The PEN/Faulkner Foundation has just announced which works are still in the running for the prestigious 2024 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction. This year’s diverse longlist of contenders was carefully selected from a competitive pool of 445 novels and short story collections published in 2023.
A distinguished three-person jury consisting of authors Xochitl Gonzalez, Alan Michael Parker, and Lynn Steger Strong took on the monumental task of narrowing down submissions from over 200 publishing houses. Their selections for the 20 finalists showcase some of the most talented writers shining in contemporary fiction.
The eventual winner, to be revealed on May 2nd, will join the ranks of past PEN/Faulkner awardees, including literary icons like John Updike, Ann Patchett, and Jesmyn Ward. For book lovers everywhere, it’s exciting to watch some of today’s most gifted storytellers receive recognition. We can’t wait to see who will take home the gold this year!
Witness by Jamel Brinkley (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)
The Guest by Emma Cline (Random House)
Monica by Daniel Clowes (Fantagraphics)
Open Throat by Henry Hoke (MCD)
The Best Possible Experience by Nishanth Injam (Pantheon)
What Happened to Ruthy Ramirez by Claire Jimenez (Grand Central)
Biography of X by Catherine Lacey (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)
The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride (Riverhead)
Absolution by Alice McDermott (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)
Users by Colin Winnette (Soft Skull)
