelist, and photographer based in Montreal, Quebec, in Canada.

The Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction is a British literary award founded in 2010. At £25,000, it is one of the largest literary awards in the UK. The award was created by the Duke and Duchess of Buccleuch, whose ancestors were closely linked to Scottish author Sir Walter Scott, who is generally considered the originator of historical fiction with the novel Waverley in 1814.

The Center for Fiction First Novel Prize is an annual award presented by the Center for Fiction, a non-profit organization in New York City, for the best debut novel. From 2006 to 2011, it was called the John Sargent, Sr. First Novel Prize in honor of John Turner Sargent, Sr.. From 2011 to 2014, it was known as the Flaherty-Dunnan First Novel Prize, named for Center for Fiction board member Nancy Dunnan and her journalist father Ray W. Flaherty.

The Chautauqua Prize is an annual American literary award established by the Chautauqua Institution in 2012. The winner receives US$7,500 and all travel and expenses for a one-week summer residency at Chautauqua. It is a "national prize that celebrates a book of fiction or literary/narrative nonfiction that provides a richly rewarding reading experience and honors the author for a significant contribution to the literary arts."

The PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize for Debut Short Story Collection is awarded by the PEN America "to exceptionally talented fiction writers whose debut work — a first novel or collection of short stories ... represent distinguished literary achievement and suggests great promise." The winner is selected by a panel of PEN Members made up of three writers or editors. The PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize was originally named the PEN/Robert Bingham Fellowship for Writers. The prize awards the debut writer a cash award of US$25,000.

The PEN/Diamonstein-Spielvogel Award for the Art of the Essay is awarded by the PEN America to an author for a book of original collected essays. The award was founded by PEN Member and author Barbaralee Diamonstein and Carl Spielvogel, former New York Times columnist, "to preserve the dignity and esteem that the essay form imparts to literature." The winner receives a cash award of $10,000.

The Stella Prize is an Australian annual literary award established in 2013 for writing by Australian women in all genres, worth $50,000. It was originally proposed by Australian women writers and publishers in 2011, modelled on the UK's Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction.

The Audre Lorde Award for Lesbian Poetry is an annual literary award, presented by Publishing Triangle to honour works of lesbian poetry. First presented in 2001, the award was named in memory of American poet Audre Lorde.

Sara Baume is an Irish novelist. She was named on Granta's Best of Young British Novelists list in 2023.

The Waterstones Book of the Year, established in 2012, is an annual award presented to a book published in the previous 12 months. Waterstones' booksellers nominate and vote to determine the winners and finalists for the prize.

