National Book Critics Circle
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The National Book Critics Circle (NBCC) is an American
nonprofit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...
(
501(c)(3) A 501(c)(3) organization is a United States corporation, Trust (business), trust, unincorporated association or other type of organization exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of Title 26 of the United States Code. It is one of ...
) with more than 700 members. It is the
professional association A professional association (also called a professional body, professional organization, or professional society) is a group that usually seeks to advocacy, further a particular profession, the interests of individuals and organisations engaged in ...
of American
book review A book review is a form of literary criticism in which a book is merely described (summary review) or analyzed based on content, style, and merit. A book review may be a primary source, an opinion piece, a summary review, or a scholarly view. B ...
editors and critics, known primarily for the
National Book Critics Circle Award The National Book Critics Circle Awards are a set of annual American literary awards by the National Book Critics Circle (NBCC) to promote "the finest books and reviews published in English".literary awards A literary award or literary prize is an award presented in recognition of a particularly lauded Literature, literary piece or body of work. It is normally presented to an author. Organizations Most literary awards come with a corresponding award c ...
presented every March. These are for Criticism, Fiction, Autobiography, Biography, Nonfiction, Poetry and the Gregg Barrios Book in Translation Prize. The organization was founded in April 1974 in
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
by " John Leonard, Nona Balakian, and Ivan Sandrof intending to extend the Algonquin round table to a national conversation".National Book Critics Circle (NBCC): About
"Thirty-five Years of Quality Writing and Criticism"
Retrieved 2012-02-02.
It was formally chartered in October 1974 as a
New York state New York, also called New York State, is a state in the northeastern United States. Bordered by New England to the east, Canada to the north, and Pennsylvania and New Jersey to the south, its territory extends into both the Atlantic Ocean and ...
non-profit corporation, and the Advisory Board voted in November to establish annual literary awards.''The National Book Critics Circle Journal'' 1:1, March 1, 1975
, NBCC. Retrieved 2012-02-02.
In the first newsletter three months later, President Ivan Sandrof proclaimed the primary purpose "to improve and maintain the standards of
literary criticism A genre of arts criticism, literary criticism or literary studies is the study, evaluation, and interpretation of literature. Modern literary criticism is often influenced by literary theory, which is the philosophical analysis of literature's ...
in an era of diminishing and deteriorating values". At that time there were 140 members, with outreach to freelance critics planned for that year. NBCC first presented its Awards in January 1976 to books published during 1975 in four categories.''The National Book Critics Circle Journal'' 2:1, Spring 1976
, NBCC. Retrieved 2012-02-02.
Only active review editors and reviewers may be voting members; they elect the 24 Directors who formally make nominations and alone make final selections each year."Membership"
(no date), NBCC. Retrieved 2012-02-02.
A fifth award category for books (Autobiography/Biography) was added for 1983 and divided in two for 2005. Since 2005, there have been eight awards. Six National Book Critics Circle Awards recognize "best books" published in the United States during the preceding year in six categories: fiction, nonfiction, autobiography, biography, criticism, and poetry."Frequently Asked Questions"
(no date), NBCC. Retrieved 2012-02-02.
Annually "the most accomplished reviewer" among its members is recognized by the Nona Balakian Citation for Excellence in Reviewing (from 1991). The NBCC also recognizes no more than one person or organization for "exceptional contributions to books" with the
Ivan Sandrof Lifetime Achievement Award The Ivan Sandrof Lifetime Achievement Award, established in 1981, is an annual literary award presented by the National Book Critics Circle in honor of its first president, Ivan Sandrof. The award "is given to a person or institution who has, ove ...
(from 1981 under more than one name).All eight awards are officially dated in the preceding year. As a professional association, NBCC also works to improve the quality of reviews and provides services to its members.


Controversies

In 2020, more than half of the 24 board members resigned over conflicting views on how to address perceived racial disparities both on the board, and within the industry they represent. This demonstrative revolt has also been attributed to breaches in confidentiality stemming from leaked emails, and the dismissive, antagonistic communication style of a long-standing board member, Carlin Romano, whom half the board members describe as a bully. Overall, the mass resignations amount to a controversy seen as part of an industry-wide reckoning concerning the lack of diversity in publishing and literary awards.


