Apparently it’s literary awards season in the bookish world, fellow readers. That certainly snuck up on me, as did autumn and the fact that 2026 is only three months away. This literary news round up will focus mostly on that, but first there’s some sad news to share.
- Transgender activist Miss Major has passed away at the age 79. I reviewed her nuanced, insightful memoir-in-interviews, Miss Major Speaks, just last month. Rest well–I know she’ll be deeply missed by many. [Miss Major]
- Tanqueray, the flashy former burlesque dancer whose viral turn on Humans of New York led to her life story being published, has also passed away, at the age of 81. I really don’t care for the moralistic tone Brandon Stanton took in his HONY post about her life, so I won’t link to that, or any of the lazily written obituaries that quote him extensively, here.
And now on to awards season.
- The 2025 Nobel Prize in Literature has been awarded to Hungarian writer László Krasznahorkai. I’m not ashamed to admit I never heard of the guy before last week–the wonderful thing about being a reader is that there are always great “new” writers to discover. The Swedish Academy’s descriptions of his work make it sound quite dark and experimental. [Nobel Prize]
- The 2025 Kirkus Prize was also awarded last week. You can definitely notice the sea change in literary recognition in their choices; a mystery novel of sex, race and class in Texas by a gay white man from the Northeast, non-fiction that somehow assumes nobody knows the Iranian Revolution was important by a white NYT Middle East reporter, and a delightful-looking picture book about body joy by a Vietnamese -Canadian picture book author that I’ve been begging my library to buy for months. I’m not hating–I haven’t read any of these books and have no doubt they’re brilliant–I’m just pointing something out. [LitHub]
- The National Book Award finalists have also been announced, and seem to still be reflective of diverse bookshelves and perspectives. [National Book Awards]
- Last month the Booker Prize shortlist was also announced. Notable entries include Kiran Desai’s magical realism about Indians in America(she won back in 2006, as well) and Susan Choi’s novel reflecting her experiences of growing up Eurasian in the midwest. [NPR]
One more thing before we go…
- Shirley Jackson Award winning author Zin E. Rocklyn is raising support to attend the Under the Volcano Guided Writer’s Residency next year. Slide a few dollars to her GoFundMe or buy a copy of her horror novella, Flowers For The Sea [GoFundMe]
And that’s the diverse bookish news from the last little while, fellow readers. If you buy a book from any of the links on this page, we’ll get paid a commission. If you want to buy a book that puts coins in my pockets, but none of the books featured here, check out the Equal Opportunity Bookshop. Now, go and read something good! Peace!
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