2013 in literature

This article contains information about the literary events and publications of 2013.

Events

 * 21 January – An annual Orwell Day is instituted.
 * 26 January – Fleeing Islamist insurgents set fire to library buildings in Timbuktu containing manuscripts, mostly in Arabic, dating back to 1204.
 * 7 March – World Book Day becomes a UNESCO-designated event marked in more than 100 countries.
 * April – J. K. Rowling publishes a detective novel, The Cuckoo's Calling, under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith, with the U.K. publisher Sphere Books. The author's identity is revealed by the media in July.
 * 23 April – World Book Night.
 * 28 April – The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Simon Stephens' stage adaptation of a novel by Mark Haddon, wins a record seven awards at the 2013 Laurence Olivier Awards in London.
 * 1 July – Publisher Penguin Random House is created by a merger.
 * 3 September – The new Library of Birmingham, the largest public library in the U.K., is opened by Malala Yousafzai. Its public spaces are integrated with those of the Birmingham Repertory Theatre.
 * October – Jo Nesbø reveals himself as Tom Johansen, author of three forthcoming novels.
 * 28 November – Three unpublished works by J. D. Salinger (died 2010), including "The Ocean Full of Bowling Balls", are leaked onto the internet.

Anniversaries

 * 11 February
 * 50th anniversary of the death of Sylvia Plath in 1963
 * 200th anniversary of the birth of Harriet Jacobs in 1813
 * 28 January – 200th anniversary of the publication of Pride and Prejudice in 1813
 * 5 May – 200th anniversary of the birth of Søren Kierkegaard in 1813
 * 2 June – 100th anniversary of the birth of Barbara Pym
 * 29 June – 400th anniversary of the burning of the Globe Theatre during a production of Shakespeare and Fletcher's Henry VIII in 1613
 * 2 August – 25th anniversary of the death of US short story writer Raymond Carver
 * 7 November – 100th anniversary of the birth of Albert Camus
 * 22 November – 50th anniversary of the death of Aldous Huxley

Fiction

 * Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie – Americanah
 * José Eduardo Agualusa – A General Theory of Oblivion (Teoria Geral do Esquecimento)
 * Jacob M. Appel – The Biology of Luck
 * Kate Atkinson – Life After Life
 * Dan Brown – Inferno
 * Adam Christopher – The Burning Dark
 * J. M. Coetzee – The Childhood of Jesus
 * Troy Denning – Crucible
 * Doug Dorst – S.
 * Richard Flanagan – The Narrow Road to the Deep North
 * Aminatta Forna – The Hired Man
 * Frederick Forsyth – The Kill List
 * Neil Gaiman – The Ocean at the End of the Lane
 * Elizabeth Graver – The End of the Point
 * David G. Hartwell (ed.) – Year's best SF 18
 * Neamat Imam – The Black Coat
 * Reinhard Jirgl – Nichts von euch auf Erden
 * Stephen King – Doctor Sleep
 * Rachel Kushner – The Flamethrowers
 * Pierre Lemaitre – Au revoir là-haut (The Great Swindle)
 * Eimear McBride – A Girl Is a Half-formed Thing
 * Alex Miller – Coal Creek
 * Haruki Murakami (村上 春樹) – Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage (色彩を持たない多崎つくると、彼の巡礼の年, Tsukuru to, kare no junrei no toshi)
 * Adam Nevill – House of Small Shadows
 * Nnedi Okorafor – Kabu-Kabu: Stories
 * Chuck Palahniuk – Doomed
 * Ruth Ozeki - A Tale for the Time Being
 * Rick Riordan – The House of Hades
 * Veronica Roth – Allegiant
 * J. K. Rowling (as Robert Galbraith) – The Cuckoo's Calling
 * Ahmed Saadawi – Frankenstein in Baghdad (فرانكشتاين في بغداد)
 * M. G. Sanchez – The Escape Artist: a Gibraltarian novel
 * George Saunders – Tenth of December: Stories
 * John Scalzi – The Human Division
 * Sjón – Moonstone – The Boy Who Never Was (Mánasteinn – drengurinn sem aldrei var til)
 * Marivi Soliven – The Mango Bride
 * Robert Stone – Death of the Black-Haired Girl
 * Donna Tartt – The Goldfinch
 * Zlatko Topčić – Dagmar
 * Laura van den Berg – The Isle of Youth (short story collection)
 * Peter Watts – Beyond the Rift (collected stories)
 * Tim Winton – Eyrie

Children's and young people

 * David Almond – Mouse Bird Snake Wolf
 * Janeen Brian – I'm A Dirty Dinosaur
 * Nick Bromley – Open Very Carefully
 * Laura Dockrill – Darcy Burdock
 * Anthony Horowitz – Russian Roulette
 * John Hornor Jacobs – The Twelve-Fingered Boy
 * Chris Lynch – Dead in The Water
 * Patricia MacLachlan – Cat Talk
 * Nikki McClure – How To Be A Cat
 * Rhode Montijo - The Gumazing Gum Girl! Book 1: Chews Your Destiny (August 20)
 * Chris Raschka – Daisy Gets Lost
 * Amy Krouse Rosenthal – Exclamation Mark!
 * Rainbow Rowell
 * Eleanor & Park
 * Fangirl
 * Maggie Stiefvater – The Dream Thieves (second book in The Raven Cycle)
 * Amy Tintera – Reboot