First Board of Directors (1975)

* President: Ivan Sandrof, ''The Worcester Telegram-Gazette'' * Vice President: Digby Diehl, ''Los Angeles Times'' * Secretary: Nona Balakian, ''The New York Times Book Review'' * Treasurer: Susan Heath, ''The Saturday Review'' * Barbara A. Bannon, ''Publishers Weekly'' * John Barkham, ''John Barkham Reviews'' * Alvin Beam, ''Cleveland Plain Dealer'' * Alice Cromie, Freelance Critic * Martha Duffy, ''Time'' * Eliot Fremont-Smith, ''The Village Voice'' * Elizabeth Hardwick, ''New York Review of Books'' * Herbert A. Kenny, ''Freelance Critic'' * John Leonard, ''The New York Times Book Review'' * Thorpe Menn, ''The Kansas City Star'' * Stanton Peckham, ''Denver Post'' * Peter S. Prescott, Newsweek * Larry Swindell, ''Philadelphia Inquirer'' * Jonathan Yardley, ''Miami Herald''


Presidents

* 1974–1976: Ivan Sandrof, '' Worcester Telegram-Gazette'' * 1976–1982: Eliot Fremont-Smith, ''
Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture publication based in Greenwich Village, New York City, known for being the country's first alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Ma ...
'' * 1982–1984:  Richard Locke, '' Vanity Fair'' * 1984–1986: Brigitte Weeks, '' The Washington Post Book World'' * 1986–1990: Nina King, ''
Newsday ''Newsday'' is a daily newspaper in the United States primarily serving Nassau and Suffolk counties on Long Island, although it is also sold throughout the New York metropolitan area. The slogan of the newspaper is "Newsday, Your Eye on LI" ...
'' * 1990–1992:
Jack Miles John R. Miles (born July 30, 1942) is an American author. He is a winner of the Pulitzer Prize, a Guggenheim Fellowship and the MacArthur Fellowship. His writings on religion, politics, and culture have appeared in numerous national publication ...
, ''
Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...
'' * 1992–1994: Herbert Liebowitz, ''Parnassus'' * 1994–1996: Carlin Romano, ''
Philadelphia Inquirer ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'', often referred to simply as ''The Inquirer'', is a daily newspaper headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Founded on June 1, 1829, ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'' is the third-longest continuously operating da ...
'' * 1996–1998: Art Winslow, ''
The Nation ''The Nation'' is a progressive American monthly magazine that covers political and cultural news, opinion, and analysis. It was founded on July 6, 1865, as a successor to William Lloyd Garrison's '' The Liberator'', an abolitionist newspaper ...
'' * 1998–2000: Barbara Hoffert, ''
Library Journal ''Library Journal'' is an American trade publication for librarians. It was founded in 1876 by Melvil Dewey. It reports news about the library world, emphasizing public libraries, and offers feature articles about aspects of professional prac ...
'' * 2001–2004: Elizabeth Taylor, ''
Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is an American daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1847, it was formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper", a slogan from which its once integrated WGN (AM), WGN radio and ...
'' * 2004–2006: Rebecca T. Miller, ''
Library Journal ''Library Journal'' is an American trade publication for librarians. It was founded in 1876 by Melvil Dewey. It reports news about the library world, emphasizing public libraries, and offers feature articles about aspects of professional prac ...
'' * 2006–2008: John Freeman, Freelance Critic * 2008–2011: Jane Ciabattari, Freelance Critic * 2011–2013: Eric Banks, ''
Bookforum ''Bookforum'' is an American book review magazine devoted to books and the discussion of literature. After announcing that it would cease publication in December 2022, it reported its relaunch under the direction of ''The Nation'' magazine six mo ...
'' * 2013–2015: Laurie Muchnick, ''
Bloomberg News Bloomberg News (originally Bloomberg Business News) is an international news agency headquartered in New York City and a division of Bloomberg L.P. Content produced by Bloomberg News is disseminated through Bloomberg Terminals, Bloomberg T ...
'' * 2015–2017: Tom Beer, ''
Newsday ''Newsday'' is a daily newspaper in the United States primarily serving Nassau and Suffolk counties on Long Island, although it is also sold throughout the New York metropolitan area. The slogan of the newspaper is "Newsday, Your Eye on LI" ...
'' * 2017–2019: Kate Tuttle, ''
Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe,'' also known locally as ''the Globe'', is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes. ''The Boston Globe'' is the oldest and largest daily new ...
'' * 2019–2020: Laurie Hertzel, ''
Minneapolis Star Tribune ''The Minnesota Star Tribune'', formerly the ''Minneapolis Star Tribune'', is an American daily newspaper based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. As of 2023, it is Minnesota's largest newspaper and the seventh-largest in the United States by circula ...
'' * 2020-2020: Jane Ciabattari, Freelance Critic (acting) * 2020–2022: David Varno, ''
Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...
'' * 2022–2023: Megan Labrise, '' Kirkus'' * 2023-present: Heather Scott Partington, Freelance Critic


References


External links

* {{official, https://www.bookcritics.org/
How National Book Critics Circle Chooses Its Awards
by NBCC President Jane Ciabattari, ''
The Daily Beast ''The Daily Beast'' is an American news website focused on politics, media, and pop culture. Founded in 2008, the website is owned by IAC Inc. It has been characterized as a "high-end tabloid" by Noah Shachtman, the site's editor-in-chief ...
'', January 22, 2011. Literary criticism Critics associations Professional associations based in the United States Organizations established in 1974 501(c)(3) organizations 1974 establishments in New York City Algonquin Round Table *