George Saunders will be honored with the National Book Foundation’s Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters, the organization announced in a news release.
Saunders is one of the country’s most recognizable and respected fiction writers. He made his publishing debut in 1996 with the story collection CivilWarLand in Bad Decline, which was a finalist for the PEN/Hemingway Award. His other collections include Pastoralia, In Persuasion Nation, Tenth of December, and Liberation Day; he is also the author of a novel, Lincoln in the Bardo, which won the Booker Prize. His next book, the novel Vigil, is scheduled for publication in January.
David Steinberger, the chair of the board of directors of the National Book Foundation, said in a statement, “George Saunders is the author of more than a dozen books—from short story and essay collections to novels and a children’s book—that offer an incisive, comedic, and urgent perspective on our world. Throughout his career, Saunders has captured the imagination of readers and mentored countless writers in and outside of the classroom. It is our honor to celebrate his oeuvre and creative generosity with the 2025 Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters.”
The Distinguished Contribution to American Letters medal was established in 1988. Previous winners include Walter Mosley, Isabel Allende, Ursula K. Le Guin, Toni Morrison, and Barbara Kingsolver.
Saunders will receive the medal at the National Book Awards ceremony on November 19 in New York, alongside Roxane Gay, who will receive the foundation’s Literarian Award for Outstanding Service to the American Literary Community.
Michael Schaub is a contributing writer.
