I attended the NBCC awards ceremony last Thursday night at The New School, and my employer came away with two big winners — Daniel Mendelsohn’s The Lost took home the Autobiography prize, and Simon Schama’s Rough Crossings won the General Nonfiction category. Both winners made us proud with their books, of course, but also with exceptional acceptance speeches.
Earlier in the evening, John Leonard was presented with a lifetime achievement award, and the text of his remarks is well worth reading. Words on the screen don’t quite capture how charming and funny he was, but they convey his wisdom just fine.