References

  1. ↑ Armao, Mark (25 August 2015). "Thurber Prize for American Humor Announces First All-Female Trio of Finalists". The Wall Street Journal . Archived from the original on 29 September 2015. Retrieved 28 September 2015.
  2. ↑ "Thurber House — PAST THURBER PRIZE WINNERS AND FINALISTS — Literary Center and James Thurber Museum". Thurber House. Archived from the original on November 25, 2022. Retrieved April 8, 2021.
  3. ↑ "Past Finalists & Winners". The Thurber Prize. Archived from the original on September 26, 2023. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
  4. 1 2 "Thurber Prize nominees announced". CBC News . August 12, 2009. Retrieved 2023-12-21.
  5. ↑ "Past Thurber Prize Winners". Thurber House . Archived from the original on 29 September 2015. Retrieved 28 September 2015.
  6. ↑ "Buckley receives Thurber prize for humor". Today . November 16, 2004. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
  7. ↑ "Prizes: Whitbread Shortlist; Thurber Smiles On America". Shelf Awareness . November 16, 2005. Archived from the original on October 2, 2017. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
  8. ↑ "Awards: Goncourt, Hurston/Wright, Thurber". Shelf Awareness . November 7, 2006. Archived from the original on October 1, 2017. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
  9. ↑ "'Frasier' writer wins literary award". USA Today . The Associated Press. 3 October 2007. Retrieved 28 September 2015.
  10. ↑ "Awards: Joe Keenan Wins Thurber Prize for American Humor". Shelf Awareness . October 3, 2007. Archived from the original on August 11, 2016. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
  11. ↑ McEvoy, Dermot (October 3, 2007). "Joe Keenan Wins Thurber Prize". PublishersWeekly.com. Retrieved 2023-12-21.
  12. ↑ "Awards: Thurber Prize for American Humor". Shelf Awareness . October 7, 2008. Archived from the original on September 24, 2021. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
  13. ↑ "Awards: Thurber Prize Finalists". Shelf Awareness . August 20, 2008. Archived from the original on October 2, 2017. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
  14. ↑ Bloom, Julie (2008-08-19). "Thurber Prize Finalists". The New York Times . ISSN   0362-4331. Archived from the original on 2022-11-26. Retrieved 2023-12-21.
  15. ↑ "Awards: Thurber Winner; Writers' Trust of Canada". Shelf Awareness . October 6, 2009. Archived from the original on October 1, 2017. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
  16. ↑ "Awards: Thurber Prize, Financial Times Goldman Sachs Finalists". Shelf Awareness . August 13, 2009. Archived from the original on October 1, 2017. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
  17. ↑ "Awards: Thurber Prize for American Humor Winner". Shelf Awareness . October 5, 2010. Archived from the original on September 28, 2021. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
  18. 1 2 "Awards: American Book Awards; Thurber Prize Shortlist". Shelf Awareness . August 13, 2010. Archived from the original on October 2, 2017. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
  19. ↑ "Awards: Neustadt Prize, Thurber Prize Winners". Shelf Awareness . October 4, 2011. Archived from the original on February 3, 2023. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
  20. ↑ "Rakoff Wins Thurber Prize for Humor". PublishersWeekly.com. October 4, 2011. Retrieved 2023-12-21.
  21. 1 2 "Awards: James Tait Black Memorial Prizes; Thurber Finalists". Shelf Awareness . August 23, 2011. Archived from the original on November 20, 2023. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
  22. ↑ The Associated Press (October 1, 2012). "Humorist Calvin Trillin wins Thurber Prize". MassLive.com . Archived from the original on September 28, 2015. Retrieved September 28, 2015.
  23. ↑ "Awards: Thurber Winner; Forward Prize for Poetry". Shelf Awareness . October 2, 2012. Archived from the original on December 16, 2022. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
  24. 1 2 "Awards: Thurber Prize for American Humor". Shelf Awareness . August 16, 2012. Archived from the original on December 20, 2023. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
  25. 1 2 "Thurber Prize Finalists Announced". PublishersWeekly.com. August 15, 2012. Archived from the original on 2012-11-24. Retrieved 2023-12-21.
  26. ↑ "Awards: Thurber; Samuel Johnson; Rogers Writers' Trust". Shelf Awareness . October 1, 2013. Archived from the original on May 17, 2022. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
  27. 1 2 "Awards: Thurber Prize for American Humor; Toronto Book". Shelf Awareness . August 20, 2013. Archived from the original on February 3, 2023. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
