National Book Foundation to Honor Carolyn Reidy

National Book Foundation is posthumously honoring the late president and CEO of S&S Carolyn Reidy, who died in May, with its 2020 Literarian Award for Outstanding Service to the American Literary Community.

The award will be presented at the 71st National Book Awards Ceremony on November 18. Reidy's husband Stephen will accept the Award on her behalf, as well as the $10,000 prize, which he will donate to Worldreader, Carolyn Reidy's favorite charity.

“Books and readers around the world have benefited deeply from having Carolyn Reidy at the helm of the publishing industry for four decades,” said David Steinberger, Chair of the Board of Directors of the National Book Foundation. “On top of her responsibilities at Simon & Schuster, Carolyn Reidy served on our Board and as the chair of the Foundation's Program Committee. In her almost two decades of generous service, she instilled energy, creativity, and insight into all of the National Book Foundation’s programming. Though the National Book Foundation has not presented the Literarian Award posthumously before, the Foundation’s Board was unanimous that we should recognize Carolyn and her legacy of service to literature.”