August 27, 2025 Geraldine Brooks to Receive 2025 Library of Congress Prize for American Fiction

The Library of Congress has announced that the 2025 Library of Congress Prize for American Fiction will be awarded to Geraldine Brooks at the National Book Festival on Sept. 6.

One of the Library’s most prestigious awards, the annual Prize for American Fiction honors an American literary writer whose body of work is distinguished by not only its mastery of the art, but also its originality of thought and imagination.

“One of the reasons we invited Geraldine Brooks to become the next Library of Congress Prize for American Fiction winner is how she makes readers feel. She invites readers into her narratives with such grace and infectious energy and helps us understand the lives of characters who might have lived in other times and other places,” said Acting Librarian of Congress Robert Randolph Newlen. “She has moved millions of American readers, and readers around the world. We are deeply honored that Geraldine is joining us to accept this prize.”

The award seeks to recognize strong, unique, enduring voices that, throughout long and consistently accomplished careers, have told us something about the American experience.

“I am honored by this wonderful prize from America's greatest library,” said Brooks. “As a writer inspired by history, it is moving to be connected by the Library of Congress Prize for American Fiction to the institution created by John Adams for Congress, saved by Thomas Jefferson after the conflagration of 1814, and carried into the present by visionary librarians who value inclusion, free expression and truth.”

Brooks, an author and journalist, was awarded the 2006 Pulitzer Prize for fiction for her novel “March.” Her other bestselling novels include “People of the Book,” “Caleb’s Crossing,” “The Secret Chord,” “Horse” and “Year of Wonders,” which has been translated into more than 30 languages.

As a journalist, Brooks reported for The Sydney Morning Herald before eventually covering crises in the Middle East, Africa and the Balkans for The Wall Street Journal. She and her husband, journalist and author Tony Horwitz, won the Overseas Press Club Award for best coverage of the Gulf War. Brooks will discuss her latest book, “Memorial Days,” at the 2025 National Book Festival. The memoir recounts the sudden death of her husband and her struggle to come to terms with loss. Brooks’ writing career has included both fiction and nonfiction, however Newlen’s appreciation for all of her books compelled him to invite her to accept this prize in a year when she has published nonfiction.

Uniting book lovers for 25 years, the Library of Congress National Book Festival returns on Saturday, Sept. 6, 2025, from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C. The event is free and open to the public. Throughout the day, attendees will hear conversations with more than 85 authors whose literary genres range from fiction to nonfiction, picture book to biography, poetry to young adult, and more. The festival will also offer activities and programs for families and book lovers of all ages. A selection of programs will be livestreamed, and recordings of all presentations can be viewed online following the festival.

The National Book Festival is made possible by the generous support of private- and public-sector sponsors who share the Library’s commitment to reading and literacy, led by National Book Festival Co-Chair David M. Rubenstein. Sponsors include General Motors, James Madison Council, Institute of Museum and Library Services, Friends of the Library of Congress, the John W. Kluge Center, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), Diane and Tim Naughton, the Hay-Adams, Joseph and Lynn Deutsch, the Library of Congress Federal Credit Union and the Junior League of Washington.

Presenting Partners include NPR and C-SPAN’s Book TV, which will televise select events and interview featured authors. Media Partners also include The Washington Post, Libro.fm, the Baltimore Orioles and the Washington Nationals.

For more information on the prize, including previous winners, visit https://www.loc.gov/programs/poetry-and-literature/prizes/fiction-prize/.

About the Library of Congress

The Library of Congress is the world’s largest library, offering access to the creative record of the United States – and extensive materials from around the world – both on-site and online. It is the main research arm of the U.S. Congress and the home of the U.S. Copyright Office. Explore collections, reference services and other programs and plan a visit at loc.gov; access the official site for U.S. federal legislative information at congress.gov; and register creative works of authorship at copyright.gov.