New York: The 75th National Book Award ceremony was held in New York, honoring a group of writers for their achievements that reflect the diversity and richness of contemporary literature. The event celebrated the exceptional work of authors across various literary categories. According to Kuwait News Agency, the ceremony was organized by the US National Book Foundation and attended by cultural figures, movie stars, and musicians on Wednesday evening. The prestigious awards recognized American novelist Percival Everett for his novel "James" in the novel category. In the translated literature category, Taiwanese author Yang Shuang-zi was honored for her work, "Taiwan Travelogue: A Novel." Anthropologist Jason De Leon received recognition in the non-fiction category for his book "Soldiers and Kings: Survival and Hope in the World of Human Smuggling." Additionally, the awards celebrated American poet of Arab origin, Lena Tuffaha, for her poetry collection "Something about Living." American-Syrian author Sh ifa Safadi was awarded in the young people's literature category for her novel "Kareem Between." Kuwaiti novelist Bothayna Al-Essa was among the finalists in the translated literature category for her novel "The Book Censor's Library," published by Restless Books and translated by Sawad Hussain and Ranya Abdulrahman. Al-Essa's novel, originally published in Arabic in 2019 by Arab Scientific Publishers and Takween Publications, was also recognized in the list of 100 Books to Read in 2024 by American Time magazine. The National Book Award, one of the most prestigious literary honors in the United States, has been awarded annually since 1950. It celebrates literary creativity and supports writers and authors in several categories, including novels, non-fiction, poetry, translated literature, and young people's literature.
