Why Is the National Book Award Going to a Publisher of Antisemitic Books?

Even in a busy season of elections and wars, one might have thought that the announcement that a National Book Award will be given to a purveyor of antisemitic and homophobic tracts would have caused a bit more of a stir. It seems like the kind of story that would be picked up by major newspapers, major magazines, and public radio.

It is remarkable, then, that there has not been greater attention to the work of W. Paul Coates, who will receive the award on November 20: tonight. As the publisher of The Jewish Onslaught, as well as assorted other books, Coates has promoted writing that is, in the parlance of our time, problematic, advancing pseudoscience while demeaning Jews and gays, among others.

Here’s the story. On September 4, the National Book Foundation, which gives out the National Book Awards, announced that the Literarian Award for outstanding service to the literary community, one of its two lifetime achievement awards, would be given to Coates, founder of Black Classic Press.

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May 19, 2021

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