AMERICA (Enmaeya News) - November 24, 2025

Lebanese-American novelist Rabih Alameddine won the 2025 National Book Award for Fiction, the U.S. literary prize honoring excellence in writing, for his novel "The True True Story of Raja the Gullible (and His Mother)."

The award was announced on November 19 at the 76th National Book Awards ceremony in New York. Alameddine’s novel, published by Grove Press,  follows Raja, a 63-year-old philosophy teacher in Beirut, and his fraught, deeply tied relationship with his aging mother. 

Judges praised the book for its “rare narrative richness,” highlighting its layered storytelling, dark humor, and emotional depth as it spans decades of Lebanese history, from the civil war to the country’s economic collapse.

In his acceptance speech, Alameddine wove together irony and political urgency: he condemned violence against migrants in the U.S., referenced the Gaza war’s toll, and gave self-deprecating thanks to his doctor, agent and “psychiatrist who’s been trying to bring me back down to earth for 20 years.”

The win cements Alameddine’s status as a major literary voice. His previous awards include the 2016 Prix Femina for An Unnecessary Woman and the 2022 PEN/Faulkner Award for The Wrong End of the Telescope.

His victory also highlighted a politically charged moment in the ceremony, where several authors used their platform to speak out on global issues.