PEN/Hemingway Award 2006: Complete list of winners

The PEN/Hemingway Award has long served as a launching pad for debut novelists, and the 2006 winners prove why the prize remains one of the most prestigious honors in American letters. Named after Ernest Hemingway and given annually by PEN America, the award celebrates the most promising first novels—recognizing that rare combination of literary craft and narrative power that announces a significant new voice. This year’s honoree, Yiyun Li’s A Thousand Years of Good Prayers, exemplifies exactly what the award seeks: a work that announces its author as a writer of genuine depth and originality, someone capable of capturing the human condition with both precision and empathy.

Li’s debut collection of interconnected stories explores the lives of Chinese immigrants and their descendants navigating the complexities of displacement, family, and belonging in contemporary America. The collection showcases the kind of sophisticated storytelling and emotional intelligence that resonates with the award’s legacy—honoring fiction that combines technical mastery with authentic human insight. For Li, the recognition marked a significant milestone in a career that would go on to establish her as one of the most important voices in contemporary American literature.

The 2006 PEN/Hemingway Award winner demonstrates the enduring value of recognizing debut talent. Here’s what you should know about this year’s celebrated honoree:

Debut Novel

• A Thousand Years of Good Prayers by Yiyun Li