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Anthony Doerr and Jonathan Safran Foer Win The New York Public Library Young Lions Fiction Award New York, NY, March 19, 2003 – At an award ceremony Wednesday night, New York Public Library President Paul LeClerc announced that for the first time two authors were selected to receive the annual Young Lions Fiction Award from among the five writers who had been selected as finalists. The winners are Anthony Doerr, for his story collection, The Shell Collector and Jonathan Safran Foer for his novel Everything Is Illuminated. "These two works of fiction are both so different and yet so accomplished in their own distinct ways that the judges felt the prize should be shared by both authors," said Dr. LeClerc in presenting the awards. The other finalists were Adam Johnson for Emporium, Ben Marcus for Notable American Women, and Peter Rock for The Ambidextrist. The Fiction Award honors a novel or collection of short stories published within the calendar year by an American author age 35 or younger. The award was established by the Young Lions, a membership group for supporters of the Library in their 20s and 30s, and it is the only major book prize that recognizes fiction by younger writers. The establishment of the award was spearheaded by committee members Rick Moody, Ethan Hawke, and Jennifer Rudolph Walsh. In his collection of eight stories, Anthony Doerr offers vividly-drawn portrayals of humans seeking refuge and renewal in nature. A New York Times review of his book said "Doerr's prose dazzles, his sinewy sentences blending the naturalist's unswerving gaze with the poet's gift for metaphor." "Each story is brilliantly crafted," said Dr. LeClerc in presenting Doerr with his award, "and each perfectly strikes the delicate balance between prose and content." Everything is Illuminated traces the journey of a young writer—also named Jonathan Safran Foer—who travels to Europe in search of the woman who might or might not have saved his grandfather from the Nazis. He meets up with a young Ukrainian translator who speaks a sublimely butchered English, and the story of their quixotic journey is interwoven with the history of Foer's grandfather's village. Everything is Illuminated has been widely praised. New York magazine called it "a remarkable first novel," and the Los Angeles Times said it is a "veritable box of treasures." Dr. LeClerc commented that Foer "juxtaposes comedy and tragedy with extraordinary skill. The effect is a highly imaginative and totally original work of fiction." The ceremony, held in the Library’s Celeste Bartos Forum, featured actors Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman reading excerpts from the finalists’ works. Novelist Rick Moody (The Ice Storm, Demonology) spoke about the challenges facing aspiring writers, and literary agent Jennifer Rudolph Walsh introduced the writers and their work. In accepting his award, Anthony Doer graciously acknowledged the other finalists, recognizing how each of them stayed true to their own literary inspiration despite the pressures of the publishing marketplace. "The point is to push on," Doerr said, "and all four of the other writers did that and saw through their internal critics." Jonathan Safran Foer was out of the country and unable to attend the ceremony. His award was accepted by his editor, Eric Chinski, who explained that Foer spent hundreds of hours in The New York Public Library's third floor Rose Main Reading Room "writing and pondering the Library's pneumatic tube system. I have many emails from Jonathan written from this library, and maybe we should publish them someday," Chinski added. Nominations for the 2004 award are now being accepted. Award nomination guidelines and entry forms are available from the Library’s web site or by calling 212-930-0887. Submissions for books published in 2003 will be accepted through August 1, 2003. About the Young Lions ### Press Contact: Herb Scher 212.221.7676
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