PEN/Hemingway Award 1979: Complete list of winners

The PEN/Hemingway Award has long served as a launchpad for debut authors, honoring the kind of bold, unflinching prose that Ernest Hemingway himself championed. In 1979, the award recognized Reuben Bercovitch for his debut novel Hasen, a selection that spotlighted the fresh talent emerging in American fiction during a transformative decade. The PEN/Hemingway Award for debut novels has always operated on a simple but powerful principle: discover writers at the threshold of their careers and amplify their voices when they need it most.

Bercovitch’s Hasen announced itself as the sort of accomplished first book that justifies the PEN/Hemingway Award’s existence. By singling out such debuts, the award—administered by the prestigious PEN American Center—helps shape literary conversations and often serves as a bellwether for which new writers will define the decades ahead. The 1979 recognition of Bercovitch reflected the award’s commitment to identifying authors with the craftsmanship and vision to sustain careers well beyond their first published work.

Below you’ll find the complete details of the 1979 PEN/Hemingway Award winners and the context that made this year’s selection significant.

Debut Novel

• Hasen by Reuben Bercovitch