2009 in literature
This article contains information about the literary events and publications of 2009.
Events
- April 21 – UNESCO launches the World Digital Library.
- May 1 – Carol Ann Duffy is appointed Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom, the first woman in the position; she is also the first Scot and the first openly gay occupant of the post.
- May 5 – J. R. R. Tolkien's narrative poem The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrún in alliterative verse, based on the 13th century Poetic Edda and probably written in the 1930s, is published posthumously.
- May 16–25 – Ruth Padel becomes the first woman ever elected Professor of Poetry at the University of Oxford but resigns nine days later after it is alleged she was involved in what some sources call as a smear campaign against Derek Walcott, a rival for the post.
- June 25 – American pop singer Michael Jackson dies of an acute propofol intoxication at the age of 50.
- August 10 – Standard orthography for the Silesian language is adopted in Cieszyn, at a meeting of the Standardization Committee of the Silesian Language.
- October 8 – Romanian-born German novelist Herta Müller wins the 2009 Nobel Prize in Literature.
- October 12 – Jacob und Wilhelm Grimm-Zentrum Library opens at Humboldt University of Berlin.
- November 10 – Linden MacIntyre wins the 2009 Scotiabank Giller Prize for his novel The Bishop's Man.
- unknown date – Australian publisher Allen & Unwin suspends its annual Iremonger Award, stating that no manuscript of sufficient merit has been submitted.
New books
Fiction
- Nelson Algren – Entrapment and Other Writings
- Margaret Atwood – The Year of the Flood
- Nicholson Baker – The Anthologist
- T. C. Boyle – The Women
- Dan Brown – The Lost Symbol
- Arno Camenisch – Sez ner
- Jan Cempírek – Bílej kůň, žlutej drak
- Chan Koonchung – The Fat Years
- Sam Childers – Another Man's War
- Kate Christensen – Trouble: A Novel
- E. L. Doctorow – Homer & Langley
- Dave Eggers – The Wild Things
- Adam Foulds – The Quickening Maze
- Rodrigo Fresán – El fondo del cielo
- Glen David Gold – Sunnyside
- Philippa Gregory – The White Queen
- Lauren Groff – Delicate Edible Birds
- Haruki Murakami – 1Q84
- Yuri Herrera – Señales que precederán al fin del mundo
- Terrence E. Holt – In the Valley of the Kings
- John Irving – Last Night in Twisted River
- Rabee Jaber – أميركا
- Denis Johnson – Nobody Move
- Daniel Kehlmann – Fame
- Barbara Kingsolver – The Lacuna: A Novel
- Karl Ove Knausgård – Min Kamp
- Herman Koch – The Dinner
- Joe R. Lansdale – Vanilla Ride
- Janice Y. K. Lee – The Piano Teacher
- Jonathan Lethem – Chronic City
- Yiyun Li – The Vagrants
- Attica Locke – Black Water Rising
- Hilary Mantel – Wolf Hall
- Nadifa Mohamed – Black Mamba Boy
- Lorrie Moore – A Gate at the Stairs
- Alice Munro – Too Much Happiness
- Vladimir Nabokov – The Original of Laura
- Marie NDiaye – Three Strong Women
- Joyce Carol Oates
- *Dear Husband,
- *Little Bird of Heaven
- Chuck Palahniuk – Pygmy
- Lyudmila Petrushevskaya – There Once Lived a Woman Who Tried to Kill Her Neighbor's Baby
- Thomas Pynchon – Inherent Vice
- Philip Roth – The Humbling
- Richard Russo – That Old Cape Magic
- Stig Sæterbakken – Don't Leave Me
- Raphael Selbourne – Beauty
- Steve Sem-Sandberg – De fattiga i Łódź
- Nicholas Sparks – The Last Song
- Peter Stamm – Seven Years
- Kathryn Stockett – The Help
- Mari Strachan – The Earth Hums in B Flat
- Olga Tokarczuk – Prowadź swój pług przez kości umarłych
- Wells Tower – Everything Ravaged, Everything Burned
- Sue Townsend – Adrian Mole: The Prostrate Years
- Ferdinand von Schirach – "Verbrechen"
- John Wray – Lowboy
- Juli Zeh – ''Corpus Delicti''
Genre fiction
- Yukito Ayatsuji – Another
- David Baldacci – First Family
- Jim Butcher – Turn Coat
- Eoin Colfer – And Another Thing...
