Editing Pulitzer Prize for Fiction

{{short description|American award for distinguished novels}}{{More citations needed|date=May 2023}}{{Pulitzer}}
The '''Pulitzer Prize for Fiction''' is one of the seven American [[Pulitzer Prize]]s that are annually awarded for Letters, Drama, and Music. It recognizes distinguished fiction by an American author, preferably dealing with American life, published during the preceding calendar year. 

As the '''Pulitzer Prize for the Novel''' (awarded 1918–1947), it was one of the original Pulitzers; the program was [[Inauguration|inaugurated]] in 1917 with seven prizes, four of which were awarded that year<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.pulitzer.org/prize-winners-by-year/1917|title=1917 Pulitzer Prizes|website=The Pulitzer Prizes (pulitzer.org) |access-date=2018-04-19}}</ref> (no Novel prize was awarded in 1917, the first one having been granted in 1918).<ref name="prize">{{cite web |title=Pulitzer Prize for the Novel |publisher=The Pulitzer Prizes (pulitzer.org) |url=http://www.pulitzer.org/prize-winners-by-category/261 |access-date=2008-08-19 }}</ref>

The name was changed to the '''Pulitzer Prize for Fiction''' in 1948, and eligibility was expanded to also include [[Short story|short stories]], [[Novella|novellas]], [[Novella|novelettes]], and poetry, as well as novels.

Finalists have been announced since 1980, usually a total of three.<ref name=prize/>

==Definition==
As defined in the original Plan of Award, the prize was given "Annually, for the American novel published during the year which shall best present the wholesome atmosphere of American life, and the highest standard of American manners and manhood," although there was some struggle over whether the word ''wholesome'' should be used instead of ''whole'', the word Pulitzer had written in his will.<ref name="Chronicle of the Pulitzer Prizes">{{cite book |editor1-last=Fischer |editor1-first=Erika J. |editor2-last=Fischer |editor2-first=Heinz D. |title=Chronicle of the Pulitzer Prizes for Fiction: Discussions, Decisions and Documents |date=2007 |publisher=[[K. G. Saur Verlag]] |location=Munich, Germany |isbn=978-3-598-30191-9 |pages=3–11 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Yjj7FiO4p44C |access-date=July 22, 2021}}</ref> In 1927, the advisory board quietly instituted Pulitzer's word choice, replacing ''wholesome'' with ''whole''.

A new consideration arose when the Pulitzer jury was unanimous in recommending [[Thornton Wilder]]'s ''[[The Bridge of San Luis Rey]]'' for the 1928 prize, although the book deals with Peruvians in [[Peru]], not with Americans in America. The jury chair, Richard Burton of [[Columbia University]], emphasized the ''moral'' value of the book in his report to the advisory board: "This piece of fiction is not only an admirable example of literary skill in the art of fiction, but also possesses a philosophic import and a spiritual elevation which greatly increases its literary value." [[Robert Morss Lovett]] disagreed, saying it would be "mere subterfuge to say that it has anything to do with the highest standard of American manners and manhood," but went along with the jury in finding "less literary merit" in the other novels under discussion. (Lovett rejected the runner-up ''Black April'' by [[Julia Peterkin]], calling it "a rather unedifying picture of life in a primitive negro community" and "an ironical answer to the terms on which the prize is offered." Peterkin won nevertheless in 1929 for a similar novel, ''[[Scarlet Sister Mary]]''.) Having settled on ''Bridge'', the Advisory Board redefined the conditions from "whole atmosphere of American life, and the highest standard of American manners and manhood" to "preferably one which shall best present the whole atmosphere of American life," although this did not address the novel's setting.