For the VIDA debut, I thought I’d kick things off with two views. The “Best of 2009” looks at the gender distribution of several major book awards and prominent “best of” lists. I took my second cue from Ursula K Le Guin’s 1999 talk, “Award and Gender,” in which she tallied up the historical counts of many major literary awards; my “Historical Count” follows suit, revealing an imbalance, unfortunately, resembling her own.
–Amy King

VIDA – BEST OF 2009

Amazon – Top 100 Editors’ Picks 2009

77 Men
23 Women

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The American Book Awards / Before Columbus Foundation 2009

5 Men
5 Women

Lifetime Achievement Award – 1 Man

~~~

Christian Science Monitor — Best books of 2009: Fiction

5 Men
7 Women

Christian Science Monitor — Best books of 2009: Nonfiction

18 Men
4 Women

~~~

The Columbus Dispatch – Children’s Book Section Best of ’09

8 Men
8 Women
4 Man /
Woman co-authored/illustrated

~~~

Kirkus Reviews – The Best Children’s Books of 2009

12 Men
15 Women
4 Woman / Woman co-author/illustrator
2 Woman/ Man co-author/illustrator
1 Man / Man co-author

~~~

Los Angeles Times Book Prize

• 2009 Innovator’s Award – 1 Man
• 2009
Robert Kirsch Award – 1 Man

~~~

L.A. Times — Favorite Fiction of 2009

16 Men
9 Women

L.A. Times — Favorite Nonfiction of 2009

19 Men
6 Women

~~~

Library Journal “Best Books 2009” — 31 Titles

19 Men
10 Women

1 Co-authored (Man and Woman)
1 Indeterminate

Library Journal “Best Genre Fiction 2009”

Mystery3 Women / 2 Men
SF and Fantasy2 Women / 3 Men
Romance5 Women
Christian Fiction5 Women
Thrillers1 Woman / 5 Men
Street Lit 6 Woman / 2 Men

Library Journal “Best How to 2009”

• 9 Men (Single Authors) / 2 Men (co-authors) = 11 Men
• 3 Man / Woman co-authored
7 Women (6 Single Authors / One editor)

~~~

The National Book Awards – 2009

Fiction – 1 Man / 0 Women
Nonfiction – 1 Man / 0 Women
Poetry – 1 Man / 0 Women
Young People’s Literature – 1 Man / 0 Women

DISTINGUISHED CONTRIBUTION TO AMERICAN LETTERS – 1 Man / 0 Women
LITERARIAN AWARD – 1 Man / 0 Women

~~~

The National Book Critics Circle Award – 2009

2 Men
4 Women

Nona Balakian Citation for Excellence in Reviewing1 Woman

Ivan Sandrof Lifetime Achievement Award1 Woman

~~~

NPR Best Books of 2009: The Complete List

38 Men
25 Women

~~~

New York Times – 100 Notable Books of 2009

Nonfiction
43 Men
12 Women

Fiction and Poetry
25 Men
20 Women

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Philadelphia Inquirer – Good Books, Good Gifts 2009

Nonfiction
16 Men
4 Women

Fiction
3 Men
3 Women

~~~

Publishers Weekly – Best Books of 2009

71 Men
29 Women

Publishers Weekly – Top 10 Books of 2009

10 Men
0 Women

~~~

Salon – Best of 2009

12 Men
6 Women

~~~

Slate – Best Reads of 2009

15 Men
7 Women

~~~

Washington Post – Best Books of 2009

Nonfiction
69 Men
17 Women
(1 Co-authored – 1 Man / 1 Woman)

Fiction
57 Men
27 Women

Washington Post — Book World  Top 10

6 Men
3 Women
1 Man/ Woman co-authored

~~~

VIDA – HISTORICAL COUNT

The American Book Awards / Before Columbus Foundation – 1980 – 2009

212 Men
148 Women

Plus Single Book co-authored or co-edited by:

Three Women: 2
Two Men and One Woman: 1
Two Women and One Man: 4
Two Women: 10
Two Men: 9
Man / Woman: 2

Lifetime Achievement Award – 8 Men / 2 Women
Editor’s Award – 2 Men / 0 Women
Journalism Award – 1 Man / 0 Women
Children’s Book 1 Woman (illustrated by a woman) / 0 Men

~~~

(Randolph) Caldecott Medal – 1938 – 2010

49 Men
23 Women

[From 2000 – 2010 = 1 Woman]

~~~

Commonwealth Writers’ Prize – 1987 – 2009

29 Men
15 Women

~~~

Man Booker Prize – 1969 – 2009

28 Men
15 Women

~~~

L.A. Times Book Prize

Biography (1980 – 2008) – 22 Men / 5 Women / [1 M/W coauthored]

Fiction (1980 – 2008) – 23 Men / 6 Women

Poetry (1980 – 2008) – 22 Men / 7 Women

Young Adult (1998 – 2008) – 6 Men / 5 Women

The Art Seidenbaum Award for First Fiction (1991 – 2008) — 10 Men / 7 Women

Robert Kirsch Award (1980 – 2008) — 20 Men / 9 Women

~~~

(The John) Newbery Medal – 1922 – 2010

29 Men
59 Women

~~~

The National Book Awards

Fiction (1984 – 2009) – 18 Men / 8 Women

Nonfiction (1984 – 2009) – 23 Men / 3 Women

Poetry (1991 – 2009) – 14 Men / 5 Women

Young People’s Literature (1996 – 2009) — 7 Men / 7 Women

~~~

The Nobel Prize for Literature – 1901 – 2009

91 Men
11 Women

[1950 – 2009 = 50 Men / 6 Women]

~~~

THE PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction –1981– 2009

24 Men
5 Women

~~~

The Pulitzer Prize for Biography or Autobiography – 1919 – 2009

63 Men
5 Women
2 Man co-authored
1 Man/Man/Woman co-authored

~~~

The Pulitzer Prize for Fiction – 1948 – 2009

40 Men
16 Women

~~~

The Pulitzer Prize for Nonfiction – 1962 – 2009

36 Men
11 Women
1 Man/ Woman coauthored

~~~

The Pulitzer Prize for Poetry – 1950 – 2009

44 Men
16 Women

The Pulitzer Prize for Poetry – 1918 – 1949

23 Men
7 Women

[1918 – 2009 Total: 67 Men / 23 Women ]

~~~

Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize (1986 – 2009)

15 Men
8 Women

~~~

U.S. Poet Laureate — 1937 – 2009

36 Men
10 Women

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