The New York Public Library revealed that Karen Russell is the winner of the 2012 Young Lions Fiction Award for her debut novel, Swamplandia! The award includes a $10,000.
This award recognizes an American writer 35-years-old or younger for publishing a novel or a short story collection. Russell (pictured, via) has published a novel and a short story collection (St. Lucy’s Home for Girls Raised by Wolves).
Here’s more from the announcement: “The judges—Alvaro Enrigue, A.M. Homes and Adam Levin—chose Russell’s debut novel Swamplandia! from among five works of fiction. The other finalists were Teju Cole (for Open City), Benjamin Hale (for The Evolution of Bruno Littlemore), Ben Lerner (for Leaving the Atocha Station) and Jesmyn Ward (for Salvage the Bones).”