Believer Book Award is an American literary award presented yearly by The Believer magazine to novels and story collections the magazine's editors thought were the "strongest and most under-appreciated" of the year. A shortlist and longlist are announced, along with reader's favorites, then a final winner is selected by the magazine's editors. The inaugural award was in 2005 for books published in 2004.
Winners and shortlist
The year below denotes when the books were published; the award is announced the following year. Thus below, the inaugural 2004 books were announced in early to mid-2005.
Winners are listed first, highlighted in boldface, and indicated with a double dagger ()
The shortlist was announced in February 2005. The winner was announced in March 2005.
Sam Lipsyte, Home LandMichelle de Kretser, The Hamilton CaseLucy Ellmann, Dot in the UniverseSelah Saterstrom, The Pink InstitutionFrancisco Goldman, The Divine HusbandThe shortlist was announced in February 2006. The winner was announced in March 2006.
Sesshu Foster, Atomik AztexTrinie Dalton, Wide EyedAimee Bender, Willful CreaturesJohn Wray, Canaan's TongueTom Bissell, God Lives in St. PetersburgThe winner, and reader survey of best books, was announced in May 2007.
Cormac McCarthy, The RoadReader and writer survey of best books.The shortlist was announced in May 2008. The winner was announced in June 2008.
Tom McCarthy, RemainderJesse Ball, Samedi the DeafnessGerard Donovan, SunlessSteve Erickson, ZerovilleElizabeth Hand, Generation LossAlain Mabanckou, African PsychoMiranda Mellis, The RevisionistLydie Salvayre, The Power of FliesSelah Saterstrom, The Meat and Spirit PlanJoe Weisberg, An Ordinary SpyThe shortlist was announced in February 2009. The winner was announced in March 2009.
Emily Perkins, Novel About My WifeSamantha Hunt, The Invention of Everything ElseMary Ruefle, The Most of ItJohn Olson, Souls of WindJim Krusoe, Girl FactoryTod Wodicka, All Shall Be Well; And All Shall Be Well; and All Manner of Things Shall Be WellToby Olson, TampicoShannon Burke, Black FliesThe shortlist was announced in March 2010. The winner was announced in May 2010.
Percival Everett, I Am Not Sidney PoitierChristopher Miller, The Cardboard Universe: A Guide to the World of Phoebus K. DankMary Robison, One D.O.A., One on the WayBlake Butler, Scorch AtlasPadgett Powell, The Interrogative MoodThe shortlist was announced in March 2011. The winner was announced in May 2011.
James Hynes, NextDanielle Dutton, SprawlKira Henehan, Orion You Came and You Took All My MarblesGrace Krilanovich, The Orange Eats CreepsPaul Murray, Skippy DiesThe shortlist was announced in March 2012. The winner was announced in May 2012.
Ben Lerner, Leaving the Atocha StationJesse Ball, The CurfewHelen DeWitt, Lightning RodsLars Iyer, SpuriousMichelle Latiolais, WidowThe shortlist was announced in March 2013. The winner was announced in April 2013.
Tamara Faith Berger, MaidenheadBarbara Browning, I'm Trying to Reach YouKarl Ove Knausgaard, My Struggle (Book One)Jim Krusoe, ParsifalSergio De La Pava, A Naked SingularityThe shortlist was announced in March 2014. The winner was announced in April 2014.
Rebecca Lee, Bobcat and Other StoriesKiese Laymon, Long DivisionFiona Maazel, Woke Up LonelyKeith Ridgway, Hawthorn and ChildBennett Sims, A Questionable ShapeThe shortlist was announced in March 2015. The winner was announced in the Fall 2015 issue.
Ottessa Moshfegh, McGlueDiane Cook, Man V. NatureValeria Luiselli, Faces in the CrowdElizabeth McCracken, Thunderstruck and Other StoriesAntoine Volodine, Writers