Celebrating 100 Years of Pulitzer Prize-Winning Fiction

In 1921, Edith Wharton was the first woman to be awarded the Pulitzer Prize for the Novel (as it was known until 1947) with this exploration and subtle criticism of upper-class New York in the 1870s. The story of a high-society couple’s wedding plans being interrupted by the bride’s scandalous cousin provides the perfect backdrop for Wharton’s examination of New York’s aristocracy.

In 1948, the award became the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, encompassing all forms of fiction, from short stories to novels. TALES OF THE SOUTH PACIFIC, a gripping account of the men and women residing in the South Pacific during World War II, was the first to receive the newly renamed prize. Theater buffs might recognize it as the basis for the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical.

The winner from 1968, THE CONFESSIONS OF NAT TURNER is the fictionalized account of the leader of the 1831 slave revolt. Told from Nat’s point of view as he awaits execution, it covers his life leading to his unjust end.

Published in 1957, A DEATH IN THE FAMILY won the 1958 prize for its potent depiction of loss and grief. This semi-autobiographical novel is fueled by powerful emotion.

John Cheever won the prize in 1979 for this tender and all-encompassing collection of short stories that give voice to “the greatest generation.”

In 1976, Gary Gilmore was arrested for two murders. Following his conviction, he began a notorious fight for his death sentence to be carried out and was finally killed by firing squad, making him the first person in almost ten years to be executed in the United States. In 1980, this exceptional fictionalized tale of Gilmore and the men and women tangled up in his life won the Pulitzer Prize.

In 1990, Oscar Hijuelos became the first Hispanic person to win the Pulitzer Prize for his novel, THE MAMBO KINGS PLAY SONGS OF LOVE. This novel travels back in time, telling the story of Cesar and Nestor Castillo, two Cuban brothers living in New York City in 1949, who are workers by day and stars of the dance halls by night.

Awarded the prize in 1994, THE SHIPPING NEWS is an enchanting look at the contemporary American family. When a third-rate newspaper hack’s cheating wife dies, he and his daughters move to Newfoundland, where they must face their personal demons as a long winter closes in.

This unique coming-of-age story about an intersex protagonist won the award in 2003. Based loosely off the author’s own Greek heritage, it follows the effects of a mutated gene on three generations of one Greek immigrant family.

This 2009 winner tells the story of a small town through the eyes of one larger-than-life character: Olive Kitteridge. A retired teacher, Olive abhors and fixates on the changes taking place in her small town and the world at large, so much so that she often misses the changes occurring in those around her.

Winner in 2013, this timely novel examines North Korea from the inside, providing one of the most substantial looks at an otherwise mysterious and often alarming nation. Jun Do, the main character, moves throughout North Korean society, from the brutal camps to the high society of Pyongyang, giving American readers a look at a society otherwise hidden away.

Already beloved by millions of readers, this novel follows a blind French girl and a German boy whose paths collide in occupied France as they both try to survive the devastation of World War II. The breakout hit of 2014, this beautiful novel was a finalist for the National Book Award and it just won the 2015 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. If you haven't read it yet, this one should be at the top of your spring reading list.