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Klay was awarded the fiction prize for "Redeployment," his
book of stories about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Osnos
earned his award for "Age of Ambition: Chasing Fortune, Truth,
and Faith in the New China" in the non-fiction category.
"Redeployment" was picked from a short list of fiction works by
authors Rabih Alameddine, Marilynne Robinson, Anthony Doerr and
Emily St. John Mandel.
"I did not think I would be up here," a surprised Klay, who is a
U.S. Marine Corps veteran who served in Iraq, said accepting the
award.
In their citation, the judges described the book as a
"kaleidoscopic vision of conflict and homecoming" and Klay as
the "quintessential storyteller of America's Iraq conflict."
Osnos, who wrote about China's drive toward modernization and
the role of the individual and the Communist Party, competed
among non-fiction works by Roz Chast, John Lahr, Anand Gopal and
Edward O. Wilson.
Louise Gluck was awarded the poetry prize for "Faithful and
Virtuous Night" in the category in which four of the five
finalists were women. Jacqueline Woodson took home the young
people's literature prize for "Brown Girl Dreaming."
The National Book Awards, which are administered by the National
Book Foundation, were established in 1950 to celebrate the best
of American literature. Judges in each of the four categories
select the winner from entries submitted by American publishers.
Ursula K. Le Guin, an award-winning author of fantasy and
science fiction works, children's books and short stories,
received the 2014 Medal for Distinguished Contribution to
American Letters for her transformative impact on American
literature.
"The Left Hand of Darkness" and "The Dispossessed" are among her
works. Previous winners of the medal include E.L. Doctorow,
Arthur Miller, Elmore Leonard and John Updike.
Kyle Zimmer, the president and CEO of First Book, a non-profit
that provides new books to educators and programs serving
children in need, received the National Book Foundation's 2014
Literarian Award for Outstanding Service to the America
Literary.
Last year the award went to author Maya Angelou, who died on May
28 the age of 86.
The finalists in the four categories were selected more than
1,400 entries.
(Editing by Michael Perry)
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