The winner of the 2025 Republic of Consciousness Prize, United States and Canada, is The Remembered Soldier, written by Anjet Daanje and translated from Dutch by David McKay.
Daanje’s novel, published by New York–based New Vessel Press, won the fourth annual award, given annually to a book published by a small press. The Remembered Soldier follows Noon Merckem, a World War I soldier who has lost his memory and is living in a psychiatric hospital. Against medical advice, he leaves the hospital with a woman who claims to be his wife, though he’s unsure that she’s telling the truth.
The novel was a finalist for the National Book Award for translated literature and longlisted for the International Booker Prize. A critic for Kirkus called the book “an absorbing tale for the patient reader.”
Lori Feathers, founder of the award, said in a statement, “It’s an honor to recognize and congratulate the work of New Vessel Press with its publication of the extraordinary novel The Remembered Soldier.…Small, independent publishers like New Vessel Press demonstrate time and again that art is a passion, not a corporate endeavor; that curating writers and nurturing their unique prose merits readers’ avid attention and adoration.”
The Republic of Consciousness Prize, United States and Canada, the North American iteration of a U.K. award, was established in 2022. The award’s previous winners are God’s Children Are Little Broken Things, written by Arinze Ifeakandu (A Public Space Books); Lojman, written by Ebru Ojen and translated from Turkish by Aron Aji and Selin Gökçesu (City Lights); and Melvill, written by Rodrigo Fresán and translated from Spanish by Will Vanderhyden (Open Letter Books).
Michael Schaub is a contributing writer.
