The Library of Congress has revealed the winner of its 2026 Prize for American Fiction, which recognizes “strong, unique, enduring voices that, throughout long and consistently accomplished careers, have told us something about the American experience.”
Ann Patchett, the author known for novels including Bel Canto and State of Wonder, will be honored with the award at the National Book Festival in Washington, D.C., on Aug. 22.
Patchett made her literary debut in 1992 with The Patron Saint of Liars and followed that up with Taft and The Magician’s Assistant. In 2001, she published Bel Canto, a novel about a hostage crisis in a South American country; the book won the Women’s Prize for Fiction (then called the Orange Prize) and the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction.
Her other novels include Run, Commonwealth, The Dutch House, Tom Lake, and, most recently, Whistler, published earlier this month. Last week, the Dayton Literary Peace Prize announced that Patchett is the winner of its Ambassador Richard C. Holbrooke Distinguished Achievement Award.
Acting Librarian of Congress Robert R. Newlen said in a statement, “Ann Patchett crafts moving, probing, tender novels. She has a talent for creating fiction that readers continually devour because she thinks deeply and writes evocatively about human connection.”
And Patchett said, “The Library of Congress is one of our nation’s noblest institutions, and it’s full of librarians, who I consider to be the very noblest of people. I am grateful for this award and honored by the association.”
The Library of Congress Prize for American Fiction was established in 2008. Previous winners include Toni Morrison, Don DeLillo, Louise Erdrich, and Jesmyn Ward.
Michael Schaub is a contributing writer.