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Weissberg |first=Claudia Stone |title=What makes a novel 'American'? Pearl S. Buck challenged the status quo |url=https://www.pulitzer.org/article/bridge-too-far-not-when-its-good-wilders-novel |website=The Pulitzer Prizes |publisher=Pulitzer.org |access-date=January 19, 2025}}</ref> Further refinement into "the best novel published that year by an American author" removed any impediment to [[Pearl S. Buck]]'s ''[[The Good Earth]]'' in 1932, also with a foreign setting in its study of Chinese village life in [[Anhui]], [[East China]].<ref name="quo">{{Cite web |last=Weissberg |first=Claudia Stone |title=What makes a novel 'American'? Pearl S. Buck challenged the status quo |url=https://www.pulitzer.org/article/what-makes-novel-american-pearl-s-buck-challenged-status-quo |website=The Pulitzer Prizes |publisher=Pulitzer.org |access-date=January 19, 2025}}</ref>

With 1929 came the first of several much more substantive changes. The board changed the wording to "preferably one which shall best present the whole atmosphere of American life" and deleted the insistence that the novel portray "the highest standard of American manners and manhood". In 1936, emphasis was changed again, with the award going to "a distinguished novel published during the year by an American author, preferably dealing with American life". In 1948, the advisory board widened the scope of the award with the wording "For distinguished fiction published in book form during the year by an American author, preferably dealing with American life."<ref name="Chronicle of the Pulitzer Prizes"/> This change allowed the prize to go to a collection of short stories for the first time, James Michener's ''Tales of the South Pacific''.

==Winners==
In 31 years under the "Novel" name, the prize was awarded 27 times; in its first 76 years to 2024 under the "[[Fiction]]" name, 70 times. There have been 11 years during which no title received the award. It was shared by two authors for the first time in 2023.<ref name=prize/> Since this category's inception in 1918, 31 women have won the prize. Four authors have won two prizes each in the Fiction category: [[Booth Tarkington]], [[William Faulkner]], [[John Updike]], and [[Colson Whitehead]].

Because the award is for books published in the preceding calendar year, the "Year" column links to the preceding year in literature.

===1910s to 1970s===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
!Year
!colspan=2 scope="col"|Winner
!colspan=2 scope="col"|Work
!Genre(s)
!Author's origin
|-
|'''[[1917 in literature|1918]]'''
!scope="row"|[[File:Ernest Poole.jpg|75px]]
|[[Ernest Poole]] <br> (1880–1950)
|'''''[[His Family]]'''''
|[[Macmillan Publishers|Macmillan]] (1917)
|[[Novel]]
|[[Illinois]]
|-
|'''[[1918 in literature|1919]]'''
!scope="row"|[[File:Booth Tarkington cph.3b27122.jpg|75px]]
|[[Booth Tarkington]] <br> (1869–1949)
|'''''[[The Magnificent Ambersons]]'''''
|[[Doubleday (publisher)|Doubleday, Page & Co.]] (1918)
|Novel
|[[Indiana]]
|-
|'''[[1919 in literature|1920]]'''
