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Announcing the 2021 Young Lions Fiction Award Finalists

By NYPL Staff
April 9, 2021
stack of hardcover books on a pillar

We are pleased to announce the finalists for the twenty-first annual Young Lions Fiction Award, honoring the works of five talented young authors.

The finalists for the 2021 Young Lions Fiction Award are:

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Little Gods by Meng Jin

A story of migrations literal and emotional, spanning time, space and class, Little Gods is a sharp yet expansive exploration of the aftermath of unfulfilled dreams, an immigrant story in negative that grapples with our tenuous connections to memory, history, and self.

 

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Pewby Catherine Lacey

Pew is a foreboding, provocative, and amorphous fable about the world today: its contradictions, its flimsy morality, and the limits of judging others based on their appearance.

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Temporary by Hilary Leichter

This riveting quest, at once hilarious and profound, will resonate with anyone who has ever done their best at work, even when the work is only temporary.

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Real Life by Brandon Taylor

Real Life is a novel of profound and lacerating power, a story that asks if it’s ever really possible to overcome our private wounds, and at what cost.

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How Much of These Hills Is Gold by C Pam Zhang

Both epic and intimate, blending Chinese symbolism and reimagined history with fiercely original language and storytelling, How Much of These Hills Is Gold is a haunting adventure story, an unforgettable sibling story, and the announcement of a stunning new voice in literature.

 

NYPL cardholders can find these books on SimplyE, the Library's free e-reader app. Plus, new users who live in New York State can apply for a library card directly through the app. Learn more and download for iPad/iPhone and Android.

Which book do you think should win? Join the conversation on social media using #NYPLYoungLions!

About the Young Lions Fiction Award

Founded in 2001 by Ethan Hawke, Jennifer Rudolph Walsh, Rick Moody, and Hannah McFarland, the Young Lions Fiction Award is given annually to an American writer age 35 or younger for either a novel or a collection of short stories. Each year, five young fiction writers are selected as finalists by a reading committee of writers, editors, and librarians. A panel of award judges—which this year includes 2019 winner Ling Ma—will select the winner of this year's $10,000 prize.

Past winners of the Young Lions Fiction Award include: Bryan Washington, Lot, Ling Ma, Severance; Lesley Nneka Arimah, What It Means When a Man Falls from the Sky; Karan Mahajan, The Association of Small Bombs; Amelia Gray, Gutshot; Molly Antopol, The UnAmericans; Jonathan Safran Foer, Everything is Illuminated; and Colson Whitehead, John Henry Days.

The Award is made possible by an endowment created with generous gifts from Russell Abrams, Nina Collins, Hannah and Gavin McFarland, Ethan Hawke, Stephan Loewentheil, Rick Moody, Andrea Olshan, and Jennifer Rudolph Walsh.

About the Young Lions

The Young Lions is a special membership group for people in their 20s and 30s who love literature, a good cocktail, and the Library. Membership provides critical support to the Library's Book Fund, which ensures all New Yorkers have access to books, e-books, and other essential resources, completely free of charge.

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