The Best American Essays 2026

A collection of the year’s best essays, selected by critically acclaimed author of The Future Is History and How to Survive Totalitarianism and New York Times columnist, M. Gessen. The Best American series, launched in 1915, is the premier annual showcase for the country’s finest short fiction and nonfiction, and it is the most respected—and most popular—of its kind. M. Gessen, critically acclaimed essayist, New York Times columnist, and National Book Award winner, selects twenty essays out of thousands that represent the best examples of the form published the previous year.