PEN/Faulkner Award 2022: Complete list of winners

The 2022 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction crowned Rabih Alameddine’s The Wrong End of the Telescope as this year’s standout work, cementing the Lebanese-American author’s place among contemporary literary voices. The PEN/Faulkner Award, one of the most prestigious honors for American fiction, has long championed writers who push narrative boundaries and explore the complexities of the human condition—and Alameddine’s intricate, shimmering novel certainly fits that tradition. His win reflects the award’s continued commitment to recognizing ambitious storytelling that resists easy categorization, a hallmark that has made the PEN/Faulkner Award essential reading for anyone tracking serious American literature.

Alameddine’s victory comes as no surprise to those familiar with his body of work, which has consistently interrogated identity, desire, and belonging with lyrical precision. The Wrong End of the Telescope demonstrates why the PEN Faulkner Award remains a bellwether for literary excellence—it’s the kind of nuanced, formally inventive novel that might otherwise be overlooked in the commercial publishing landscape, yet absolutely deserves recognition alongside the year’s other distinguished finalists. The award’s focus on American fiction means it captures work from writers of diverse backgrounds and perspectives, and Alameddine’s recognition underscores how the prize continues to celebrate voices that expand what American literature can be.

Fiction

• The Wrong End of the Telescope by Rabih Alameddine