- Matthew J. Costello – Doom 3: Maelstrom
- *Dark Calling
- *Hell's Heroes (book)
- Michael Crichton – Pirate Latitudes
- Andrew Hussie – Homestuck
- J.C. Hutchins – 7th Son, Book One: Descent
- Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson – The Gathering Storm
- Stephen King – Under the Dome
- Richard Laymon – Dark Mountain
- Attica Locke – Black Water Rising
- Michael E. Marks – Dominant Species
- Haruki Murakami – 1Q84
- James Patterson
- *MAX: A Maximum Ride Novel
- *Daniel X: Watch the Skies
- Lawrence M. Schoen – Buffalito Destiny''
Children and young people
- Sagu Aoyama and Tinkle – Ro-Kyu-Bu!
- Hajime Asano and Seiji Kikuchi – Mayo Chiki!
- Brent Crawford – Carter Finally Gets It
- James Dashner – The Hunt for Dark Infinity
- Joseph Delaney and Mark Walden – The Spook's Tale/Interception Point
- John Fardell – The Secret of the Black Moon Moth
- Brian Floca – Moonshot: The Flight Of Apollo 11
- Betsy Franco – A Curious Collection of Cats
- Neil Gaiman – Blueberry Girl
- Odo Hirsch – Darius Bell and the Glitter Pool
- Nonny Hogrogian – Cool Cat
- Mandy Hubbard – Prada and Prejudice
- John Hulme and Michael Wexler – The Lost Train of Thought
- Erin Hunter
- *Great Bear Lake
- *Sunrise
- *Smoke Mountain
- *Code of the Clans
- *Bluestar's Prophecy
- *The Fourth Apprentice
- Gordon Korman - Zoobreak
- Reif Larsen – The Selected Works of T.S. Spivet
- Ursula K. Le Guin – Cat Dreams
- Peter Lerangis – The Sword Thief
- D. J. Machale – The Soldiers of Halla
- Joshua Mowll, et al. – Operation Storm City
- Brandon Mull – Secrets of the Dragon Sanctuary
- Robert Muchamore
- *Henderson's Boys: The Escape
- *Eagle Day
- Marilyn Nelson – Sweethearts of Rhythm: The Story Of The Greatest All-Girl Swing Band In The World
- Patrick Ness – The Ask and the Answer
- Jenny Nimmo – Charlie Bone and the Red King
- Charles Ogden – Split Ends
- Margie Palatini – Lousy Rotten Stinkin' Grapes
- Catherine Rayner – Sylvia and Bird
- Rob Reger – Emily the Strange: The Lost Days
- Rick Riordan – The Last Olympian
- Amy Krouse Rosenthal – Duck! Rabbit!
- Carina Rozenfeld – Les Clefs de Babel
- Carrie Ryan – The Forest of Hands and Teeth
- Angie Sage – Septimus Heap: The Magykal Papers
- Michael Scott – The Sorceress
- Dugald Steer etc. –Drake's Comprehensive Compendium of Dragonology
- Maggie Stiefvater – Shiver
- Jude Watson – Beyond the Grave
- Victor Watson – Paradise Barn
- Tad Williams and Deborah Beale – The Dragons of Ordinary Farm
- Jacqueline Wilson – Hetty Feather
- N. D. Wilson – Dandelion Fire
- Izuru Yumizuru and Okiura – ''Infinite Stratos''
Drama
- Jacob M. Appel – Causa mortis
- Jez Butterworth – Jerusalem
- Molly Davies – A Miracle
- Ella Hickson – Precious Little Talent
- Patrick Marber – After Miss Julie
- Lucy Prebble – ENRON
- Sarah Ruhl – In the Next Room (or The Vibrator Play)
- Anna Deavere Smith – Let Me Down Easy
- Zlatko Topčić – ''I Don't Like Mondays ''
Poetry
- Christopher Reid – A Scattering
- Toyo Shibata – ''Kujikenaide''
Non-fiction
- Olivier Ameisen – The End of my Addiction
- Daniel Ammann – The King of Oil
- Joshua Blu Buhs – Bigfoot: The Life and Times of a Legend
- Michael Chabon – Manhood for Amateurs
- Barbara Demick – Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea
- Wendy Doniger – The Hindus: An Alternative History
- Dave Eggers – Zeitoun
- Christopher M. Fairman – Fuck: Word Taboo and Protecting Our First Amendment Liberties
- Craig Ferguson – American on Purpose
- Brian Floca – Moonshot: The Flight Of Apollo 11
- Jonathan Safran Foer – Eating Animals
- Jade Goody – Forever in My Heart: the Story of My Battle against Cancer
- David Grann – The Lost City of Z
- Mitch Horowitz – Occult America
- Michael Jones – The Retreat: Hitler's First Defeat
