Author and illustrator Art Spiegelman and Israeli novelist Aharon Appelfeld are among the winners of the 2011 National Jewish Book Awards.

The awards, which were announced

Jan. 11, are given annually by the Jewish Book Council to honor outstanding books of Jewish interest.

Spiegelman’s new book, “MetaMaus:  A Look Inside a Modern Classic, Maus,” took the prize in the biography, autobiography, and memoir category. The judges describe it “as brilliant and paradigm-shattering … a work of genius.”

Appelfeld won his third National Jewish Book Award in fiction for “Until the Dawn’s Light.” Ned Beauman, the 26-year-old author of “Boxer, Beetle,” won in the outstanding debut fiction category.

Simon Sebag Montefiore was honored with the Everett Family Foundation Jewish Book of the Year Award for his epic history, “Jerusalem:  The Biography.”

Other winners include Hirsch Goodman in the history category for “The Anatomy of Israel’s Survival,” Julie Chibbaro in the children’s and young adult literature category for “Deadly,” and Tamara Cohn Eskenazi and Tikva Frymer-Kensky in the women’s studies category for “The JPS Bible Commentary: Ruth.”

This year, the Jewish Book Council will recognize the contributions of board member Myra H. Kraft, who died in July. The Myra H. Kraft Memorial Award in Contemporary Jewish Life and Practice, endowed by her husband, Robert Kraft, and her family, has been established for her dedication to the world of Jewish literature. — jta