Anne Enright and Robert K. Massie have been named the first recipients of the Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction by the The American Library Association (ALA). Each medalist will receive also $5,000 in prize money.
Enright, the author of The Forgotten Waltz, won in the fiction category. Massie, the author of Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman, won in the nonfiction category.
The other four finalists include Russell Banks for Lost Memory of Skin (fiction), Karen Russell for Swamplandia! (fiction), James Gleick for The Information: A History, a Theory, a Flood (nonfiction) and Manning Marable for Malcolm X: A Life of Reinvention (nonfiction). These four writers will each receive $1,500 as well.
Here’s more from the release: “The medals recognize the best fiction and nonfiction books for adult readers published the previous year in the United States. The selections were unveiled during the ALA Annual Conference in Anaheim, Calif. This is the first time that the ALA, which sponsors the prestigious Youth Media Awards, including the John Newbery and Randolph Caldecott Medals for children’s literature, is offering single-book awards for adult trade fiction and nonfiction. Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction winners and finalists were selected based on the expert judgment and insight of library professionals who work closely with adult readers. This is a departure from most major book awards, which are judged by writers and critics.”
Enright, the author of The Forgotten Waltz, won in the fiction category. Massie, the author of Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman, won in the nonfiction category.
The other four finalists include Russell Banks for Lost Memory of Skin (fiction), Karen Russell for Swamplandia! (fiction), James Gleick for The Information: A History, a Theory, a Flood (nonfiction) and Manning Marable for Malcolm X: A Life of Reinvention (nonfiction). These four writers will each receive $1,500 as well.Here’s more from the release: “The medals recognize the best fiction and nonfiction books for adult readers published the previous year in the United States. The selections were unveiled during the ALA Annual Conference in Anaheim, Calif. This is the first time that the ALA, which sponsors the prestigious Youth Media Awards, including the John Newbery and Randolph Caldecott Medals for children’s literature, is offering single-book awards for adult trade fiction and nonfiction. Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction winners and finalists were selected based on the expert judgment and insight of library professionals who work closely with adult readers. This is a departure from most major book awards, which are judged by writers and critics.”