- Thomas Levenson – Newton and the Counterfeiter
- Mark Levin – Liberty and Tyranny: A Conservative Manifesto
- Norman Mailer – MoonFire ($112,500 coffee table edition)
- Patricia A. McAnany and Norman Yoffee - Questioning Collapse: Human Resilience, Ecological Vulnerability, and the Aftermath of Empire
- Paul Midler - Poorly Made in China
- Joel Mokyr – The Enlightened Economy
- Brian A. Nelson – The Silence and the Scorpion
- Ram Oren – Gertruda's Oath
- Eric W. Sanderson – Mannahatta: A Natural History of New York City
- Bill Simmons – The Book of Basketball
- Peter Sloterdijk – You Must Change Your Life
- Guy Sorman – Economics Does Not Lie
- Bron Taylor – Dark Green Religion
- Joel D. Vaughan - The Rise and Fall of the Christian Coalition
- William T. Vollmann – Imperial
- Helen Waldstein Wilkes – ''Letters from the Lost''
Deaths
- January 1 – Johannes Mario Simmel, Austrian novelist and screenwriter
- January 7 – Valerie Flint, English medieval historian
- January 20 – Sheila Walsh, English novelist
- January 27 – John Updike, American novelist
- February 18 – Tayeb Salih, Sudanese fiction writer and cultural commentator
- February 20 – Christopher Nolan, Irish poet and author
- February 25 – Philip José Farmer, American science fiction writer
- March 13 – James Purdy, American novelist, poet and playwright
- March 21 – Winifred Foley, English memoirist
- March 31 – Michael Cox, English novelist and biographer
- April 14 – Maurice Druon, French historical novelist
- April 15 – Clement Freud, German-born English writer and broadcaster
- April 19 – J. G. Ballard, English novelist
- May 6 – Lev Losev, Russian American poet
- May 17 – Mario Benedetti, Uruguayan writer
- June 2 – David Eddings, American novelist
- June 25 – Michael Jackson, American pop singer, songwriter and author
- June 27 – Frank Barlow, English historian
- July 6 – Vasily Aksyonov, Russian novelist
- July 14 – Phyllis Gotlieb, Canadian novelist
- July 19 – Frank McCourt, American memoirist and Pulitzer Prize winner
- July 23 – E. Lynn Harris, African American novelist
- July 25 – Stanley Middleton, English novelist
- July 27
- *Aeronwy Thomas, English-born Welsh translator and writer
- *Michaël Zeeman, Dutch critic, poet and writer
- July 31 – Tim Guest, English writer
- August 2 – Adolf Endler, German writer
- August 4 – Blake Snyder, American screenwriter and author
- August 5 – Budd Schulberg, American screenwriter and novelist
- August 6
- *Jack T. Kirby, American historian
- *Willibrordus S. Rendra, Indonesian poet
- August 7 – Danko Popović, Serbian writer
- August 8 – Alfonso Calderón, Chilean writer and poet
- August 9 – Thierry Jonquet, French writer
- August 10
- *Josef Burg, Ukrainian writing in Yiddish
- *Merlyn Mantle, American author
- August 16 – Alistair Campbell, New Zealand poet
- August 18
- *Dic Jones, Welsh poet writing in Welsh
- *Hugo Loetscher, Swiss author writing in German
- *Fernanda Pivano, Italian writer
- August 20 – Karla Kuskin, American children's author
- August 22 – Elmer Kelton, American Western novelist
- August 25
- *Bob Carroll, American historian and author
- *Sergey Mikhalkov, Russian writer and poet
- September 3 – Christine D'Haen, Belgian poet writing in Flemish
- September 4 – Keith Waterhouse, English author and playwright
- September 6
- *Catherine Gaskin, Irish-born Australian romantic novelist
- *Nada Iveljić, Croatian children's writer
- September 10 – Lyn Hamilton, Canadian author
- September 11 – Jim Carroll, American writer and poet
- September 12
- *William Hoffman, American novelist
- *Antônio Olinto, Brazilian writer
- September 13 – Sarah E. Wright, American novelist
- September 15 – Trevor Rhone, Jamaican playwright
