The organization was founded April 1974 in New York City by "John Leonard, Nona Balakian, and Ivan Sandrof intending to extend the Algonquin round table to a national conversation".[1]
It was formally chartered October 1974 as a New York state non-profit corporation and the Advisory Board voted in November to establish annual literary awards.[2]
In the first newsletter three months later, President Ivan Sandrof proclaimed the primary purpose "to improve and maintain the standards of literary criticism in an era of diminishing and deteriorating values". At that time there were 140 members, with outreach to freelance critics planned for that year.[2]
NBCC first presented its Awards in January 1976 to books published during 1975 in four categories.[3]
Only active review editors and reviewers may be voting members; they elect the 24 Directors who formally make nominations and alone make final selections each year.[4][5]
A fifth award category for books (Autobiography/Biography) was added for 1983 and divided in two for 2005. Since 2005 there are eight awards. Six National Book Critics Circle Awards recognize "best books" published in the United States during the preceding year in six categories: fiction, nonfiction, autobiography, biography, criticism, and poetry.[4]
Annually "the most accomplished reviewer" among its members is recognized by the Nona Balakian Citation for Excellence in Reviewing (from 1991).
The NBCC also recognizes no more than one person or organization for "exceptional contributions to books" with the Ivan Sandrof Lifetime Achievement Award (from 1981 under more than one name).All eight awards are officially dated in the preceding year.[4]
As a professional association, NBCC also works to improve the quality of reviews and provides services to its members.[1][2][5]
Controversies
In 2020, more than half of the 24 board members resigned over conflicting views on how to address perceived racial disparities both on the board, and within the industry they represent. This demonstrative revolt has also been attributed to breaches in confidentiality stemming from leaked emails, and the dismissive, antagonistic communication style of a long-standing board member, Carlin Romano, whom half the board members describe as a bully.[6] Overall, the mass resignations amount to a controversy seen as part of an industry-wide reckoning concerning the lack of diversity in publishing [7] and literary awards.
First Board of Directors (1975)
President Ivan Sandrof, The Worcester Telegram-Gazette
Vice President Digby Diehl, Los Angeles Times
Secretary Nona Balakian, The New York Times Book Review
Treasurer Susan Heath, The Saturday Review
Barbara A. Bannon, Publishers Weekly
John Barkham, John Barkham Reviews
Alvin Beam, Cleveland Plain Dealer
Alice Cromie, Freelance Critic
Martha Duffy, Time
Eliot Fremont-Smith, The Village Voice
Elizabeth Hardwick, New York Review of Books
Herbert A. Kenny, Freelance Critic
John Leonard, The New York Times Book Review
Thorpe Menn, The Kansas City Star
Stanton Peckham, Denver Post
Peter S. Prescott, Newsweek
Larry Swindell, Philadelphia Inquirer
Jonathan Yardley, Miami Herald
Presidents
1974-1976: Ivan Sandrof, Worcester Telegram-Gazette
