2008 National Book Award Winners Announced

The always anticipated winners of the National Book Awards were announced November 19th at the National Book Foundation's 59th Annual National Book Awards Ceremony in New York City.

The winners for 2008 are:

Fiction: Peter Matthiessen for Shadow Country

Nonfiction: Annette Gordon-Reed for The Hemingses of Monticello: An American Family

Poetry: Mark Doty for Fire to Fire: New and Collected Poems

Young People Literature: Judy Blundell for What I Saw and How I Lied

Also presented awards were Maxine Hong Kingston, the recipient of the National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters, and publisher Barney Rosset, recipient of the Literarian Award for Outstanding Service to the American Literary Community.

Congratulations to all winners!