NBF Announces 5 Under 35 Honorees for 2019

Sep 24, 2019

The National Book Foundation has announced its annual 5 Under 35 honorees, a selection of five fiction writers under the age of 35 whose debut work "promises to leave a lasting impression on the literary landscape." Each honoree was selected by a National Book Award winner, finalist, or longlisted author, or by an author previously recognized by the 5 Under 35 program.

The 2019 5 Under 35 Honorees are:

  • Anelise Chen for So Many Olympic Exertions (Kaya Press)
  • Isabella Hammad forThe Parisian (Grove Press)
  • Johannes Lichtman for Such Good Work (Simon & Schuster)
  • Bryan Washington for Lot: Stories (Riverhead)
  • Ashley Wurzbacher for Happy Like This (University of Iowa Press)

This year’s 5 Under 35 selectors are 2016 National Book Award longlister Garth Greenwell, 2018 finalist Brandon Hobson, 2016 National Book Award finalist Viet Thanh Nguyen, 2006 finalist Dana Spiotta, and 2018 longlister Nafissa Thompson-Spires. Their decisions are made independently of the National Book Foundation staff and Board of Directors. Previous honorees include Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah, Lesley Nneka Arimah, Brit Bennett, Yaa Gyasi, Danielle Evans, Lydia Kiesling, Nam Le, Valeria Luiselli, Kirstin Valdez Quade, Karen Russell, Justin Torres, Claire Vaye Watkins, and Tiphanie Yanique, as well as National Book Award longlisted authors Molly Antopol and Akwaeke Emezi, National Book Award finalists Angela Flournoy and Téa Obreht, and 2014 National Book Award winner Phil Klay.

The honorees each receive a $1,000 prize and will be celebrated at an invitation-only ceremony in New York City on November 18, 2019. 5 Under 35 is sponsored by the Amazon Literary Partnership.

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