--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There has long been an argument in New…" description: "\"There has long been an argument in New York about what, exactly, the purpose of book awards ought to be. One model sees them as a celebration of the un..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f6/michelle-dean-7717_best_there-has-long-been-an-argument-in-new-y_1569925.jpg" --- # There has long been an argument in New York about what… ![“There has long been an argument in New York about what, exactly, the purpose of book awards ought to be. One model sees them as a celebration of the unquestioned best and brightest, a triumphal parade for marquee authors who have published in a given year.” quote by Michelle Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f6/michelle-dean-7717_best_there-has-long-been-an-argument-in-new-y_1569925.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f6/michelle-dean-7717_best_there-has-long-been-an-argument-in-new-y_1569925.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f6/michelle-dean-7717_best_there-has-long-been-an-argument-in-new-y_1569925.jpg) > “There has long been an argument in New York about what, exactly, the purpose of book awards ought to be. One model sees them as a celebration of the unquestioned best and brightest, a triumphal parade for marquee authors who have published in a given year.” [Michelle Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-dean/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Book awards can either celebrate excellence or reinforce elite dominance. **In simple terms:** Awards may honor merit or uphold status quo. Key Takeaway Question award criteria and impact. Themes literature recognition power dynamics Mood critical analytical Type critical inquisitive When to use this quote - publishing decisions - author promotion - reader expectations Key Concepts cultural capital gatekeeping Questions to Reflect On - Who decides “the best”? - How to make awards more inclusive? A Different Perspective Awards can marginalize diverse voices. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Authors Published](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/authors-published-5908202/) [Awards Ought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/awards-ought-2662241/) [Best](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/best/) [Book Awards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book-awards-3403724/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Brightest Triumphal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brightest-triumphal-5908203/) [Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long/) [Marquee Authors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marquee-authors-5908201/) [New](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new/) [New york](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-york/) [Purpose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/purpose/) ## Related quotes > [Book awards - in America, at least - are not like the Oscars. Awards are not cumulative, and in the case of something like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-dean/book-awards-in-america-at-least-are-not-like-the-oscars-awards-are/) [Michelle Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-dean/) > [I'm not interested in awards. I never have been. I don't think they are important. Don't get me wrong, if somebody gives me a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hurt/i-m-not-interested-in-awards-i-never-have-been-i-don-t-think-they-are-2/) [John Hurt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hurt/) > [I'm not interested in awards. I never have been. I don't think they are important. Don't get me wrong, if somebody gives me a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hurt/i-m-not-interested-in-awards-i-never-have-been-i-don-t-think-they-are/) [John Hurt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hurt/) > [There's a big difference between the National Book Awards and the Academy Awards. At the Academy Awards you can feel the greed and envy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/there-s-a-big-difference-between-the-national-book-awards-and-the/) [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) > [“In the end, it's not your Nobel Prize you're thinking of, it's not your three National Book Awards, and all that. It's your sins…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-amis/in-the-end-it-s-not-your-nobel-prize-you-re-thinking-of-it-s-not-your/) [Martin Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-amis/) > [“History teaches us that Literary Book Awards have always been the quickest and easiest way to achieve global fame. They have helped countless authors…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mouloud-benzadi/history-teaches-us-that-literary-book-awards-have-always-been-the/) [Mouloud Benzadi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mouloud-benzadi/) > [My office in New York is overflowing with all kinds of cookbooks, and in New Orleans we have a huge culinary library. So yeah,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emeril-lagasse/my-office-in-new-york-is-overflowing-with-all-kinds-of-cookbooks-and/) [Emeril Lagasse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emeril-lagasse/) > [One of the things that's great about New York is that it is not a one-industry town. It has education, academia, the service industry,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-jessica-parker/one-of-the-things-that-s-great-about-new-york-is-that-it-is-not-a-one/) [Sarah Jessica Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-jessica-parker/) > [In New York, you are constantly faced with this very urgent decision that you have to make, about every twenty minutes...you have to decide,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cross/in-new-york-you-are-constantly-faced-with-this-very-urgent-decision/) [David Cross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cross/) > [I didn't know the city at all, but I was so happy to be in New York I cried. I was so excited.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greta-gerwig/i-didn-t-know-the-city-at-all-but-i-was-so-happy-to-be-in-new-york-i/) [Greta Gerwig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greta-gerwig/) > [I liked Cats as a kid, now its hard to say. I dont live in New York anymore so dont see so many.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-moennig/i-liked-cats-as-a-kid-now-its-hard-to-say-i-dont-live-in-new-york/) [Katherine Moennig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-moennig/) > [The midwest is great because it hasn't been entirely claimed. There's more room to write about it; it's harder to write about New York,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-flynn/the-midwest-is-great-because-it-hasn-t-been-entirely-claimed-there-s/) [Gillian Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-flynn/) > [The beauty of New York is unintentional; it arose independent of human design, like a stalagmite cavern.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/the-beauty-of-new-york-is-unintentional-it-arose-independent-of-human/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [New York is large, glamorous, easy-going, kindly and incurious, but above all it is a crucible - because it is large enough to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ford-madox-ford/new-york-is-large-glamorous-easy-going-kindly-and-incurious-but-above/) [Ford Madox Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ford-madox-ford/) > [I sound New York. I sound East Coast much more than a blonde person from L.A.