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National Book Critics Circle Awards 2013

The 2013 National Book Critics Circle Awards went to Farewell, Fred Voodoo: A Letter From Haiti by Amy Wilentz (Autobiography), Jonathan Swift: His Life And His World by Leo Damrosch (Biography) and Distant Reading by Franco Moretti (Criticism), with winners in 4 more categories. 31 books were finalists across 7 categories.

Winners

Autobiography

  1. Farewell, Fred Voodoo: A Letter From Haiti by Amy Wilentzsource (opens in a new tab)

Biography

  1. Jonathan Swift: His Life And His World by Leo Damroschsource (opens in a new tab)

Criticism

  1. Distant Reading by Franco Morettisource (opens in a new tab)

Fiction

  1. Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichiesource (opens in a new tab)

General Nonfiction

  1. Five Days At Memorial: Life And Death In A Storm-Ravaged Hospital by Sheri Finksource (opens in a new tab)

John Leonard Prize

  1. A Constellation Of Vital Phenomena by Anthony Marrasource (opens in a new tab)

Poetry

  1. Metaphysical Dog by Frank Bidartsource (opens in a new tab)

Finalists

Autobiography

  1. Men We Reaped by Jesmyn Wardsource (opens in a new tab)
  2. The Book Of My Lives by Aleksandar Hemonsource (opens in a new tab)
  3. The Faraway Nearby by Rebecca Solnitsource (opens in a new tab)
  4. Wave by Sonali Deraniyagalasource (opens in a new tab)

Biography

  1. Bach: Music In The Castle Of Heaven by John Eliot Gardinersource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Birth Certificate: The Story Of Danilo Kis by Mark Thompsonsource (opens in a new tab)
  3. Holding On Upside Down: The Life And Work Of Marianne Moore by Linda Leavellsource (opens in a new tab)
  4. Lawrence In Arabia: War, Deceit, Imperial Folly And The Making Of The Modern Middle East by Scott Andersonsource (opens in a new tab)

Criticism

  1. Confronting The Classics: Traditions, Adventures And Innovations by Mary Beardsource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Forty-One False Starts: Essays On Artists And Writers by Janet Malcolmsource (opens in a new tab)
  3. The Kraus Project: Essays By Karl Kraus by Jonathan Franzensource (opens in a new tab)
  4. White Girls by Hilton Alssource (opens in a new tab)

Fiction

  1. A Tale For The Time Being by Ruth Ozekisource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Someone by Alice McDermottsource (opens in a new tab)
  3. The Goldfinch by Donna Tarttsource (opens in a new tab)
  4. The Infatuations by Javier Mariassource (opens in a new tab)

General Nonfiction

  1. Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood And The Prison Of Belief by Lawrence Wrightsource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Thank You For Your Service by David Finkelsource (opens in a new tab)
  3. The Unwinding: An Inner History Of The New America by George Packersource (opens in a new tab)
  4. Whitey Bulger: America's Most Wanted Gangster And The Manhunt That Brought Him To Justice by Kevin Cullen and Shelley Murphysource (opens in a new tab)

Poetry

  1. Blowout by Denise Duhamelsource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Elegy Owed by Bob Hicoksource (opens in a new tab)
  3. Milk And Filth by Carmen Gimenez Smithsource (opens in a new tab)
  4. Stay, Illusion by Lucie Brock-Broidosource (opens in a new tab)

About the National Book Critics Circle Awards

Year is the NBCC award year as the Circle labels it: the publication year of the books, with prizes presented the following March (the 2023 awards were presented in March 2024). From bookcritics.org past-awards pages. Category names follow each year's page: General Nonfiction through 2016, Nonfiction from 2017; Autobiography covers the Autobiography/Memoir category. Longlists appear on those pages only from 2024. Reviewing, lifetime, institutional, and service awards are excluded.

Organization: National Book Critics Circle. Years are award years, which can differ from publication years. Official site (opens in a new tab)

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