|colspan=6 align=center |''Not awarded''{{efn|group=notes|First-time fiction juror Stuart P. Sherman initially recommended [[Joseph Hergesheimer]]'s ''[[Java Head (novel)|Java Head]]'' for the award; he rescinded his recommendation when the other jurors informed him that the word "whole" in a key phrase of the original description of the award, "the whole atmosphere of American life", had subsequently been changed to "whole''some''".<ref name="hohenberg">{{cite book |last1=Hohenberg |first1=John |title=The Pulitzer Prizes: A History of the Awards in Books, Drama, Music, and Journalism, Based on the Private Files Over Six Decades |url=https://archive.org/details/pulitzerprizeshi00hohe |url-access=registration |date=1974 |publisher=Columbia University Press |location=New York |isbn=0231038879 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/pulitzerprizeshi00hohe/page/55 55], 143–44, 198, 204, 258}}</ref>}}
|-
|'''[[1920 in literature|1921]]'''
!scope="row"|[[File:Edith wharton face.jpg|75px]]
|[[Edith Wharton]] <br> (1862–1937)
|'''''[[The Age of Innocence]]'''''{{efn|group=notes|Juror [[Robert Morss Lovett]] wrote in the June 22, 1921 issue of ''[[The New Republic]]'' that in fact the jury had preferred ''[[Main Street (novel)|Main Street]]'', by Sinclair Lewis. The Pulitzer board overturned their decision. The man with the deciding vote may have been [[Nicholas Murray Butler]]. Lovett thought the public had a right to know that the jury had chosen another book. Lewis was angry but wrote her a congratulatory note. Wharton wrote back, "When I discovered that I was being rewarded — by one of our leading Universities — for uplifting American morals, I confess I did despair. Subsequently, when I found the prize shd really have been yours, but was withdrawn because your book (I quote from memory) had 'offended a number of prominent persons in the Middle West,' disgust was added to despair."}}<ref>{{cite web |author=[[Mike Pride (writer)|Mike Pride]] |title=Edith Wharton's 'The Age of Innocence' Celebrates its 100th Anniversary |url=https://www.pulitzer.org/article/edith-whartons-age-innocence-celebrates-its-100th-anniversary |website=The Pulitzer Prizes |publisher=Pulitzer.org |access-date=January 20, 2025}}</ref>
|[[D. Appleton & Company]] (1920)
|Novel
|[[New York (state)|New York]]
|-
|'''[[1921 in literature|1922]]'''
!scope="row"|[[File:Booth Tarkington cph.3b27122.jpg|75px]]
|[[Booth Tarkington]] <br> (1869–1949)
|'''''[[Alice Adams (novel)|Alice Adams]]'''''
|[[Doubleday (publisher)|Doubleday, Page & Co.]] (1921)
|Novel
|[[Indiana]]
|-
|'''[[1922 in literature|1923]]'''
!scope="row"|[[File:Willa Cather - The Borzoi.jpg|75px]]
|[[Willa Cather]] <br> (1873–1947)
|'''''[[One of Ours]]'''''
|[[Alfred A. Knopf]] (1922)
|Novel
|[[Virginia]]
|-
|'''[[1923 in literature|1924]]'''
!scope="row"| [[File:Margaret Wilson (The Indianapolis Star) 1923.jpg|75px]]
|[[Margaret Wilson (novelist)|Margaret Wilson]] <br> (1882–1973)
|'''''[[The Able McLaughlins]]'''''
|[[Harper (publisher)|Harper & Brothers]] (1923)
|[[Debut novel]]
|[[Iowa]]
|-
|'''[[1924 in literature|1925]]'''
!scope="row"|[[File:Edna-Ferber-1928.jpg|75px]]
|[[Edna Ferber]] <br> (1885–1968)
|'''''[[So Big (novel)|So Big]]'''''
|[[Grosset & Dunlap]] (1924)
|Novel
|[[Michigan]]
|-
|'''[[1925 in literature|1926]]'''
!scope="row"|[[File:Lewis-Sinclair-LOC.jpg|75px]]
|[[Sinclair Lewis]] <br> (1885–1951)
|'''''[[Arrowsmith (novel)|Arrowsmith]]'''''{{efn|group=notes|Lewis declined the prize.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1984/05/11/books/publishing-pulitzer-controversies.html |title=Publishing: Pulitzer Controversies |last=McDowell |first=Edwin |date=1984-05-11 |work=The New York Times |access-date=2018-02-15 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>}}
|[[Harcourt (publisher)|Harcourt Brace & Co.]] (1925)
|Novel
|[[Minnesota]]
|-
|'''[[1926 in literature|1927]]'''
!scope="row"|[[File:Louis-Bromfield-1933.jpg|75px]]
|[[Louis Bromfield]] <br> (1896–1956)
|'''''[[Early Autumn]]'''''
|Amereon Ltd (1926)
|Novel
|[[Ohio]]
|-
|'''[[1927 in literature|1928]]'''
