Ben Shattuck’s acclaimed collection of short stories The History of Sound has been shortlisted for the 2025 Mark Twain American Voice in Literature Award.
Established in 2016 with the generous sponsorship of acclaimed novelist and Museum Board member David Baldacci, the Award honors distinguished fiction that speaks with an American voice and tells a uniquely American story. The Mark Twain Award seeks to preserve the searching, challenging spirit of Mark Twain’s way of looking at the world. The prize is awarded annually to a work of fiction published in the previous calendar year and carries a $25,000 cash award.
‘This is a strong list any way you look at it,’ said Rand Richards Cooper, Chair of the judging panel and Museum Board member. ‘It represents a wide range of voices, regions, and subjects, providing provocative and fascinating views of the American experience.’
The finalists will be announced in September. The winner will be honoured at a special celebration in Hartford in November.