  28. ↑ "Awards: Thurber; Maine Readers' Choice; Kirkus Prize". Shelf Awareness . October 1, 2014. Archived from the original on March 7, 2023. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
  29. 1 2 "Awards: Thurber Prize; Gordon Burn; N.S.W. Premier's History". Shelf Awareness . August 14, 2014. Archived from the original on September 28, 2021. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
  30. 1 2 "Letterman Named 2014 Thurber Finalist". PublishersWeekly.com. August 14, 2014. Archived from the original on 2022-05-20. Retrieved 2023-12-21.
  31. ↑ "Native Delawarean first woman to win humor award". The News Journal . The Associated Press. September 25, 2015. Archived from the original on June 12, 2018. Retrieved September 29, 2015.
  32. ↑ Czajkowski, Elise (2015-09-29). "Julie Schumacher becomes first woman to win Thurber prize for humor writing". The Guardian . ISSN   0261-3077. Archived from the original on 2023-06-29. Retrieved 2023-12-21.
  33. ↑ "Awards: Thurber Winner; Forward for Best Poetry Collection". Shelf Awareness . September 29, 2015. Archived from the original on September 25, 2023. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
  34. 1 2 "Awards: Thurber Finalists; Cushman Winner". Shelf Awareness . August 25, 2015. Archived from the original on December 31, 2022. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
  35. 1 2 "3 finalists for Thurber Prize for American Humor are women". Chicago Tribune . Associated Press. 2015-08-24. Archived from the original on 2021-07-04. Retrieved 2023-12-21.
  36. ↑ "Harrison Scott Key wins $5,000 James Thurber prize for humor". The Washington Post . The Associated Press. September 26, 2016. Archived from the original on September 27, 2016. Retrieved September 26, 2016.
  37. ↑ "Awards: Thurber Winner; Scotiabank Giller Shortlist". Shelf Awareness . September 27, 2016. Archived from the original on June 5, 2023. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
  38. 1 2 Kennedy, Mark (2016-08-25). "3 finalists announced for Thurber Prize for American Humor". AP News . Retrieved 2023-12-21.
  39. 1 2 "3 finalists announced for Thurber Prize for American Humor". AP News . 2016-08-25. Retrieved 2023-12-21.
  40. ↑ "But seriously ... Trevor Noah wins Thurber humor award". LA Times . October 3, 2017. Archived from the original on October 3, 2017. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
  41. ↑ "Awards: Thurber Prize; Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence". Shelf Awareness . October 3, 2017. Archived from the original on March 22, 2023. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
  42. 1 2 "Awards: Thurber Finalists; PEN Center USA Winners". Shelf Awareness . August 24, 2017. Archived from the original on March 27, 2023. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
  43. 1 2 "Thurber Prize for American Humor 2017 Finalists Announced". Publishers Weekly . August 23, 2017. Archived from the original on 2020-08-23. Retrieved 2023-12-21.
  44. ↑ "Awards: Thurber Prize; Grammy Nominations". Shelf Awareness . December 10, 2018. Archived from the original on January 27, 2023. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
  45. 1 2 "Awards: Thurber American Humor". Shelf Awareness . October 16, 2018. Archived from the original on December 20, 2023. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
  46. 1 2 "Thurber House announces 2018 finalists for humor prize". AP News . 2018-10-15. Retrieved 2023-12-21.
  47. ↑ "2019 Thurber Prize for American Humor Winner". Thurber House. Archived from the original on January 4, 2020. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
  48. ↑ "Awards: Thurber Winner; Orwell Book Shortlists". Shelf Awareness . June 1, 2021. Archived from the original on February 3, 2023. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
  49. ↑ Schaub, Michael (May 24, 2021). "Damon Young Wins Thurber Prize for American Humor". Kirkus Reviews . Archived from the original on 2021-06-06. Retrieved 2023-12-21.
  50. 1 2 "2020 Thurber Prize for American Humor Finalists, 2020 Thurber Prize for American Humor, Books". Barnes & Noble . Retrieved 2023-12-21.
  51. ↑ "Past Thurber Prize Winners". Thurber House. Archived from the original on November 25, 2022. Retrieved July 26, 2022.
  52. 1 2 Gilson, Nancy (April 23, 2022). "James McBride, author of 'Deacon King Kong,' winner of Thurber Prize for American Humor". The Columbus Dispatch . Archived from the original on 2022-08-12. Retrieved 2023-12-21.
  53. ↑ "Our past finalists & winners of The Prize". Thurber Prize. Archived from the original on September 26, 2023. Retrieved September 17, 2023.
  54. 1 2 "22nd Thurber Prize for American Humor". Columbus Underground . The Thurber Prize for American Humor. Archived from the original on 2023-04-01. Retrieved 2023-12-21.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.