PEN/Faulkner Award 2020: Complete list of winners

The 2020 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction went to Chloe Aridjis for her haunting novel Sea Monsters, a selection that underscored the award’s continued commitment to celebrating ambitious, formally inventive storytelling. Established in 1981 and named after the legendary William Faulkner, this prestigious honor has long served as a counterweight to more commercially driven literary prizes, championing writers who push narrative boundaries and explore complex emotional terrain. The PEN/Faulkner Award remains one of the few major book awards judged solely by writers themselves, a distinction that gives it particular weight within the literary community.

Aridjis’s win was particularly resonant given the novel’s intricate exploration of memory, identity, and the strange currents that pull us toward and away from those we love. Sea Monsters announced itself as a work unafraid of lyrical digression and psychological depth, qualities that have historically aligned with what PEN/Faulkner judges seek in their selections. In choosing Aridjis, the award recognized a writer working in the tradition of literary fiction that privileges linguistic precision and emotional nuance over plot-driven narrative.

The recognition placed Aridjis among a distinguished lineage of PEN/Faulkner winners and sparked fresh conversations about the state of contemporary American letters. Below, you’ll find the complete details about this year’s award and what made Aridjis’s win such a significant moment for serious fiction.

Fiction

• Sea Monsters by Chloe Aridjis