Founded in 2016 in collaboration with the Nabokov Foundation, the award is conferred annually to a living author whose body of work, either written in or translated into English, represents the highest level of achievement in fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and/or drama, and is of enduring originality and consummate craftsmanship. Previous winners include Edna O’Brien and Adonis.
Edna O'Brien, 2018 Honoree
Judges: Diana Abu-Jaber and Michael Ondaatje
From the judges’ citation: “Transcending genres and periods, Edna O’Brien is a master of the page. Drawing out the singular nuances of a town, a character, an interaction, or a gesture, her writing is bold, her voice fearless and compelling. In reading her work, readers are brought to understand what it means to travel imaginatively and bravely, to look clearly and dispassionately upon the spectrum of human emotion.
Emerging from a time and place when women authors were not the norm, O’Brien endured public condemnation, her books were burned and banned. Through it all, her writing remained undaunted, vital, her force unmitigated. Her stories cross oceans, go on the run, risk life and limb, and her readers are swept along on extraordinary journeys.”
Edna O’Brien’s work includes The Country Girls, Girl With Green Eyes, Saints and Sinners, and, most recently, The Little Red Chairs.
Featured Works
History
Selection Process
The winner is selected by a panel of judges. There are no outside nominations.