August 14, 2020, 1:31pm
Every year, Longwood University’s John Dos Passos Prize sets out to celebrate one vital but under-appreciated writer. Previous recipients include Colson Whitehead, Tom Wolfe, and Annie Proulx. (Obviously, they were awarded the Dos Passos Prize before they won, say, two Pulitzer Prizes.) This year’s finalists were announced today.
“These finalists represent everything the Dos Passos Prize for Literature is about. Their books are innovative, smart, challenging and resistant to easy categorization … These finalists represent various styles, subjects and places, but all six explore crucial truths about the American experience,” said Brandon Haffner, chair of the selection jury.
Stay tuned: the winner will be announced next month. Congratulations to the finalists!
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Alexander Chee: The Queen of the Night; Edinburgh
Aleksandar Hemon: The Lazarus Project; Nowhere Man
Gish Jen: Typical American; The Resisters
Dana Johnson: Elsewhere, California; Break Any Woman Down
Hari Kunzru: White Tears; Gods Without Men
Valeria Luiselli: The Story of My Teeth; Lost Children Archive