Los Angeles Times Book Prize
1 appearances
-
Edition 39 (2018) Winner
Rebecca Makkai
レベッカ・マッカイ
Rebecca Makkai
Profile
- Gender
- Female
- Born
- 1978-04-20
- Nationality
- United States
- Languages
- English
- Residence History
- Lake Bluff, Illinois (grew up) → Lake Forest, Illinois (residence)
Career
- Occupations
- Novelist, Short story writer, Educator
- Active Years
- 2000-
- Affiliations
- Iowa Writers' Workshop (teaching involvement), Bennington College MFA faculty, Northwestern University (MFA faculty), Lake Forest College (lecturer), Beloit College (Mackey Chair in Creative Writing), StoryStudio Chicago (artistic director)
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Forest Academy | — | — | — | — | United States |
| Washington and Lee University | — | English | B.A. | — | United States |
| Middlebury College (Bread Loaf School of English) | — | — | M.A. | — | United States |
Lake Forest Academy
Country:
United States
Attended high school (years unspecified)
Washington and Lee University
English
Degree:
B.A.
Country:
United States
BA in English (graduation year not specified)
Middlebury College (Bread Loaf School of English)
Degree:
M.A.
Country:
United States
Earned a master's degree at the Bread Loaf School of English
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Pushcart Prize | The George Spelvin Players (short story) | — | Pushcart Press | Won |
| 2018 | Los Angeles Times Book Prize (Fiction) | The Great Believers | Fiction | Los Angeles Times | Won |
| 2019 | Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction | The Great Believers | Fiction | American Library Association (ALA) | Won |
| 2019 | Pulitzer Prize for Fiction | The Great Believers | Fiction | Pulitzer Prize (administered by Columbia University) | Finalist |
| 2018 | National Book Award (Fiction) | The Great Believers | Fiction | National Book Foundation | Finalist |
| 2019 | Stonewall Book Award | The Great Believers | Literature | American Library Association (GLBT Round Table) | Won |
| 2018 | Chicago Review of Books Award | The Great Believers | Fiction | Chicago Review of Books | Finalist |
| 2024 | Libby Book Award (Audiobook) | I Have Some Questions for You (audiobook) | Audiobook | Libby / OverDrive | Won |
| 2015 | Chicago Writers Association — Novel of the Year | The Hundred-Year House | — | Chicago Writers Association | Won |
| 2019 | Chicago Tribune Heartland Prize | The Great Believers | Fiction | Chicago Tribune | Won |
| 2014 | NEA Creative Writing Fellowship | — | — | National Endowment for the Arts | Awarded |
| 2022 | Guggenheim Fellowship | — | — | John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation | Awarded |
| 2024 | Aspen Words Literary Prize (Longlisted) | I Have Some Questions for You | — | Aspen Words | Longlisted |
| 2024 | Carol Shields Prize for Fiction (Longlisted) | I Have Some Questions for You | — | Carol Shields Prize for Fiction | Longlisted |
Pushcart Prize
2017
Work:
The George Spelvin Players (short story)
Organization:
Pushcart Press
Result:
Won
Los Angeles Times Book Prize (Fiction)
2018
Work:
The Great Believers
Category:
Fiction
Organization:
Los Angeles Times
Result:
Won
Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction
2019
Work:
The Great Believers
Category:
Fiction
Organization:
American Library Association (ALA)
Result:
Won
Pulitzer Prize for Fiction
2019
Work:
The Great Believers
Category:
Fiction
Organization:
Pulitzer Prize (administered by Columbia University)
Result:
Finalist
National Book Award (Fiction)
2018
Work:
The Great Believers
Category:
Fiction
Organization:
National Book Foundation
Result:
Finalist
Stonewall Book Award
2019
Work:
The Great Believers
Category:
Literature
Organization:
American Library Association (GLBT Round Table)
Result:
Won
Chicago Review of Books Award
2018
Work:
The Great Believers
Category:
Fiction
Organization:
Chicago Review of Books
Result:
Finalist
Libby Book Award (Audiobook)
2024
Work:
I Have Some Questions for You (audiobook)
Category:
Audiobook
Organization:
Libby / OverDrive
Result:
Won
Chicago Writers Association — Novel of the Year
2015
Work:
The Hundred-Year House
Organization:
Chicago Writers Association
Result:
Won
Chicago Tribune Heartland Prize
2019
Work:
The Great Believers
Category:
Fiction
Organization:
Chicago Tribune
Result:
Won
NEA Creative Writing Fellowship
2014
Organization:
National Endowment for the Arts
Result:
Awarded
Guggenheim Fellowship
2022
Organization:
John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation
Result:
Awarded
Aspen Words Literary Prize (Longlisted)
2024
Work:
I Have Some Questions for You
Organization:
Aspen Words
Result:
Longlisted
Carol Shields Prize for Fiction (Longlisted)
2024
Work:
I Have Some Questions for You
Organization:
Carol Shields Prize for Fiction
Result:
Longlisted
Awards & Nominations
-
Edition 8 (2019) Winner
Stonewall Book Award
1 appearances
-
Edition 46 (2019) Winner
Works
Major Works
The Borrower
2011 Novel (Literary fiction) 320 pagesA novel about family and loss, following a young protagonist raised by adoptive parents and the complex relationships that shape her life. Makkai's debut novel.
familylossidentity
The Hundred-Year House
2014 Novel (with historical elements) 336 pagesA multi-generational ensemble set in the northern Chicago suburbs where past and present intersect; a house's history ties together the lives of various characters.
memoryplace and legacyintergenerational connection
The Great Believers
2018 Historical novel / Literary fiction 448 pagesSet against the AIDS epidemic in 1980s Chicago, the novel chronicles loss and survival among friends and loved ones, moving between past and present to portray personal and social history.
the AIDS epidemic and its impactfriendshiploss and memory
I Have Some Questions for You
2023 Mystery / Literary fiction 352 pagesA revisiting of a campus incident that examines memory and testimony, exploring culpability, forgiveness, and the unreliability of recollection.
the reliability of memoryjustice and forgivenesscampus culture
Music for Wartime
2015 Short story collection 224 pagesA collection of stories shifting between World War II and the present day, sensitively mapping loss, recovery, and complex human relationships.
lossthe impact of historyfamily and relationships
Bibliography
- The Borrower (2011)
- The Hundred-Year House (2014)
- Music for Wartime (2015)
- The Great Believers (2018)
- I Have Some Questions for You (2023)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- detailed, character-driven prosestructures that interweave past and presentempathetic narrative voice
- Recurring Motifs
- memory and the influence of the pastfriendship and communityloss and renewalmusic and the arts
Legacy
Rebecca Makkai is recognized in contemporary American literature for empathetic narratives that weave personal and social histories. Works like The Great Believers have earned major awards and nominations, balancing critical acclaim with popular readership.
Trivia
- Her paternal family is of Hungarian origin, and family history informs themes in her work.
- The Great Believers won the 2019 Andrew Carnegie Medal and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize.
- In 2024, The New York Times included The Great Believers in its "100 Best Books of the 21st Century" list.