!scope="row"|[[File:Thornton Wilder - 1948.jpg|75px]]
|[[Thornton Wilder]] <br> (1897–1975)
|'''''[[The Bridge of San Luis Rey]]'''''
|[[Boni & Liveright|Albert & Charles Boni]] (1927)
|Novel
|[[Wisconsin]]
|-
|'''[[1928 in literature|1929]]'''
!scope="row"|[[File:Julia Peterkin.jpg|75px]]
|[[Julia Peterkin]] <br> (1880–1961)
|'''''[[Scarlet Sister Mary]]'''''
|[[Bobbs-Merrill Company]] (1928)
|Novel
|[[South Carolina]]
|-
|'''[[1929 in literature|1930]]'''
!scope="row"| <!-- [[WP:NFCC]] violation: [[File:Oliver La Farge.jpg|75px]] -->
|[[Oliver La Farge]] <br> (1901–1963)
|'''''[[Laughing Boy (novel)|Laughing Boy]]'''''
|[[Houghton Mifflin Harcourt|Houghton Mifflin]] (1929)
|Novel
|[[New York (state)|New York]]
|-
|'''[[1930 in literature|1931]]'''
!scope="row"| <!-- [[WP:NFCC]] violation: [[File:Margaret Ayer Barnes.jpg|75px]] -->
|[[Margaret Ayer Barnes]] <br> (1886–1967)
|'''''[[Years of Grace]]'''''
|[[Houghton Mifflin Harcourt|Houghton Mifflin]] (1930)
|Novel
|[[Illinois]]
|-
|'''[[1931 in literature|1932]]'''
!scope="row"|[[File:Pearl Buck (Nobel).jpg|75px]]
|[[Pearl S. Buck]] <br> (1892–1973)
|'''''[[The Good Earth]]'''''{{efn|group=notes|Advisory Board secretary [[Frank D. Fackenthal]] asked the jurors only to "list the books in the order of the jury's choice without indicating the ins and outs of the vote." Their report said that they had also "favorably considered" ''[[Shadows on the Rock]]'' by [[Willa Cather]] and ''The Lady Who Came to Stay'' by R.E. Spencer, noting "it's a rare year when three such excellent novels appear."<ref name="quo" />}}
|[[John Day Company]] (1931)
|[[Historical fiction]]
|[[West Virginia]]
|-
|'''[[1932 in literature|1933]]'''
!scope="row"|[[File:T. S. Stribling.jpg|75px]]
|[[T. S. Stribling]] <br> (1881–1965)
|'''''[[The Store (novel)|The Store]]'''''
|[[Doubleday (publisher)|Doubleday, Doran]] (1932)
|Novel
|[[Tennessee]]
|-
|'''[[1933 in literature|1934]]'''
!scope="row"| <!-- [[WP:NFCC]] violation: [[File:Caroline P. Miller.png|75px]] -->
|[[Caroline Pafford Miller|Caroline Miller]] <br> (1903–1992)
|'''''[[Lamb in His Bosom]]'''''
|[[Harper (publisher)|Harper & Brothers]] (1933)
|Debut novel
|[[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]]
|-
|'''[[1934 in literature|1935]]'''
!scope="row"| <!-- [[WP:NFCC]] violation: [[File:Josephine Johnson|75px]] -->
|[[Josephine Johnson|Josephine Winslow Johnson]] <br> (1910–1990)
|'''''[[Now in November]]'''''
|[[Simon & Schuster]] (1934)
|Debut novel
|[[Missouri]]
|-
|'''[[1935 in literature|1936]]'''
!scope="row"| <!-- [[WP:NFCC]] violation: [[File:H. L. Davis Oregon author.gif|75px]] -->
|[[H. L. Davis|Harold L. Davis]] <br> (1894–1960)
|'''''[[Honey in the Horn]]'''''
|[[Harper (publisher)|Harper & Brothers]] (1935)
|Debut novel
|[[Oregon]]
|-
|'''[[1936 in literature|1937]]'''
!scope="row"|[[File:Margaret Mitchell NYWTS.jpg|75px]]
|[[Margaret Mitchell]] <br> (1900–1949)
|'''''[[Gone with the Wind (novel)|Gone with the Wind]]''''' 
|[[Macmillan Inc.|Macmillan Publishers]] (1936)
|Novel
|[[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]]
|-
|'''[[1937 in literature|1938]]'''
!scope="row"|  <!-- [[WP:NFCC]] violation: [[File:John P. Marquand.jpg|75px]] -->
|[[John P. Marquand|John Phillips Marquand]] <br> (1893–1960)
|'''''[[The Late George Apley]]'''''
|[[Little, Brown and Company]] (1937)
|[[Epistolary novel]]
|[[Delaware]]
|-
|'''[[1938 in literature|1939]]'''
!scope="row"|[[File:Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings.jpg|75px]]
|[[Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings]] <br> (1896–1953)
|'''''[[The Yearling]]'''''
|[[Charles Scribner's Sons]] (1938)
|[[Young adult novel]]
|[[Washington, D.C.]]