- September 19 – Milton Meltzer, American historian and author
- September 21 – Junzo Shono, Japanese author
- September 22 – Kole Čašule, Macedonian essayist, dramatist and short story writer
- September 24 – Nelly Arcan, Canadian novelist writing in French
- September 25 – Willy Breinholst, Danish author
- September 27 – William Safire, American columnist
- October 1
- *Otar Chiladze, Georgian writer
- *Cintio Vitier, Cuban poet
- October 4 – Veikko Huovinen, Finnish writer
- November 1 – Esther Hautzig, Polish-born American autobiographer
- November 20 – Naomi Frankel, German-born Israeli novelist
- November 29 – Robert Holdstock, English fantasy novelist
- November 30 – Milorad Pavić, Serbian writer
- December 2 –Elizabeth Berridge, British novelist
- December 5 – William Lederer, American author
- December 7
- *Carlene Hatcher Polite, American novelist
- *Pyotr Vail, Latvian-born Russian essayist and journalist
- December 13 – Julian Fane, British author
- December 15 – C. D. B. Bryan, American author
- December 19 – Loren Singer, American novelist
- December 20 – Vera Rich, English poet and journalist
- December 23 – Grigory Baklanov, Russian novelist
- December 25
- *Vrindavanam Venugopalan, Indian journalist
- * Rachel Wetzsteon, American poet
- December 26
- *Dennis Brutus, South African poet
- *Norval White, American author
- December 30 – Jacqueline Sturm, New Zealand poet and writer
Awards
Australia
Canada
- Canada Reads: Lawrence Hill, The Book of Negroes
- Dayne Ogilvie Prize: Main award, Debra Anderson; honour of distinction, Greg Kearney.
- Edna Staebler Award for Creative Non-Fiction: Russell Wangersky, Burning Down the House
- Governor General's Awards: Multiple categories; see 2009 Governor General's Awards.
- Hilary Weston Writers' Trust Prize for Nonfiction: Brian Brett, Trauma Farm: A Rebel History of Rural Life
- Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize: Annabel Lyon, The Golden Mean
- Scotiabank Giller Prize: Linden MacIntyre, The Bishop's Man
- Writers' Trust Engel/Findley Award: David Bergen
France
- Grand Prix du roman de l'Académie française: Pierre Michon, ''Les Onze''
Sweden
United Kingdom
- Bookseller/Diagram Prize for Oddest Title of the Year: Crocheting Adventures with Hyperbolic Planes, Daina Taimina
- Caine Prize for African Writing: E. C. Osondu, "Waiting"
- Carnegie Medal for children's literature: Siobhan Dowd, Bog Child
- Man Booker Prize: Hilary Mantel, Wolf Hall
- Orange Prize for Fiction: to Home by Marilynne Robinson
United States
- Lambda Literary Awards: Multiple categories; see 2009 Lambda Literary Awards.
- National Book Award for Fiction: Colum McCann, Let the Great World Spin
- National Book Critics Circle Award: Hilary Mantel, Wolf Hall
- National Book Critics Circle Award for General Nonfiction: Richard Holmes, The Age of Wonder: How the Romantic Generation Discovered the Beauty and Terror of Science
- Newbery Medal for children's literature: Neil Gaiman, The Graveyard Book
- PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction: Joseph O'Neill, Netherland
- Pulitzer Prize for Fiction: Elizabeth Strout, Olive Kitteridge
- Whiting Awards: Fiction: Adam Johnson, Nami Mun, Salvatore Scibona, Vu Tran; Nonfiction: Michael Meyer, Hugh Raffles; Plays: Rajiv Joseph; Poetry: Jericho Brown, Jay Hopler, Joan Kane
Elsewhere
- Camões Prize: Arménio Vieira
- David Cohen Prize: Seamus Heaney
- European Book Prize: Mariusz Szczygieł, Gottland and Sylvie Goulard, L'Europe pour les Nuls
- Friedenspreis des Deutschen Buchhandels: Claudio Magris
- International Dublin Literary Award: Michael Thomas, Man Gone Down
- International Prize for Arabic Fiction: Youssef Ziedan, Azazel
- SAARC Literary Award: Jayanta Mahapatra, Uday Prakash, Kamaal Khan