Edwidge Danticat’s Dèy Is a 2026 National Book Award Fiction Finalist

Haitian-American author Edwidge Danticat is a finalist for the 2026 National Book Award for Fiction with her novel Dèy. The National Book Foundation announced the finalists in early October 2026.

The finalists

Five books are in the running in the fiction category: Dèy by Edwidge Danticat, Beginning Middle End by Valeria Luiselli, Paradiso 17 by Hannah Lillith Assadi, Pretend You’re Dead and I Carry You by Julián Delgado Lopera, and Mad Eden by Morgan Thomas.

About the novel

According to public radio coverage, Dèy follows a woman who witnesses a shooting at a Miami mall, and the story moves between Miami, Haiti and Brooklyn.

What happens next

The winners are scheduled to be revealed on November 18, 2026, at a dinner in New York City. Check the National Book Foundation’s website for the official program and any changes.

Danticat’s work has long been a point of connection for Haitian readers at home and abroad. If you are looking for more Haitian voices, browse our culture section and our stories from Haitians around the world.

Sources: NPR member-station coverage of the 2026 National Book Awards finalists (OPB); WLRN, South Florida public media. Summary written by Aloayitifm; this article does not review the book.