Congratulations to Our National Book Award finalists

Congratulations to Jayne Anne Phillips and T. J. Stiles! Their books are finalists for the 2009 National Book Award. Winners will be announced on November 18th.

In the fiction category, Jayne Anne Phillips’s Lark and Termite stands tall against some very fine contenders. The panel of judges in this category include Lydia Millet, Junot Díaz, and our own Jennifer Egan.

The First Tycoon: The Epic Life of Cornelius Vanderbilt earned a finalist spot in the nonfiction category. The judges are David Blight, Amanda Foreman, Steve Olson, Camille Paglia, and John Phillip Santos.

We wish the best of luck to our fantastic finalists! Here’s hoping November 18th brings some well-deserved good news.