2010 in literature
This article contains information about the literary events and publications of 2010.
Events
- February – The Wheeler Centre, Australia's "literary hub", is officially opened.
- April 3 – The Apple iPad electronic book-reading device is released.
- April 12 – The little-known U.S. author Paul Harding wins the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for his debut novel Tinkers published by the tiny Bellevue Literary Press.
- June 24 – Neil Gaiman becomes the first author to win both the Carnegie Medal and the Newbery Medal for the same book — The Graveyard Book.
- July 27 – Stieg Larsson's Millennium Trilogy becomes an international sensation, with a total of 27 million copies sold worldwide as of May 2010. On July 27 Amazon says that Larsson is the first author to sell more than 1 million Kindle e-books.
- August 13 – Time magazine puts Jonathan Franzen on its cover for his novel Freedom, the first time an author has appeared there since 2000 with Stephen King.
- October 7 – The 2010 Nobel Prize in Literature is awarded to Mario Vargas Llosa for "his cartography of structures of power and his trenchant images of the individual's resistance, revolt, and defeat".
- October 12 – Howard Jacobson wins the Man Booker Prize for The Finkler Question
- November 9 – Johanna Skibsrud wins the Scotiabank Giller Prize for her novel The Sentimentalists.
- November 16 – The 2010 Governor General's Awards are announced. Winners include Dianne Warren for English fiction, Kim Thúy for French fiction, Richard Greene for poetry and Robert Chafe for drama.
- November – Mark Twain's Autobiography is published 100 years after the author's death, the delay Twain ordered himself. Unofficial copies have been published several times in the 20th century.
- December 31 – Book censorship in the Republic of Ireland by the state temporarily ends, the 12-year limit on the most recent ban having expired. However, the law remains on the statute book and is later used again.
- unknown date – Orlando Figes posts pseudonymous reviews on the UK site of bookseller Amazon.com criticising books by two other British historians of Russia, Robert Service and Rachel Polonsky, whilst praising his own books among others.
New books
Fiction
- Jokha al-Harthi – Sayidat al-Qamar
- Martin Amis – The Pregnant Widow
- Paul Auster – Sunset Park
- Paolo Bacigalupi – Ship Breaker
- Brunonia Barry – The Map of True Places
- Robert Jackson Bennett – Mr. Shivers
- Peter Carey – Parrot and Olivier in America
- Eddie Chuculate – Cheyenne Madonna
- Ron Cooper – Purple Jesus
- Robert Coover – Noir
- Michael Cunningham – By Nightfall
- Don DeLillo – Point Omega
- Jennifer Egan – A Visit from the Goon Squad
- Bret Easton Ellis – Imperial Bedrooms
- Joshua Ferris – The Unnamed
- Aminatta Forna - The Memory of Love
- Jonathan Franzen – Freedom
- Cornelia Funke – Reckless
- Matthew Gallaway – The Metropolis Case
- Seth Grahame-Smith – Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter
- Sara Gruen – Ape House
- Margaret Peterson Haddix – Into the Gauntlet
- Kristin Hannah – Winter Garden
- Michel Houellebecq – The Map and the Territory
- Rabee Jaber – دروز بلغراد
- Howard Jacobson – The Finkler Question
- Anjali Joseph – Saraswati Park
- Stacey Kade – The Ghost and The Goth
- Stephen King
- *Blockade Billy
- *Full Dark, No Stars
- Nicole Krauss – Great House
- John le Carré – Our Kind of Traitor
- Dennis Lehane – Moonlight Mile
- Tao Lin – Richard Yates
- Ian McEwan – Solar
- Jon McGregor – Even the Dogs
- Yann Martel – Beatrice and Virgil
- Maaza Mengiste – Beneath the Lion's Gaze
- Davud Michie - The Magician of Lhasa
- David Mitchell – The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet
- Martin Mosebach – What Was Before
- Anirban Mukherjee – Love, A Rather Bad Idea
- Ben Myers – Richard: A Novel
- Chuck Palahniuk – Tell All
- Philip Pullman – The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ
- Lincoln Peirce – Big Nate: In a Class by Himself
- Philip Roth – Nemesis
- Amy Sackville – The Still Point
- Ashwin Sanghi – Chanakya's Chant
- David Sedaris – Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk: A Modest Bestiary
- Sarah Selecky – This Cake Is for the Party
- Lola Shoneyin – The Secret Lives of Baba Segi's Wives
- Gary Shteyngart – Super Sad True Love Story
- Kim Thúy – Ru
- Mario Vargas Llosa – The Dream of the Celt
- Donald E. Westlake – ''Memory''
Children and young people
- David Almond
- *The Boy Who Climbed Into the Moon
- *My Name is Mina
- *Slog's Dad
- Swati Avasthi – Split
- Chelsea M. Campbell – The Rise of Renegade X
- Suzanne Collins – Mockingjay
- Diane Duane – A Wizard of Mars
- John Flanagan – The Emperor of Nihon-Ja
- Eva Ibbotson – One Dog and his Boy
- Matthew J. Kirby – The Clockwork Three
- Gordon Korman - Framed
- Stephen Krensky – Mother's Day Surprise
- Laura Leiner
- *Szent Johanna gimi 1 – Kezdet
- *Szent Johanna gimi 2 – Együtt
- *Szent Johanna gimi 3 – Egyedül
- Pat Miller – Squirrel's New Year's Resolution
- Robert Muchamore – Brigands M. C.
