The New Yorker’s Best Books of 2026 So Far
The New Yorker has published its midyear roundup of the best books of 2026, covering fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Notable titles include Harriet Clark’s debut novel "The Hill," inspired by her mother’s Weather Underground past; Jonathan Cheng’s "Korean Messiah," examining Kim Il Sung’s cult through Presbyterian roots; and Sarah M.S. Pearsall’s "Freedom Round the Globe," which reframes the American Revolution as one of many global insurgencies. Other highlights: Jayne Anne Phillips’s essays "Small Town Girls," Craig Morgan Teicher’s poetry collection "August, September, October," and Trevor Burnard and Andrew Jackson O’Shaughnessy’s "Republic and Empire." The list also features works by Lena Dunham, Ben Lerner, Louise Erdrich, Colm Tóibín, and Marie NDiaye, whose novel "The Witch" was shortlisted for the 2026 International Booker Prize. Several books draw from material first published in The New Yorker.
Key facts
- The New Yorker published its midyear best books list for 2026.
- Harriet Clark's debut novel 'The Hill' is based on her mother's Weather Underground activism.
- Jonathan Cheng's 'Korean Messiah' links Kim Il Sung's cult to Presbyterianism.
- Sarah M.S. Pearsall's 'Freedom Round the Globe' argues the American Revolution was not unique.
- Jayne Anne Phillips's 'Small Town Girls' reflects on her West Virginia upbringing.
- Craig Morgan Teicher's 'August, September, October' is a poetry collection about time and memory.
- Trevor Burnard and Andrew Jackson O'Shaughnessy co-wrote 'Republic and Empire' about Britain's other colonies.
- Marie NDiaye's 'The Witch' was shortlisted for the 2026 International Booker Prize.
- Several books excerpted material previously published in The New Yorker.
Entities
Artists
- Harriet Clark
- Jonathan Cheng
- Sarah M.S. Pearsall
- Jayne Anne Phillips
- Craig Morgan Teicher
- Trevor Burnard
- Andrew Jackson O'Shaughnessy
- Lena Dunham
- Ben Lerner
- Louise Erdrich
- Colm Tóibín
- Marie NDiaye
- Karen Tei Yamashita
- Gwendoline Riley
- Sinan Antoon
- Juliana Leite
- Katrina Manson
- Megan O'Grady
- Jessica Riskin
- Andrew Graham-Dixon
- Evelyn Iritani
- Michael Lee Nirenberg
- Patrick Radden Keefe
- Robert Moor
- Tom Junod
- Cameron Reed
- Jeffrey Marlow
- John McPhee
- Liza Minnelli
- Mary Costello
- Mark Oppenheimer
- Tayari Jones
- Nicholas Lemann
- Ellen Carol DuBois
- Namwali Serpell
- Ian McGuire
- Patrice Nganang
- Adam Phillips
- Bennett Cerf
- Gayle Feldman
- Drew Cukor
- Agnes Martin
- Carrie Mae Weems
- Barbara Kruger
- Pope.L
- Jean-Baptiste Lamarck
- Johannes Vermeer
- Emily Hahn
- Donald Hasuike
- Elia Kazan
- Martin Scorsese
- Sidney Lumet
- Zac Brettler
- David Brower
- Vincente Minnelli
- Judy Garland
- Judy Blume
- Elizabeth Cady Stanton
- Toni Morrison
- Arsenio Hall
- Johnny Carson
- Kim Il Sung
- Kim Jong Il
- Lou Junod
Institutions
- The New Yorker
- Farrar, Straus & Giroux
- Knopf
- Doubleday
- BOA Editions
- Yale
- Random House
- New York Review Books
- Other Press
- Two Lines
- Norton
- Riverhead
- Feral House
- Simon & Schuster
- Library of America
- Grand Central
- Scribner
- Putnam
- Liveright
- Basic
- Harper
- AtriaBlack Privilege
- Hogarth
- Crown
- Graywolf
- Bloomberg
- Palantir
- Hudson's Bay Company
- Spelman
- U.C.L.A.
- HBO
- Wall Street Journal
- Weather Underground
Locations
- New York
- United States
- Delft
- Netherlands
- Kansas
- West Virginia
- Buckhannon
- Louisiana
- Memphis
- New Orleans
- Cleveland
- Providence
- Rhode Island
- London
- United Kingdom
- Canada
- Alaska
- Maine
- New Jersey
- Brooklyn
- Colorado
- Hong Kong
- Japan
- Ukraine
- Russia
- Cameroon
- Algeria
- Ireland
- Brazil
- Iraq
- Puerto Rico
- Papua
- Indonesia
- East Africa
- Scythia
- Seneca Falls
- New York City
- Hollywood
- Hudson
- Appalachia
- Korea
- North Korea
- West Africa
- Asia
- Europe
- Gibraltar
- Caribbean
- India
- Africa