|-
|'''[[1939 in literature|1940]]'''
!scope="row"|[[File:John Steinbeck 1939 (cropped).jpg|75px]]
|[[John Steinbeck]] <br> (1902–1968)
|'''''[[The Grapes of Wrath]]'''''
|[[Viking Press]] (1939)
|Novel
|[[California]]
|-
|'''[[1940 in literature|1941]]'''
|colspan=6 align=center |''Not awarded''{{efn|name=1941award|group=notes|The fiction jury had recommended the 1941 award be shared by ''[[The Trees (Richter novel)|The Trees]]'' by [[Conrad Richter]] and ''[[The Ox-Bow Incident (novel)|The Ox-Bow Incident]]'' by [[Walter Van Tilburg Clark]]. While the Pulitzer Board initially intended to give the award to the jury's third choice, [[Ernest Hemingway]]'s ''[[For Whom the Bell Tolls]]'', the president of [[Columbia University]], [[Nicholas Murray Butler]], persuaded the board to reverse its judgment because he deemed the novel offensive, and no award was given that year.<ref name="hohenberg" /><ref name="controversies">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1984/05/11/books/publishing-pulitzer-controversies.html|title=PUBLISHING: PULITZER CONTROVERSIES|last=McDowell|first=Edwin|newspaper=The New York Times|date=11 May 1984 |url-access=subscription|access-date=2018-04-19|language=en|quote=[I]n 1941, after both the jury and the board voted to give the fiction prize to Ernest Hemingway's ''For Whom the Bell Tolls,'' Nicholas Murray Butler, president of Columbia and ''[[Ex officio member|ex-officio]]'' chairman of the board, forced the board to change its vote because he found the book offensive.}}</ref>}}
|-
|'''[[1941 in literature|1942]]'''
!scope="row"|[[File:Portrait of Ellen Glasgow.jpg|75px]]
|[[Ellen Glasgow]] <br> (1873–1945)
|'''''[[In This Our Life (novel)|In This Our Life]]'''''
|[[Jonathan Cape]] (1941)
|Novel
|[[Virginia]]
|-
|'''[[1942 in literature|1943]]'''
!scope="row"|[[File:Upton Sinclair 1.jpg|75px]]
|[[Upton Sinclair]] <br> (1878–1968)
|'''''[[Dragon's Teeth (novel)|Dragon's Teeth]]'''''
|[[Viking Press]] (1942)
|Historical fiction
|[[Maryland]]
|-
|'''[[1943 in literature|1944]]'''
!scope="row"|[[File:Martin Flavin.jpg|75px]]
|[[Martin Flavin]] <br> (1883–1967)
|'''''[[Journey in the Dark]]'''''
|[[Harper (publisher)|Harper & Brothers]] (1943)
|Novel
|[[California]]
|-
|'''[[1944 in literature|1945]]'''
!scope="row"|[[File:Portrait of John Hersey LCCN2004663004.jpg|75px]]
|[[John Hersey]] <br> (1914–1993)
|'''''[[A Bell for Adano (novel)|A Bell for Adano]]'''''
|[[Alfred A. Knopf]] (1944)
|[[War novel]]
|[[New York (state)|New York]] <br><span style="font-size:90%;">(born in [[Tianjin]], China)</span>
|-
|'''[[1945 in literature|1946]]'''