- Jim Murphy – THE CROSSING: How George Washington Saved the American Revolution
- Garth Nix – Lord Sunday
- James Patterson – Fang: A Maximum Ride Novel
- Jerry Pinkney – Three Little Kittens
- Philip Reeve – A Web of Air
- Rick Riordan
- *The Lost Hero
- *The Red Pyramid
- Salman Rushdie – Luka and the Fire of Life
- Clare Vanderpool – Moon Over Manifest
- Charlotte Voake – Ginger and the Mystery Visitor
- Kiersten White – Paranormalcy
- N.D. Wilson – ''The Chestnut King''
Drama
- Peter Handke – Storm Still
- Sabrina Mahfouz – That Boy
- Shahid Nadeem – Dara
- Bruce Norris – Clybourne Park
- Nina Raine – Tribes
- Christoph Ransmayr – Odysseus, Verbrecher
- Anya Reiss – Spur of the Moment
- Alexis Stamatis – Dakrygona
- Zlatko Topčić – I Don't Like Mondays
- Laura Wade – Posh
- David Williamson – ''Let the Sunshine''
Poetry
''See also 2010 in poetry.''Science fiction and fantasy
Non-fiction
- Linda Vero Ban – What Does It Mean To Be Jewish?
- William J. Bruce III - Penholder
- Bill Bryson – At Home: A Short History of Private Life
- George W. Bush – Decision Points
- Donovan Campbell – Joker One
- Hans Fredrik Dahl – Norsk presses historie 1660–2010
- Paul Drexler – In Search of My Father
- Jay Feinman – Delay, Deny, Defend: Why Insurance Companies Don't Pay Claims and What You Can Do About It
- Sam Harris – The Moral Landscape: How Science Can Determine Human Values
- Laura Hillenbrand – Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption
- James Horn – A Kingdom Strange
- Joel Kotkin – The Next Hundred Million: America in 2050
- David Lipsky – Although of Course You End Up Becoming Yourself
- Nursultan Nazarbayev – The Way of Kazakhstan
- Neil Pasricha – The Book of Awesome
- Sergio Rubin – El jesuita
- Nick Schuyler and Jere Longman Not Without Hope
- Niki Segnit – The Flavour Thesaurus: Pairings, Recipes and Ideas for the Creative Cook
- Jane Smiley – The Man Who Invented The Computer
- Jon Stewart – Earth (The Book): A Visitor's Guide to the Human Race
- Darin Strauss – Half a Life
- Valerie Toranian – Pour en Finir avec la Femme
- Edmund de Waal – The Hare with Amber Eyes. A Hidden Inheritance
- John Leigh Walters – A Very Capable Life
- Alejandro Zambra – ''No Leer''
Deaths
- January 1
- *Bingo Gazingo, American performance poet
- *Billy Arjan Singh, Indian author
- January 2 – Rajendra Keshavlal Shah, Indian poet
- January 3
- * Mary Daly, American feminist philosopher and theologian
- * Isak Rogde, Norwegian translator
- January 4
- *Knox Burger, American editor, writer and agent
- *Hywel Teifi Edwards, Welsh historian and writer
- January 5 – Bernard Le Nail, French writer and historian
- January 6 – George Leonard, American writer and editor
- January 8
- * Tony Halme, Finnish athlete, politician, writer and entertainer
- * Slavka Maneva, Macedonian writer and poet
- January 9 – Laura Chapman Hruska, American writer and editor
- January 11 – Miep Gies, Austrian-born Dutch biographer
- January 14 – P. K. Page, Canadian poet
- January 16 – Takumi Shibano, Japanese novelist
- January 17 – Erich Segal, American author and academic
- January 18 – Robert B. Parker, American detective writer
- January 19 – Vladimir Karpov, Soviet Russian writer
- January 20 – Abraham Sutzkever, Polish-born Israeli poet
- January 21 – Paul Quarrington, Canadian novelist
- January 26 – Louis Auchincloss, American novelist
- January 27
- *J. D. Salinger, American novelist
- *Howard Zinn, American historian
- January 31
- *Kage Baker, American science fiction and fantasy author
- *Tomás Eloy Martínez, Argentine writer
- February 2
- *Rosa Lobato de Faria, Portuguese writer
- *Eustace Mullins, American writer, author and biographer
- February 5 – Peter Calvocoressi, Pakistani-born English historian and publisher
- February 6 – Robert Dana, American poet
- February 7 – William Tenn, American science fiction writer
- February 8 – Wahei Tatematsu, Japanese novelist
- February 10 – H. V. F. Winstone, English biographer and journalist
- February 11 – Colin Ward, English anarchist writer
