62nd (US) National Book Awards

"Salvage the Bones", by Jesmyn Ward, the grim tale of a community devastated by Hurricane Katrina, has won the 62nd National Book Award for Fiction.

"The Swerve", by Stephen Greenblatt, which is an account of the rediscovery of the Latin poet Lucretius, has won the award in the non-fiction category.

The poetry prize has been awarded to Nikki Finney’s "Head Off & Split by Nikki Finney.

“Inside Out & Back Again" by Thanhhai Lai, which is the story of a Vietnamese family in Alabama, received the prize for Young People’s Literature.

Each of the winners receives US $10,000.

Honorary prizes were awarded to the Florida-based bookseller Mitch Kaplan and the poet John Ashbery.