The National Book Foundation’s“5 Under 35” Fiction Selections for 2008

Five young fiction writers will be recognized by the National Book Foundation at the “5 Under 35” celebration at Tribeca Cinemas on Monday, November 17, announced Harold Augenbraum, executive director of the National Book Foundation.

These five writers have each been selected by a previous National Book Award Finalist or Winner as someone whose work is particularly promising and exciting and is among the best of a new generation of writers.

The 2008 5 Under 35 are:

Matthew EckThe Farther Shore (Milkweed Editions, 2007)

Selected by Joshua Ferris, 2007 Fiction Finalist for Then We Came to the End

Keith GessenAll the Sad Young Literary Men (Viking Press, 2008)

Selected by Jonathan Franzen, 2001 Fiction Winner for The Corrections

Sana KrasikovOne More Year: Stories (Spiegel & Grau, 2008)

Selected by Francine Prose, 2000 Fiction Finalist for Blue Angel

Nam LeThe Boat (Knopf, 2008)

Selected by Mary Gaitskill, 2005 Fiction Finalist for Veronica

Fiona MaazelLast Last Chance (FSG, 2008)

Selected by Jim Shepard, 2007 Finalist for Like You’d Understand Anyway

In three years, the “5 Under 35” celebration has become the highly-anticipated kick-off event for National Book Awards week. That evening, each writer will be introduced by the writer who selected them and will read an excerpt from their most recent book to an audience of their peers: young writers, editors, publishers, agents, journalists and bloggers.