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-kavner/i-sound-new-york-i-sound-east-coast-much-more-than-a-blonde-person/) [Julie Kavner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-kavner/) ## More by Michelle Dean > [There is an unfortunate side effect of being a person of few words: Sometimes people will assume you are less intelligent than you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-dean/there-is-an-unfortunate-side-effect-of-being-a-person-of-few-words/) [Michelle Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-dean/) > [Poems are ideally suited, in some ways, to social media because they pack so much meaning into so little language.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-dean/poems-are-ideally-suited-in-some-ways-to-social-media-because-they/) [Michelle Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-dean/) > [The diversity of perspective, the unwillingness to generalise - those are good traits in countries as they are in art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-dean/the-diversity-of-perspective-the-unwillingness-to-generalise-those/) [Michelle Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-dean/) > [When Paul Beatty's 'The Sellout' was first published in America in 2015, it was a small release. It got a rave review in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-dean/when-paul-beatty-s-the-sellout-was-first-published-in-america-in-2015/) [Michelle Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-dean/) > [Hollywood versions of watershed moments in American history are generally high-minded shlock. 'JFK,' 'The People vs. Larry Flynt,' even 'Lincoln': all of these boast…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-dean/hollywood-versions-of-watershed-moments-in-american-history-are/) [Michelle Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-dean/) > [I still think, most of the time, when people called shows like 'The Sopranos' or 'Deadwood' 'art' that they were correct.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-dean/i-still-think-most-of-the-time-when-people-called-shows-like-the/) [Michelle Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-dean/) > [Saying that you spend Christmas alone is, to most middle-class Americans, akin to confessing a terminal illness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-dean/saying-that-you-spend-christmas-alone-is-to-most-middle-class/) [Michelle Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-dean/) > [There are many things to like about 'Mr. Robot,' the most ephemeral and yet memorable of them being the opening credits.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-dean/there-are-many-things-to-like-about-mr-robot-the-most-ephemeral-and/) [Michelle Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-dean/) > [Bad criticism recites rote arguments. The shame of rote arguments isn't just that they're cliches, though they are, but that they tend to hide…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-dean/bad-criticism-recites-rote-arguments-the-shame-of-rote-arguments-isn/) [Michelle Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-dean/) > [Research can be a boon to a novelist - there are more things in heaven and Earth than can be dreamt of in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-dean/research-can-be-a-boon-to-a-novelist-there-are-more-things-in-heaven/) [Michelle Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-dean/) > [In an age where television is viewed as the best medium to 'tell stories,' narrative often stands in for substance on would-be prestige shows.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-dean/in-an-age-where-television-is-viewed-as-the-best-medium-to-tell/) [Michelle Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-dean/) > [Writing a novel about feminism can be a thankless task.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-dean/writing-a-novel-about-feminism-can-be-a-thankless-task/) [Michelle Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-dean/) > [Feminists are disappointed in each other a lot, a natural side effect of being involved in a movement, which naturally implies that progress toward…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-dean/feminists-are-disappointed-in-each-other-a-lot-a-natural-side-effect/) [Michelle Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-dean/) > [Hillbilly stereotypes have always made it easier for middle-class whites to presume that racism is the exclusive province of 'that kind' of person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-dean/hillbilly-stereotypes-have-always-made-it-easier-for-middle-class/) [Michelle Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-dean/) > [Book awards - in America, at least - are not like the Oscars. Awards are not cumulative, and in the case of something like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-dean/book-awards-in-america-at-least-are-not-like-the-oscars-awards-are/) [Michelle Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-dean/) [Explore all 88 Michelle Dean quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-dean/) ## More Best quotes > [Failures happen. You can't cry over them. You just take it in your stride because you know that you have done your best... 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When I knew I could work with him I was very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ederson/it-s-no-wonder-pep-is-one-of-the-best-coaches-in-the-world-when-i/) [Ederson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ederson/) > [“Before you were my enemy, you were my best friend.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kresley-cole/before-you-were-my-enemy-you-were-my-best-friend/) [Kresley Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kresley-cole/) > [If we accept being talked to any kind of a way, then we are telling ourselves we are not quite worth the best. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/if-we-accept-being-talked-to-any-kind-of-a-way-then-we-are-telling/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [I want to be perceived as a guy who played his best in all facets, not just scoring. A guy who loved challenges.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-jordan/i-want-to-be-perceived-as-a-guy-who-played-his-best-in-all-facets-not/) [Michael Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-jordan/) > [I feel like I'm the best, but you're not going to get me to say that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-rice/i-feel-like-i-m-the-best-but-you-re-not-going-to-get-me-to-say-that/) [Jerry Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-rice/) > [Life is where you love people and use things not use people and love things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/babloo/life-is-where-you-love-people-and-use-things-not-use-people-and-love/) [Babloo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/babloo/) > [With every product, the delta between the brand and the reality determines its power over the minds of consumers, and with Trump, that delta…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-wilson/with-every-product-the-delta-between-the-brand-and-the-reality/) [Rick Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-wilson/) > [The human element should be the two players on the court, not the officials. 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