Living Canon

National Book Critics Circle Award 1987: Complete list of winners

The 1987 National Book Critics Circle Award ceremony celebrated a particularly distinguished year in American letters, with selections that ranged from sweeping historical narrative to intimate poetic reflection. The NBCC awards, which recognize outstanding literary achievement across multiple categories, reflected the breadth of critical attention that year—from Philip Roth’s ambitious fictional exploration in The Counterlife to Richard Rhodes’s monumental The Making of the Atomic Bomb, a work that would go on to become a defining account of one of history’s most pivotal moments. Donald R. Howard’s scholarly achievement proved especially resonant with voters, earning recognition in both the autobiography and biography categories for Chaucer: His Life, His Works, His World, a testament to the book’s comprehensive approach to the medieval poet’s life and legacy.

What made this particular National Book Critics Circle awards year compelling was the interdisciplinary nature of the selections—the judges honored not just novelists and poets, but historians, essayists, and dance critics, demonstrating the Circle’s commitment to recognizing excellence wherever it appeared in the literary landscape. C.K. Williams’s visceral collection Flesh and Blood brought an urgent physicality to the poetry prize, while Edwin Denby’s Dance Writings expanded the cultural conversation beyond traditional literary boundaries. Together, these six winners offered readers a map of what serious American writers and thinkers were grappling with in the mid-1980s.

Below, you’ll find the complete list of 1987 National Book Critics Circle Award winners across all categories.

Autobiography

Biography

Criticism

Fiction

Nonfiction

Poetry