PEN/Hemingway Award 1999: Complete list of winners

The PEN/Hemingway Award has long served as a launching pad for promising new voices in American literature, and the 1999 winners exemplified exactly why this honor matters so much in the publishing world. Named after Ernest Hemingway and administered by PEN America, the award specifically celebrates debut novels that demonstrate exceptional literary merit and the kind of spare, direct prose that Hemingway himself championed. Each year, the selection committee sifts through first novels to find work that shows both craft and authentic vision—the kind of writing that announces a significant new talent to the literary community.

Rosina Lippi claimed the 1999 Debut Novel prize for Homestead, a work that captured the judges’ attention with its careful attention to character and setting. The novel’s success in winning this prestigious honor marked an important milestone for Lippi as she joined the ranks of emerging authors recognized by PEN’s rigorous selection process. The PEN/Hemingway Award, also known simply as the Hemingway Award among literary circles, carries real weight in the industry—it’s the kind of recognition that can reshape a writer’s career trajectory and draw serious readers to a book.

Below you’ll find the complete details of the 1999 winners and what made their debut work stand out to the judges.

Debut Novel

• Homestead by Rosina Lippi