- February 13 – Lucille Clifton, American poet
- February 14 – Dick Francis, Welsh novelist
- February 16 – Jim Harmon, American science fiction writer
- February 17 – Arnold Beichman, American writer
- February 23 – Mervyn Jones, English novelist and biographer
- February 27 – Carlos Montemayor, Mexican writer
- March 1 – Barry Hannah, American novelist and short story writer
- March 3 – Momo Kapor, Serbian writer
- March 9 – Alda Neves da Graça do Espírito Santo, São Tome poet
- March 10 – Truddi Chase, American autobiographical author
- March 11 – Matilde Elena López, Salvadoran poet, essayist and playwright
- March 12 – Miguel Delibes, Spanish novelist
- March 14 – Vinda Karandikar, Indian poet and writer in Marathi
- March 15
- *Joseph Galdon, Filipino priest, academic and writer
- *Patricia Wrightson, Australian children's writer
- March 16 – Jane Sherman, American writer
- March 17 – Sid Fleischman, American children's writer
- March 18 – Amanda Castro, Honduran poet
- March 20 – Ai Ogawa, American poet
- March 21 – Susana, Lady Walton, Argentine writer
- March 24 – William Mayne, English children's novelist
- March 28 – Zofia Romanowiczowa, Polish writer and translator
- April 2 – Carolyn Rodgers, American poet
- April 9
- *Hisashi Inoue, Japanese novelist and playwright
- *Kerstin Thorvall, Swedish author, illustrator and journalist
- April 14 – Erika Burkart, Swiss German-language author
- April 16 – Carlos Franqui, Cuban writer and activist
- April 20 – Myles Wilder, American television comedy writer
- April 23 – Peter Porter, Australian-born British poet
- April 25 – Alan Sillitoe, English novelist
- April 28
- *Evelyn Cunningham, American journalist
- *Stefania Grodzieńska, Polish writer and actress
- May 1 – T. M. Aluko, Nigerian writer
- May 3
- *Mohammed Abed al-Jabri, Moroccan philosopher and writer
- *Peter O'Donnell, English novelist
- May 6 – Hoàng Cầm, Vietnamese poet and playwright
- May 7
- *Rane Arroyo, American poet
- *Anders Buraas, Norwegian journalist
- May 12 – Allan Manings, American television writer
- May 18 – Edoardo Sanguineti, Italian poet
- June 1 – Andrei Voznesensky, Soviet-Russian poet
- June 18 – José Saramago, Portuguese writer and Nobel Prize laureate
- June 19 – Carlos Monsiváis, Mexican writer, critic and activist
- July 2 – Beryl Bainbridge, English novelist
- July 4 – Robert Neil Butler, American physician and author
- July 9 – Jessica Anderson, Australian novelist and short story writer
- July 12 – Harvey Pekar, American comic book writer
- July 20 – Iris Gower, Welsh novelist
- August 6 – Tony Judt, English historian
- August 9 – Juan Marichal, Spanish historian
- August 10 – Marie de Garis, Guernsey ethnographer and philologist
- August 12 – Laurence Gardner, English writer
- August 13 – Patrick Cauvin, French novelist
- August 14 – Terje Stigen, Norwegian author
- August 16 – Narayan Gangaram Surve, Indian poet
- August 17
- *Sir Frank Kermode, Manx-born literary critic
- *Ludvík Kundera, Czech writer and translator
- *Edwin Morgan, Scottish poet
- August 18 – Efraim Sevela, Russian writer and screenwriter
- August 20 – David J. Weber, American historian and author
- August 21 – Rodolfo Enrique Fogwill, Argentine writer
- August 27
- *George Hitchcock, American poet
- *Ravindra Kelekar, Indian author and poet
- August 29 – A. C. Baantjer, Dutch author
- August 31 – Vance Bourjaily, American novelist, playwright and essayist
- September 3 – Micky Burn, English writer and poet
- September 5
- *Elizabeth Jenkins, English author
- *Lewis Nkosi, South African writer
- September 7 – Barbara Holland, American author
- September 10 – Edwin Charles Tubb, English science fiction author
- September 11 – Fathi Osman, Egyptian author
- September 12 – Judith Merkle Riley, American author
- September 18 – James Bacon, American author
- September 20 – Jennifer Rardin, American author
- September 24 – Gilda O'Neill, English novelist and historian
- September 29 – Clifford B. Hicks, American writer and editor
- October 1 – Mikhail Roshchin, Russian playwright
