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The National Book Critics Circle (NBCC) is an organization of over 700 book review editors and critics nationwide. The NBCC has been operating since 1974, hoping to advance a national conversation around critically discussing and sharing literature. What the NBCC is most well-known for are its annual awards, the National Book Critics Circle Awards.
Last year, the NBCC shared their longlists for each category for the first time in their 50 years of presenting the awards. They’re continuing the tradition this year. Throughout this week, we’ll be treated to an array of finalists in the six categories of criticism, fiction, autobiography, biography, poetry, and nonfiction. There are two additional categories awarded annually as well, as voted on by members: the John Leonard Prize for the best debut book in any genre and the Gregg Barrios Book in Translation Prize, for the best book of any genre translated into English and published in the United States.
Today, the NBCC announced their Longlist for Biography. It’s a slate of titles which have not been widely discussed in the literary world and perhaps the least represented so far of the NBCC’s lists in terms of “best of” appearances–that’s not a bad thing, either! These picks are from critics who know their stuff.
Here’s the National Book Critics Circle Longlist in Biography:
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The National Book Critics Circle will share their winners in an awards ceremony on March 26, 2026. You can learn more about the NBCC and about how to get involved here, as well as keep an eye on the lists as they release the rest of the week. The NBCC announced their Fiction Longlist and their Criticism Longlist yesterday, alongside today’s announcement of their Autobiography Longlist.
Find more news and stories of interest from the book world in Breaking in Books.