Author record · 2006 to 2025
Chris Abani: Awards and Best-of Lists
Chris Abani has won 2 awards, including the PEN America Literary Awards (2008) for Song for Night, with 4 shortlist or finalist places and 1 year-end list pick in our archive.
Also credited with Kwame Dawes
Every recognition
| Year | Book | Source | Result | Translator |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Toward a Living Archive of African Poetry: Kwame Dawes and Chris Abani on the New-Generation African Poets Chapbook Series | Library Journal Best Books source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Poetry | |
| 2023 | Smoking the Bible | PEN America Literary Awards source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Finalist · PEN/Voelcker Award for Poetry Collection | |
| 2015 | The Secret History of Las Vegas | Edgar Allan Poe Awards source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Winner · Best Paperback Original | |
| 2015 | The Secret History of Las Vegas | Hurston/Wright Legacy Award source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Finalist · Fiction | |
| 2008 | Song for Night | PEN America Literary Awards source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Winner · PEN Open Book Award | |
| 2008 | Song for Night | Dayton Literary Peace Prize source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Finalist · Fiction | |
| 2006 | GraceLand | Dublin Literary Award source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Shortlist · Fiction |
Books
- Song for Night2 sources · 2008
- The Secret History of Las Vegas2 sources · 2015
- GraceLand1 source · 2006
- Smoking the Bible1 source · 2023
- Toward a Living Archive of African Poetry: Kwame Dawes and Chris Abani on the New-Generation African Poets Chapbook Series1 source · 2025