National Book Award 1997: Complete list of winners

The 1997 National Book Award for Poetry went to William Meredith for Effort at Speech: New and Selected Poems, a recognition that felt particularly resonant for a poet whose career had long embodied the very qualities the award celebrates. Meredith, already an established figure in American letters, brought decades of measured craftsmanship and philosophical depth to a collection that surveyed his life’s work while introducing new material. The National Book Award, one of the most prestigious honors in American publishing, had once again spotlighted a writer whose influence far exceeded his popular name recognition.

What made Meredith’s win significant in the context of 1997 was the award’s continued commitment to recognizing serious poetry in an increasingly commercial literary landscape. The National Book Awards—which also honored achievements in fiction, nonfiction, and young people’s literature that year—have long served as a counterweight to bestseller lists, championing writers whose work prioritizes artistic integrity and linguistic precision. Meredith’s selection underscored poetry’s enduring importance within the awards’ broader mission, even as the publishing industry shifted toward blockbuster-driven sales models.

The 1997 National Book Award winners demonstrated the range and vitality of contemporary American writing, with Meredith’s thoughtful, introspective poetry standing alongside winners in other categories as testament to the year’s literary achievements. For those tracking the National Book Award’s evolution and the honors given to American poets, this year offers a window into how the literary establishment valued different voices and aesthetics at the close of the twentieth century.

Poetry

• Effort at Speech: New and Selected Poems by William Meredith