The Book Review

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Welcome to Literary Award Season

Nov 21, 2025

Join Book Review editors Dave Kim, Joumana Khatib, and Emily Eakin as they dissect the whirlwind of this year's literary awards season. They explore the unpredictability of results, the shifting dynamics of juries, and the cultural weight of prestigious prizes. Delve into David Szalay's bold Booker-winning novel, 'Flesh,' and uncover insights into Laszlo Krasznahorkai's acclaimed Nobel win. The panel also discusses the hidden gems among National Book Award winners, highlighting how these accolades shape the literary landscape.

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INSIGHT

Awards Spark Collective Conversation

Book awards create concentrated cultural conversations that help surface overlooked books.
M.J. Franklin says awards corral readers and start debates rather than definitively naming a single 'best.'

insights

INSIGHT

This Year Felt Unsettled

The panel found this year's awards mystifying, curious, and unpredictable.
Joumana Khatib and Emily Eakin link that feeling to a scattered year in books and shifting jury tastes.

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INSIGHT

Prizes Thrive On Provoking Debate

Prizes intentionally provoke disagreement as part of conferring cultural value.
Emily Eakin cites James English's argument that awards exist to generate debate and cultural capital.

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Setting Up Award Season Conversation

First Impressions: Mood of the Season

01:57 • 1min

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Why Awards Feel Unpredictable

03:25 • 4min

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Prizes Invite Debate and Distrust

07:41 • 2min

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Value of Awards for Readers

09:11 • 4min

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Nobel vs. Booker vs. National Book Awards

12:52 • 4min

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Appreciating Award Archives and Citations

Booker Prize Overview and Flesh

19:30 • 2min

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Stylistic Trends on the Booker Shortlist

21:37 • 3min

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Surprises, Favorites, and Underdogs

24:22 • 4min

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Hungarian Writers and Nobel Context

28:49 • 5min

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Reading Krasznahorkai: Recommendations

National Book Awards Winners Announced

39:28 • 1min

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Reactions to Fiction and Nonfiction Winners

40:43 • 3min

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Fiction Winner: Rabih Alameddine

44:01 • 4min

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National Book Awards as Community Gathering

We Are Green and Trembling

Robin Myers

Gabriela Cabezón Cámara

The Intentions of Thunder, new and selected poems

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Patricia Smith

The Teacher of Nomadland, A World War II Story

A World War II Story

Daniel Nayeri

The True Story of Raja the Gullible and His Mother

• Mentioned in 9 episodes

One Day Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This

Omar El Akkad

No description available.

#21722

• Mentioned in 2 episodes

The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny

Seascraper tells the story of Thomas, a young man living in a Northern English coastal town in the 1960s, working as a shanker collecting shrimp. He dreams of becoming a folk musician but is trapped by his circumstances. The arrival of a mysterious American film director offers Thomas a glimpse of a different future. The novel explores themes of class, family legacy, and the pursuit of artistic dreams.

#12324

• Mentioned in 3 episodes

The Melancholy of Resistance

László Krasznahorkai

#61129

The Rest of Our Lives

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Ben Markovitz

#13500

• Mentioned in 3 episodes

Flashlights

Susan Choi

#19281

• Mentioned in 2 episodes

Milkman

Anna Burns

The novel tells the story of 'middle sister', an 18-year-old girl living in a Catholic and separatist stronghold during the Troubles in Northern Ireland. She is pursued by 'Milkman', a local paramilitary, which leads to rumors and social ostracism. The story explores themes of gossip, social pressure, and the dangers of being 'interesting' in a tight-knit community. It delves into the complexities of Northern Irish sociopolitics and the universal experience of societies in crisis. The narrative is marked by its distinctive voice, humor, and the daily violence of the protagonist's world.

#845

• Mentioned in 33 episodes

Beloved

Toni Morrison

Published in 1987, 'Beloved' is a work of historical fiction that delves into the aftermath of the American Civil War. The novel centers around Sethe, a Black woman who escaped from slavery in Kentucky and now lives in Ohio. However, her life is haunted by the ghost of her two-year-old daughter, whom she killed to prevent her from being taken back into slavery. The story is deeply intertwined with themes of mother-daughter relationships, the power of family and community, and the lasting impact of slavery on individuals and society. The novel introduces a mysterious figure named Beloved, who is the physical manifestation of Sethe's murdered daughter, and explores how this presence disrupts and ultimately transforms the lives of Sethe and her surviving daughter, Denver. Through a complex narrative that includes flashbacks, stream-of-consciousness monologues, and multiple voices, Morrison examines the trauma and resilience of those affected by slavery.

The Land in Winter

Andrew Miller

#62042

Baron Wenkheim's homecoming

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Laszlo Kreshnahorkai

#8066

• Mentioned in 5 episodes

Satan tango

László Krasznahorkai

#3674

• Mentioned in 10 episodes

Audition

Everything an Actor Needs to Know to Get the Part

Michael Shurtleff

This book, written by Michael Shurtleff, provides comprehensive advice on auditioning techniques. Drawing from his extensive experience in casting over 200 Broadway shows and various film and television productions, Shurtleff offers practical guidance for actors. The book includes his famous '12 Guideposts' for monologue and scene work, such as 'Relationships – how to create them onstage' and 'Conflict – what are you fighting for? ' It covers every aspect of auditioning, from basic acting techniques to handling distractions and risks, and is applicable not only to actors but also to other areas of life where 'auditions' occur.

Hills Like White Elephants

Ernest Hemingway

'Hills Like White Elephants' by Ernest Hemingway is a concise short story set in Spain, depicting a tense conversation between a man and a woman, Jig, as they await a train. The story revolves around their veiled discussion about a pending operation, which is implied to be an abortion. Hemingway's minimalist style and use of subtle dialogue reveal the emotional distance and underlying conflict between the characters. The symbolism of the 'white elephants' in the landscape represents the unwanted and burdensome nature of the pregnancy. Through its stark simplicity, the story explores themes of choice, communication, and the complexities of relationships.

• Mentioned in 8 episodes

Bartleby, the Scrivener

A Story of Wall Street

Herman Melville

The story, narrated by an unnamed lawyer, revolves around Bartleby, a scrivener hired to copy legal documents. Initially, Bartleby is a diligent worker, but he soon begins to refuse tasks with the repetitive phrase 'I would prefer not to'. Despite the lawyer's attempts to reason with him, Bartleby's behavior becomes increasingly bizarre, leading to his eventual arrest and tragic end. The story delves into themes of alienation, the mechanical nature of work, and the societal expectations of the mid-19th century. It is often interpreted as a critique of the sterility and impersonality of the legal and business world of that era.

#12605

• Mentioned in 3 episodes

Flesh

David Szalay

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Literature isn’t a horse race. Taste is subjective, and artistic value can’t be measured in terms of “winners" and “losers.”

That doesn’t mean it’s not fun to try.

The book world’s awards season officially kicked off on Oct. 9, when the Hungarian novelist Laszlo Krasznahorkai won the 2025 Nobel Prize, and continued this month when the Booker Prize in England went to the novel “Flesh,” by the British writer David Szalay (also of Hungarian descent, as it happens). Then this week, five National Book Award winners were crowned in various categories at a ceremony in New York.

On this episode of the podcast, the host MJ Franklin talks with his fellow Book Review editors Emily Eakin, Joumana Khatib and Dave Kim about the finalists, the winners and what this year’s big book awards might tell us about the state of literature in 2025.

We would love to hear your thoughts about this episode, and about the Book Review’s podcast in general. You can send them to books@nytimes.com.

Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

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