|colspan=6 align=center |''Not awarded''{{efn|name=1941 Award|group=notes|Though ''Apartment in Athens'' by [[Glenway Wescott]], ''The Wayfarers'' by [[Dan Wickenden]], and ''[[Black Boy]]'' by [[Richard Wright (author)|Richard Wright]] were each championed by at least one juror, the jury as a whole could not reach a consensus; one point of contention over ''Black Boy'' specifically was that the book is a memoir, not a novel.<ref name="hohenberg"/>}}
|-
|'''[[1946 in literature|1947]]'''
!scope="row"|[[File:Robert Penn Warren.jpg|75px]]
|[[Robert Penn Warren]] <br> (1905–1989)
|'''''[[All the King's Men]]''''' 
|[[Harcourt (publisher)|Harcourt, Brace & Company]] (1946)
|[[Political fiction]]
|[[Kentucky]]
|-
|'''[[1947 in literature|1948]]'''
!scope="row"|[[File:James Albert Michener · DN-SC-92-05368.JPEG|75px]]
|[[James A. Michener]] <br> (1907–1997)
|'''''[[Tales of the South Pacific]]'''''
|[[Macmillan Publishers]] (1947)
|[[Short story collection|Interrelated short stories]], <br> Book debut
|[[Pennsylvania]]
|-
|'''[[1948 in literature|1949]]'''
!scope="row"|
|[[James Gould Cozzens]] <br> (1903–1978)
|'''''[[Guard of Honor]]'''''
|[[Harcourt (publisher)|Harcourt, Brace & Company]] (1948)
|War novel
|[[Illinois]]
|-
|'''[[1949 in literature|1950]]'''
!scope="row"| [[File:A. B. Guthrie 1923 (page 32 crop).jpg|75px]]
|[[A. B. Guthrie Jr.|A. B. Guthrie]] <br> (1901–1991)
|'''''[[The Way West]]'''''
|[[William Sloane (author)|William Sloane Associates]] (1949)
|[[Western fiction]]
|[[Indiana]]
|-
|'''[[1950 in literature|1951]]'''
!scope="row"| <!-- [[WP:NFCC]] violation: [[File:Conrad Richter.jpg|75px]] -->
|[[Conrad Richter]] <br>  (1890–1968)
|'''''[[The Town (Richter novel)|The Town]]'''''
|[[Alfred A. Knopf]] (1950)
|Novel
|[[Pennsylvania]]
|-
|'''[[1951 in literature|1952]]'''
!scope="row"|[[File:Herman Wouk (cropped).jpg|75px]]
|[[Herman Wouk]] <br> (1915–2019)
|'''''[[The Caine Mutiny]]'''''
|[[Doubleday (publisher)|Doubleday]] (1951)
|Historical fiction
|[[New York (state)|New York]]
|-
|'''[[1952 in literature|1953]]'''
!scope="row"|[[File:Ernest Hemingway 1950 crop.jpg|75px]]
|[[Ernest Hemingway]] <br> (1899–1961)
|'''''[[The Old Man and the Sea]]'''''
|[[Charles Scribner's Sons]] (1952)
|[[novella|Short novel]]
|[[Illinois]]
|-
|'''[[1953 in literature|1954]]'''
|colspan=6 align=center |''Not awarded''{{efn|group=notes|The two-man fiction jury could not agree on a single book to recommend to the Advisory Board, so no award was given; among the books recommended by juror Eric P. Kelly were ''Ramey'' by [[Jack D. Ferris]], ''The Sands of Karakorum'' by [[James Ramsey Ullman|James Ullman]], ''[[The Adventures of Augie March]]'' by [[Saul Bellow]], and ''The Four Lives of Mundy Tolliver'' by [[Ben Lucien Burman]], while juror Harris F. Fletcher recommended ''The Street of the Three Friends'' by [[Myron Brinig]] and ''The Deep Sleep'' by [[Wright Morris]]<ref name="hohenberg" />}}
|-
|'''[[1954 in literature|1955]]'''