Drama

 * Annie Baker – The Flick
 * Elfriede Jelinek – Die Schutzbefohlenen
 * Lucy Kirkwood – Chimerica
 * Stefano Massini – The Lehman Trilogy
 * Edward Petherbridge and Kathryn Hunter – My Perfect Mind
 * Roger Williams – Tir Sir Gâr

Non-fiction

 * Saroo Brierley – A Long Way Home
 * Kate Christensen – Blue Plate Special: An Autobiography of My Appetites
 * Pat Conroy – The Death of Santini: The Story of a Father and His Son
 * Jared Diamond – The World Until Yesterday
 * Craig Dworkin – No Medium
 * Peter Freeman – The Wallpapered Manse
 * Malcolm Gladwell – David and Goliath
 * Ben Goldacre – Bad Pharma
 * Temple Grandin – The Autistic Brain
 * Gary Greenberg – The Book of Woe
 * Wil Haygood – The Butler: A Witness to History
 * Michael Kimmel – Angry White Men
 * Mark Levin – The Liberty Amendments
 * Peter H. Maguire – Thai Stick
 * Diane Muldrow – Everything I Need To Know I Learned From A Little Golden Book
 * Dimitra Papagianni and Michael A. Morse – The Neanderthals Rediscovered
 * Thomas Piketty – Capital in the Twenty-First Century (Le Capital au XXIe siècle)
 * Lisa Randall – Higgs Discovery
 * Sheryl Sandberg – Lean In
 * Nina Stibbe – Love, Nina: Despatches from Family Life
 * Jeff VanderMeer – The Illustrated Guide to Creating Imaginative Fiction

Deaths

 * 2 January
 * Alexei Rudeanu, Romanian writer (born 1939)
 * Teresa Torańska, Polish journalist and writer (born 1944)
 * 7 January – Maruša Krese, Slovene poet, writer and journalist (born 1947)
 * 10 January – Evan S. Connell, American novelist, poet and short story writer (born 1924)
 * 11 January – Robert Kee, English writer, journalist and broadcaster (born 1919)
 * 18 January – Jacques Sadoul, French novelist, book editor and non-fiction writer (born 1934)
 * 20 January
 * Yemi Ajibade, Nigerian playwright and actor (born 1929)
 * Dolores Prida, Cuban-American journalist and playwright (born 1943)
 * Toyo Shibata (柴田トヨ), Japanese poet (born 1911)
 * 24 January – Richard G. Stern, American novelist and educator (born 1928)
 * 2 February – Sirajul Haq Memon, Pakistani author, journalist and scholar in Sindhi (born 1933)
 * 3 February – Robert Anthony Welch, Irish author and academic (born 1947)
 * 4 February – Margaret Frazer (Gail Lynn Brown), American historical novelist (born 1946)
 * 5 February – Leda Mileva, Bulgarian writer, translator, and diplomat (born 1920)
 * 7 February
 * Niki Marangou, Cypriot writer and painter (born 1948)
 * Jonathan Rendall, English author (born 1964)
 * 8 February – Alan Sharp, Scottish-American screenwriter and author (born 1934)
 * 10 February – W. Watts Biggers, American novelist (born 1927)
 * 12 February – Barnaby Conrad, American author (born 1922)
 * 13 February – Oswald LeWinter, Austrian-born American writer (born 1931)
 * 14 February
 * Glenn Boyer, American author (born 1924)
 * Mary Brave Bird, American Lakota writer and activist (born 1954)
 * Friedrich Neznansky, Russian writer (born 1932)
 * 17 February
 * William Bridges, American author and business consultant (born 1933)
 * Manoranjan Das, Indian playwright (born 1923)
 * Debbie Ford, American motivational author (born 1955)
 * 23 February
 * Maurice Rosy, Belgian comics writer (born 1927)
 * Sylvia Smith, English writer (born 1945)
 * 24 February – Mahmoud Salem, Egyptian author (born 1931)
 * 26 February
 * Jan Howard Finder, American science fiction writer (born 1939)
 * Stéphane Hessel, German-born French author and diplomat (born 1917)
 * 27 February
 * Molly Lefebure, English writer (born 1919)
 * Imants Ziedonis, Latvian poet (born 1933)
 * 10 March – Robert Chrisman, American poet, scholar, and critic, co-founder of The Black Scholar (born 1937)
 * 1 April – Kildare Dobbs, Canadian author (born 1923)
 * 11 April – Adam Galos, Polish historian (born 1924)
 * 13 April – Nick Pollotta, American science fiction author (born 1954)
 * 20 April
 * Jocasta Innes, China-born English non-fiction writer (born 1934)
 * E. L. Konigsburg, American children's novelist and illustrator (born 1930)
 * 22 April – Clément Marchand, Canadian poet and journalist (born 1912)
 * 1 May – Gregory Rogers, Australian children's author and illustrator (born 1957)
 * 12 May – Per Maurseth, Norwegian historian (born 1932)
 * 23 May – William Demby, American author (born 1922)
 * 26 May – Jack Vance, American mystery, fantasy, and science fiction writer (born 1916)
 * 6 June – Tom Sharpe, English comic novelist (born 1928)
 * 9 June – Iain Banks, Scottish novelist (born 1954)
 * 23 June – Richard Matheson, American author and screenwriter (born 1926)
 * 12 July – Elaine Morgan, Welsh writer on anthropology (born 1920)
 * 2 September – Frederik Pohl, American science fiction writer (born 1919)
 * 18 September – Marcel Reich-Ranicki, Polish-born German literary critic (born 1920)
 * 21 September – Kofi Awoonor, Ghanaian poet (shot dead, born 1935)
 * 23 September
 * Christopher Koch, Australian novelist (born 1932)
 * Álvaro Mutis, Colombian poet, novelist and essayist (born 1923)
 * Luciano Vincenzoni, Italian screenwriter (born 1926)
 * 1 October – Tom Clancy, American thriller writer (born 1947)
 * 25 November – Joel Lane, English author, poet, and critic (born 1963)
 * 11 December – Barbara Branden, Canadian-American author (born 1929)