- October 4 – Henrique de Senna Fernandes, Macanese author
- October 5
- *Alba Bouwer, South African writer in Afrikaans
- *Bernard Clavel, French writer
- October 11 – Claire Rayner, English author
- October 12 – Belva Plain, American novelist
- October 13 – Donald H. Tuck, Australian science fiction bibliographer
- October 20
- *Eva Ibbotson, Austrian-born English novelist
- *Robert Katz, American writer
- *Julian Roberts, English scholar and librarian
- October 21 – A. Ayyappan, Indian poet in Malayalam
- October 22 – Alí Chumacero, Mexican writer and poet
- October 23 – George Cain, American author
- October 24 – Joseph Stein, American playwright
- October 25 – Vesna Parun, Croatian poet
- October 29 – Bärbel Mohr, German author
- October 30 – Harry Mulisch, Dutch writer
- November 1 – Monica Johnson, American novelist
- November 3 – P. Lal, Indian writer
- November 4 – Ophelia Dimalanta, Filipino poet
- November 5 – Adrian Păunescu, Romanian author and poet
- November 8
- *Philip Carlo, American crime author
- *George Solomos, American poet and writer
- November 9 – Ektor Kaknavatos, Greek poet
- November 11 – Carlos Edmundo de Ory, Spanish poet
- November 15
- *Edmond Amran El Maleh, Moroccan writer
- *Hugh Prather, American self-help author
- November 16 – Ragnhild Magerøy, Norwegian writer
- November 21 – Norris Church Mailer, American author
- November 25
- *Alfred Balk, American journalist and author
- *Yaroslav Pavulyak, Ukrainian poet
- November 29 – Bella Akhmadulina, Russian poet
- December 5
- *David French, Canadian playwright
- *Heda Margolius Kovály, Czech author
- December 6 – Martin Russ, American author
- December 7 – Elizabeth Edwards, American author
- December 9 – Meirion Pennar, Welsh poet and academic, son of Pennar Davies
- December 14 – Ruth Park, New Zealand children's writer
- December 16 – A. T. Q. Stewart, Northern Irish historian and academic
- December 20 – Brian Hanrahan, English journalist
- December 24 – Elisabeth Beresford, French-born English children's writer
Awards
Australia
Canada
- Dayne Ogilvie Prize: Main award, Nancy Jo Cullen; honours of distinction, Lisa Foad, George K. Ilsley.
- Edna Staebler Award for Creative Non-Fiction: John Leigh Walters, A Very Capable Life
- Governor General's Awards: Multiple categories; see 2010 Governor General's Awards.
- Hilary Weston Writers' Trust Prize for Nonfiction: James FitzGerald, What Disturbs Our Blood: A Son's Quest to Redeem the Past
- Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize: Emma Donoghue, Room
- Scotiabank Giller Prize: Johanna Skibsrud, The Sentimentalists
- Writers' Trust Engel/Findley Award: Miriam Toews
Sweden
United Kingdom
- Caine Prize for African Writing: Olufemi Terry, "Stickfighting Days"
- Man Booker Prize: Howard Jacobson, The Finkler Question
- Orange Prize for Fiction: Barbara Kingsolver, The Lacuna
- Walter Scott Prize : Hilary Mantel, ''Wolf Hall''
United States
- American Academy of Arts and Letters: Steve Erickson
- Lambda Literary Awards: Multiple categories; see 2010 Lambda Literary Awards.
- National Book Award for Fiction: to Lord of Misrule by Jaimy Gordon
- National Book Critics Circle Award: to A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan
- PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction: to War Dances by Sherman Alexie
- Pulitzer Prize for Fiction: to Tinkers by Paul Harding
- Whiting Awards: Fiction: Michael Dahlie, Rattawut Lapcharoensap, Lydia Peelle; Nonfiction: Elif Batuman, Amy Leach, Saïd Sayrafiezadeh; Plays: David Adjmi; Poetry: Matt Donovan, Jane Springer, L.B. Thompson
Other
- Camões Prize: Ferreira Gullar
- European Book Prize: Sofi Oksanen, Purge and Roberto Saviano, Beauty and the Inferno
- Friedenspreis des Deutschen Buchhandels: David Grossman
- International Dublin Literary Award: Gerbrand Bakker, The Twin
- International Prize for Arabic Fiction: Abdo Khal, She Throws Sparks
- Petrarca-Preis: Pierre Michon, for his body of work
- SAARC Literary Award: Abhi Subedi, Hamid Mir, Mark Tully, Ju