Asian and Asian American Authors Lead 2026 National Book Critics Circle Finalists

The National Book Critics Circle (NBCC) has announced its finalists for the 2026 awards, highlighted by Asian and Asian American voices across nearly every category. As reported by The American Bazaar, the shortlist reflects how diasporic perspectives and Asian narratives have become increasingly central to America’s literary landscape. Prominent nominees include Vietnamese American author Viet Thanh Nguyen for his work in criticism, To Save and to Destroy, and Japanese American novelist Katie Kitamura for her fiction title, Audition.

The fiction category also features Nobel laureate Han Kang for We Do Not Part, while the autobiography shortlist includes legendary Indian author Arundhati Roy for her memoir, Mother Mary Comes to Me. Other notable finalists include Mayukh Sen in the biography category for his book on Merle Oberon (Hollywood’s first South Asian star) and Yuki Tanaka in poetry for Chronicle of Drifting.

In addition to the competitive shortlists, the NBCC is honoring Arundhati Roy with the Ivan Sandrof Lifetime Achievement Award for her career-long contributions to letters. Heather Cass White, the NBCC vice president of awards, stated that these finalists represent "the work of the most alert, most skilled, and most courageous writers of our time."

Anita Dalva, the NBCC chair, specifically noted the international and inclusive nature of this year's selection. "I love that the fiction list this year is so deeply international," Dalva said. "It feels like the right way for the organization to be moving."

The NBCC, comprised of nearly 600 book critics and editors, will announce the winners of the 2026 awards at a ceremony on March 26.

Photos by Bea Phi/Wikimedia Commons and Fourandsixty/Wikimedia Commons