Awards

 * Akutagawa Prize (Early): Kaori Fujino for Tsume to Me (爪と目) "Nails and Eyes"
 * Caine Prize for African Writing: Tope Folarin, "Miracle"
 * Camões Prize: Mia Couto
 * Danuta Gleed Literary Award: (announced 11 June 2013)
 * David Cohen Prize: Hilary Mantel
 * Dayne Ogilvie Prize: Main award, C. E. Gatchalian; honours of distinction, Anand Mahadevan, Barry Webster
 * Dylan Thomas Prize: Battleborn by Claire Vaye Watkins
 * European Book Prize: Eduardo Mendoza, An Englishman in Madrid, and Arnaud Leparmentier, The French, gravediggers of the euro
 * German Book Prize: Terézia Mora, Das Ungeheuer
 * Goldsmiths Prize: A Girl Is a Half-formed Thing by Eimear McBride
 * Gordon Burn Prize: Pig Iron by Ben Myers
 * Governor General's Award for English-language fiction: The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton
 * Governor General's Award for French-language fiction: Quand les guêpes se taisent by Stéphanie Pelletier
 * Grand Prix du roman de l'Académie française: Plonger by Christophe Ono-dit-Biot
 * Hugo Award for Best Novel: John Scalzi for Redshirts
 * International Dublin Literary Award: City of Bohane by Kevin Barry
 * International Prize for Arabic Fiction: The Bamboo Stalk by Saud Alsanousi
 * Lambda Literary Awards: Multiple categories; see 2013 Lambda Literary Awards
 * Man Booker Prize: The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton
 * Miles Franklin Award: Questions of Travel by Michelle de Kretser
 * National Biography Award (5 August): The Two Frank Thrings by Peter Fitzpatrick
 * National Book Award for Fiction: The Good Lord Bird by James McBride
 * National Book Critics Circle Award: to Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
 * Nobel Prize in Literature: Alice Munro
 * PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction: Everything Begins and Ends at the Kentucky Club by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
 * Premio Planeta de Novela: El cielo ha vuelto by Clara Sánchez
 * Premio Strega: Resistere non serve a niente by Walter Siti
 * Pritzker Military Library Literature Award: to Tim O'Brien
 * Prix Goncourt: Au revoir là-haut by Pierre Lemaitre
 * Pulitzer Prize for Fiction: The Orphan Master's Son by Adam Johnson
 * Pulitzer Prize for Poetry: Stag's Leap by Sharon Olds
 * Russian Booker Prize: Возвращение в Панджруд (Return to Panjrud) by Andrei Volos
 * SAARC Literary Award: Suman Pokhrel, Abhay K, Daya Dissanayake, Farheen Chaudhary, Abdul Khaliq Rashid
 * Samuel Johnson Prize: (announced November 2013) The Pike by Lucy Hughes-Hallett
 * Scotiabank Giller Prize: Lynn Coady, Hellgoing
 * Whiting Awards: Fiction: Hannah Dela Cruz Abrams (fiction/nonfiction), Amanda Coplin, Jennifer duBois, C.E. Morgan, Stephanie Powell Watts; Nonfiction: Morgan Meis, Clifford Thompson; Plays: Virginia Grise; Poetry: Ishion Hutchinson, Rowan Ricardo Phillips
 * Women's Prize for Fiction: May We Be Forgiven by A.M. Homes
 * Zbigniew Herbert International Literary Award: W.S. Merwin