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National Book Critics Circle Awards 2014

The 2014 National Book Critics Circle Awards went to Can't We Talk About Something More Pleasant? by Roz Chast (Autobiography), Tennessee Williams: Mad Pilgrimage of the Flesh by John Lahr (Biography) and The Essential Ellen Willis by Ellen Willis (Criticism), with winners in 4 more categories. 31 books were finalists across 7 categories.

Winners

Autobiography

  1. Can't We Talk About Something More Pleasant? by Roz Chastsource (opens in a new tab)

Biography

  1. Tennessee Williams: Mad Pilgrimage of the Flesh by John Lahrsource (opens in a new tab)

Criticism

  1. The Essential Ellen Willis by Ellen Willissource (opens in a new tab)

Fiction

  1. Lila by Marilynne Robinsonsource (opens in a new tab)

General Nonfiction

  1. The Problem of Slavery in the Age of Emancipation by David Brion Davissource (opens in a new tab)

John Leonard Prize

  1. Redeployment by Phil Klaysource (opens in a new tab)

Poetry

  1. Citizen: An American Lyric by Claudia Rankinesource (opens in a new tab)

Finalists

Autobiography

  1. Little Failure by Gary Shteyngartsource (opens in a new tab)
  2. The Other Side by Lacy M. Johnsonsource (opens in a new tab)
  3. The Splendid Things We Planned: A Family Portrait by Blake Baileysource (opens in a new tab)
  4. There Was and There Was Not by Meline Toumanisource (opens in a new tab)

Biography

  1. "Literchoor Is My Beat": A Life of James Laughlin, Publisher of New Directions by Ian S. MacNivensource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Rebel Yell: The Violence, Passion and Redemption of Stonewall Jackson by S.C. Gwynnesource (opens in a new tab)
  3. The Crusades of Cesar Chavez: A Biography by Miriam Pawelsource (opens in a new tab)
  4. William Wells Brown: An African American Life by Ezra Greenspansource (opens in a new tab)

Criticism

  1. Citizen: An American Lyric by Claudia Rankinesource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Geek Sublime: The Beauty of Code, the Code of Beauty by Vikram Chandrasource (opens in a new tab)
  3. On Immunity: An Innoculation by Eula Bisssource (opens in a new tab)
  4. What Would Lynne Tillman Do? by Lynne Tillmansource (opens in a new tab)

Fiction

  1. A Brief History of Seven Killings by Marlon Jamessource (opens in a new tab)
  2. An Unnecessary Woman by Rabih Alameddinesource (opens in a new tab)
  3. Euphoria by Lily Kingsource (opens in a new tab)
  4. On Such a Full Sea by Chang-rae Leesource (opens in a new tab)

General Nonfiction

  1. Capital in the Twenty-First Century by Thomas Piketty, translated by Arthur Goldhammersource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Deep Down Dark: The Untold Stories of 33 Men Buried in a Chilean Mine, and the Miracle that Set Them Free by Hector Tobarsource (opens in a new tab)
  3. The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History by Elizabeth Kolbertsource (opens in a new tab)
  4. The Zhivago Affair: The Kremlin, the CIA, and the Battle over a Forbidden Book by Peter Finn and Petra Couveesource (opens in a new tab)

Poetry

  1. Abide by Jake Adam Yorksource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Once in the West by Christian Wimansource (opens in a new tab)
  3. Prelude to Bruise by Saeed Jonessource (opens in a new tab)
  4. The Essential Hits of Shorty Bon Bon by Willie Perdomosource (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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