!scope="row"|[[File:Carl Van Vechten - William Faulkner (greyscale and cropped).jpg|75px]]
|[[William Faulkner]] <br> (1897–1962)
|'''''[[A Fable]]'''''
|[[Random House]] (1954)
|Novel
|[[Mississippi]]
|-
|'''[[1955 in literature|1956]]'''
!scope="row"|[[File:MacKinlay Kantor (1950).jpg|75px]]
|[[MacKinlay Kantor]] <br> (1904–1977)
|'''''[[Andersonville (novel)|Andersonville]]'''''
|[[Penguin Books]] (1955)
|Historical fiction
|[[Iowa]]
|-
|'''[[1956 in literature|1957]]'''
|colspan=6 align=center |''Not awarded''{{efn|group=notes|The fiction jury had recommended the 1957 award to [[Elizabeth Spencer (writer)#Early life and career|Elizabeth Spencer]]'s ''[[The Voice at the Back Door]]'', but the Pulitzer board, which has sole discretion for awarding the prize, made no award.}}
|-
|'''[[1957 in literature|1958]]'''
!scope="row"| <!-- [[WP:NFCC]] violation: [[File:James Agee 1937.jpg|75px]] -->
|[[James Agee]] <br> (1909–1955)
|'''''[[A Death in the Family]]''''' <br> (posthumously)
|[[Ivan Sergeyevich Obolensky|McDowell, Obolensky]] (1957)
|[[autobiography|Autobiographical novel]]
|[[Tennessee]]
|-
|'''[[1958 in literature|1959]]'''
!scope="row"|
|[[Robert Lewis Taylor]] <br> (1912–1998)
|'''''[[The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters]]'''''
|[[Doubleday (publisher)|Doubleday]] (1958)
|Historical fiction
|[[Illinois]]
|-
|'''[[1959 in literature|1960]]'''
!scope="row"|
|[[Allen Drury]] <br> (1918–1998)
|'''''[[Advise and Consent]]'''''
|[[Doubleday (publisher)|Doubleday]] (1959)
|Political fiction, <br> Debut novel
|[[Texas]]
|-
|'''[[1960 in literature|1961]]'''
!scope="row"|[[File:Harper Lee Nov07.JPG|75px]]
|[[Harper Lee]] <br> (1926–2016)
|'''''[[To Kill a Mockingbird]]'''''
|[[J. B. Lippincott & Co.]] (1960)
|[[Southern Gothic]], <br> [[Bildungsroman]], <br> Debut novel
|[[Alabama]]
|-
|'''[[1961 in literature|1962]]'''
!scope="row"|
|[[Edwin O'Connor]] <br> (1918–1968)
|'''''[[The Edge of Sadness]]'''''
|[[Little, Brown and Company]] (1961)
|Novel
|[[Rhode Island]]
|-
|'''[[1962 in literature|1963]]'''
!scope="row"|[[File:Carl Van Vechten - William Faulkner (greyscale and cropped).jpg|75px]]
|[[William Faulkner]] <br> (1897–1962)
|'''''[[The Reivers]]''''' <br> (posthumously)
|[[Random House]] (1962)
|Novel
|[[Mississippi]]
|-
|'''[[1963 in literature|1964]]'''
|colspan=6 align=center |''Not awarded''{{efn|group=notes|"Among the books the judges most seriously considered were the following: (1) [[Norman Fruchter]]'s ''Coat Upon a Stick''…, (2) [[May Sarton]]'s novella ''Joanna and Ulysses''…, (3) [[Sumner Locke Elliott]]'s ''[[Careful, He Might Hear You (novel)|Careful, He Might Hear You]]''…, [and] (4) [[John Killens]]' ''And Then We Heard the Thunder''… If a prize were to be awarded for a 1963 novel we felt these to be the most serious candidates." However, the fiction jury ultimately recommended that no award be given because "no one of them imposes itself upon us as demanding recognition as 'distinguished fiction'…."<ref name="hohenberg" />}}
