The Thurber Prize for American Humor, named after American humorist James Thurber, recognizes outstanding contributions in humor writing. The prize is given out by the Thurber House. It was first awarded irregularly, but since 2004 has been bestowed annually. In 2015, the finalists were for the first time, all women.[1] Winners of the Thurber Prize have included authors from an array of diverse backgrounds, from The Daily Show hosts Jon Stewart and Trevor Noah to The New Yorker staff writers Calvin Trillin and Ian Frazier, as well as university professors Julie Schumacher and Harrison Scott Key.[2]

Award winners

Al Franken (finalist) — Rush Limbaugh is a Big Fat Idiot and Other Observations
David Sedaris (finalist) — Naked
Henry Alford (Special Honor Book) — Big Kiss
Andy Borowitz (finalist) — The Trillionaire Next Door
Bill Bryson (finalist) — In a Sunburned Country
Brett Leveridge (finalist) — Men My Mother Dated
Jim Mullen (finalist) — It Takes a Village Idiot[3]
Robert Kaplow (finalist) — Me and Orson Welles
Dan Zevin (finalist) — The Day I Turned Uncool
Andy Borowitz (finalist) — The Borowitz Report: The Big Book of Shockers
Firoozeh Dumas (finalist) — Funny in Farsi
Kinky Friedman (finalist) — Texas Hold 'Em: How I Was Born in a Manger, Died in the Saddle, and Came Back as a Horny Toad
Bill Scheft (finalist) — Time Won't Let Me
Merrill Markoe (finalist) — Walking In Circles Before Lying Down
Bob Newhart (finalist) — I Shouldn't Even Be Doing This!: And Other Things That Strike Me As Funny
Patricia Marx (finalist) — Him Her Him Again The End of Him
Simon Rich (finalist) — Ant Farm: And Other Desperate Situations
Sloane Crosley (finalist) — I Was Told There'd Be Cake
Bruce Ducker (finalist) Dizzying Heights: The Aspen Novel
Don Lee (finalist) — Wrack and Ruin
Laurie Notaro (finalist) — The Idiot Girl and the Flaming Tantrum of Death
Jancee Dunn (finalist) — Why Is My Mother Getting a Tattoo?
Rhoda Janzen (finalist) — Mennonite in a Little Black Dress
Mike Birbiglia (finalist) — Sleepwalk With Me and Other Painfully True Stories
Rick Reilly (finalist) — Sports from Hell
Nate DiMeo (finalist) — Pawnee
Patricia Marx (finalist) — Starting from Happy
Shalom Auslander (finalist) — Hope: A Tragedy
Dave Barry and Alan Zweibel (finalists) — Lunatics: A Novel
Liza Donnelly (finalist) — Women on Men
Bruce McCall and David Letterman (finalists) — This Land Was Made for You and Me (But Mostly Me)
Roz Chast (finalist) — Can't We Talk About Something More Pleasant?
Annabelle Gurwitch (finalist) — I See You Made an Effort: Compliments, Indignities, and Survival Stories from the Edge of 50
Jason Gay (finalist) — Little Victories
Mary Norris (finalist) — Between You & Me: Confessions of a Comma Queen.
Ken Pisani – Amp'd
Aaron Thier – Mr. Eternity
Jenny Allen (finalist) – Would Everybody Please Stop?
John Hodgman (finalist) – Vacationland: True Stories from Painful Beaches
Sloane Crosley (finalist) – Look Alive Out There
John Kenney (finalist) – Love Poems for Married People
Dave Barry (finalist) – Lessons from Lucy
Kira Jane Buxton (finalist) – Hollow Kingdom
Alexandra Petri (finalist) — Nothing Is Wrong and Here Is Why
Mike Birbiglia (finalist) — The New One: Painfully True Stories from a Reluctant Dad
Annabelle Gurwitch (finalist) — You're Leaving When? Adventures in Downward Mobility
Danielle Henderson (finalist) — The Ugly Cry

References

  1. ^ Armao, Mark (25 August 2015). "Thurber Prize for American Humor Announces First All-Female Trio of Finalists". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 28 September 2015.
  2. ^ "Thurber House — PAST THURBER PRIZE WINNERS AND FINALISTS — Literary Center and James Thurber Museum". Thurber House. Retrieved 2021-04-08.
  3. ^ a b "Past Thurber Prize Winners". Thurber House. Retrieved 28 September 2015.
  4. ^ "'Frasier' writer wins literary award". USA Today. The Associated Press. 3 October 2007. Retrieved 28 September 2015.
  5. ^ "Humorist Calvin Trillin wins Thurber Prize". MassLive.com. The Associated Press. 1 October 2012. Retrieved 28 September 2015.
  6. ^ "Native Delawarean first woman to win humor award". The News Journal. The Associated Press. 25 September 2015. Retrieved 29 September 2015.
  7. ^ "Harrison Scott Key wins $5,000 James Thurber prize for humor". The Washington Post. The Associated Press. 26 September 2016. Archived from the original on 27 September 2016. Retrieved 26 September 2016.
  8. ^ Los Angeles Times
  9. ^ "2018 Thurber Prize for American Humor Winner". Thurber House. Archived from the original on 2018-12-06. Retrieved 2018-12-06.((cite web)): CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  10. ^ "2019 Thurber Prize for American Humor Winner". Thurber House. Archived from the original on 2020-01-04. Retrieved 2020-01-04.
  11. ^ "2020 Thurber Prize for American Humor Winner". Thurber House. Retrieved 2020-07-18.
  12. ^ "Past Thurber Prize Winners". Thurber House. Retrieved 2022-07-26.
  13. ^ "Our past finalists & winners of The Prize". Thurber Prize. Retrieved 2023-09-17.

External links

Thurber Prize winners
Categories