Pen America Announces Its Shortlist For America Literary Awards

Pen America, whose mission is to unite writers and their allies to celebrate creative expression and defend the liberties that make it possible, announced the finalists for the 2017 PEN America Literary Awards. These shortlists showcase 50 exceptional literary works chosen by the esteemed judging panels. With the addition of four new prizes, this year’s awards will be the largest ever, conferring nearly $315,000 to writers and translators spanning the fields of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, biography, essay, translation, and more.

The winners for all 2017 awards will be announced on February 22, with a few notable exceptions. Winners of the PEN/Jean Stein Book Award, PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize for Debut Fiction, PEN/Diamonstein-Spielvogel Award for the Art of the Essay, and the PEN/Nabokov Award for Achievement in International Literature will be announced live on March 27 at the 2017 PEN America Literary Awards Ceremony, which will be held for the first time at The New School’s John L. Tishman Auditorium in Manhattan.