Pulitzer Prize finalist and UC Riverside creative writing professor Laila Lalami has reaped yet another award, this time collecting the American Book Award for her latest novel, “The Moor’s Account” (Pantheon, 2014).
“The Moor’s Account” is the fictive memoirs of the first black explorer of America, a Moroccan slave whose testimony was disregarded in the official record of the 1527 expedition of Spanish conquistador Pánfilo de Narváez.
The American Book Awards recognize outstanding literary achievement “from the entire spectrum of America’s diverse literary community,” according to the foundation. The award attribution itself is unique as there are no categories or nominees, and winners are chosen by other writers.
The winners of the 36th annual awards were announced on July 20. Lalami was among the 17 writers honored by The Before Columbus Foundation, they will be formally recognized in ceremonies in San Francisco on October. 25