David Means Wins PEN/Malamud Award

David Means has won this year’s PEN/Bernard and Ann Malamud Award for Excellence in the Short Story, which has recognized writers who have “demonstrated exceptional achievement in the short story form” since 1988 in honor of the late Bernard Malamud.

Means is the author of six short-story collections, including Two Nurses, Smoking, Instructions for a Funeral, The Spot, Assorted Fire Events, and The Secret Goldfish. He is a three-time recipient of the O. Henry Prize, and has previously been awarded with the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Fiction and a Guggenheim fellowship.

“David Means has demonstrated an extraordinary commitment to the short story form throughout his decades-long career,” said Malamud Committee Chair Jung Yun. “His six collections to date serve to remind readers how finely observed, emotionally compelling, and formally inventive a short story can be, particularly in the hands of a craftsperson like Means who possesses such a clear understanding of the powers and pleasures of the form.”

Means added: “The short story feels intrinsic to the human condition, as natural as drinking water or sharing love. It's a singular tool for probing the human experience, illuminating the universals of who we are. I’m profoundly grateful to the PEN/Faulkner Foundation and the PEN/Malamud Award committee for their support of the short story in these trying times.”

Ted Chiang was the recipient of last year’s award. Recent winners include Edwidge Danticat, Yiyun Li, Charles Baxter, Lydia Davis, John Edgar Wideman, Amina Gautier, Joan Silber, Jhumpa Lahiri, and Joy Williams.