The 75th National Book Awards were held in New York City on Wednesday (Nov. 21) night. Many authors got their shine, but only one took home the fiction prize. Percival Everett won the National Book Award for the best fiction piece of the year, which came in the form of his book, James.
A reimagining of the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, James follows Jim, who is an escaped slave who befriends Huckleberry in Twain’s novel. Dozens of readers have appreciated Everett’s decision to bring emotion and complexity to the character who has long lived in Huck Finn’s shadow.
“I hope that I have written the novel that Twain did not and also could not have written,” Everett said of his creation during a recent interview. “I do not view the work as a corrective, but rather I see myself in conversation with Twain.”
During his acceptance speech at the 75th National Book Awards, Percival Everett thanked those who have influenced his career the most.
“I want to thank the National Book Foundation and the judges for putting their reputations on the line here,” Everett shared. “And I have to thank my teenage sons, Henry and Myles, whose near-complete apathy about my career helps me keep things in perspective,” he continued. “And as always, my best friend and wife, Danzy Senna.”
To date, Percival Everett has published more than 30 books. Among his more popular works of fiction is Telephone, published in 2020, which focuses on loss and the depths of grief. Erasure, published in 2022, is meant to be a spoof of the publishing industry’s commitment to diversity.
Percival Everett may be considered by some as a high achiever having finished high school at the age of 16 and having received his master’s degree in fiction from Brown University. He received his PhD in Creative Writing and Literature from the University of Southern California (USC).
Photo: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images – NPR