|-
|'''[[1964 in literature|1965]]'''
!scope="row"|[[File:Shirley Ann Grau LCCN97503400.jpg|75px]]
|[[Shirley Ann Grau]] <br> (1929–2020)
|'''''[[The Keepers of the House]]'''''
|[[Alfred A. Knopf]] (1964)
|Novel
|[[Louisiana]]
|-
|'''[[1965 in literature|1966]]'''
!scope="row"| <!-- [[WP:NFCC]] violation: [[File:Katherine Anne Porter.jpg|75px]] -->
|[[Katherine Anne Porter]] <br> (1890–1980)
|'''''[[The Collected Stories of Katherine Anne Porter|Collected Stories]]'''''
|[[Harcourt (publisher)|Harcourt Brace]] (1965)
|[[Short story collection]]
|[[Texas]]
|-
|'''[[1966 in literature|1967]]'''
!scope="row"|[[File:Bernard Malamud portrait.jpg|75px]]
|[[Bernard Malamud]] <br> (1914–1986)
|'''''[[The Fixer (novel)|The Fixer]]'''''
|[[Farrar, Straus & Giroux]] (1966)
|Novel
|[[New York (state)|New York]]
|-
|'''[[1967 in literature|1968]]'''
!scope="row"| [[File:William Styron, author, cropped (2).jpg|75px]]
|[[William Styron]] <br> (1925–2006)
|'''''[[The Confessions of Nat Turner]]'''''
|[[Random House]] (1967)
|Novel
|[[Virginia]]
|-
|'''[[1968 in literature|1969]]'''
!scope="row"| [[File:N Scott Momaday 1977 (cropped).jpeg|75px]]
|[[N. Scott Momaday]] <br> (1934–2024)
|'''''[[House Made of Dawn]]'''''
|[[Harper (publisher)|Harper & Row]] (1968)
|Novel
|[[Oklahoma]]
|-
|'''[[1969 in literature|1970]]'''
!scope="row"| [[File:Jean Stafford in 1941 (cropped).jpg|75px]]
|[[Jean Stafford]] <br> (1915–1979)
|'''''[[The Collected Stories of Jean Stafford|Collected Stories]]'''''
|[[Farrar, Straus & Giroux]] (1969)
|Short story collection
|[[California]]
|-
|'''[[1970 in literature|1971]]'''
|colspan=6 align=center |''Not awarded''{{efn|group=notes|name=1971award|The three novels the Pulitzer committee put forth for consideration to the Pulitzer board were: ''[[Losing Battles]]'' by [[Eudora Welty]]; ''[[Mr. Sammler's Planet]]'' by [[Saul Bellow]]; and ''[[The Wheel of Love]]'' by [[Joyce Carol Oates]]. The board rejected all three and opted for no award.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Novel/Fiction Awards 1917–1994: From Pearl S. Buck and Margaret Mitchell to Ernest Hemingway and John Updike|date=1997|publisher=K.G. Saur|last1=Fischer|first1=Heinz Dietrich|last2=Fischer|first2=Erika J.|isbn=9783110972115|location=München|oclc=811400780|pages=LX-LXI|series=The Pulitzer Prize Archive|volume=10 (in part D, "Belles Lettres")}}</ref>}}
|-
|'''[[1971 in literature|1972]]'''
!scope="row"| <!-- [[WP:NFCC]] violation: [[File:Wallace Stegner.jpg|75px]] -->
|[[Wallace Stegner]] <br> (1909–1993)
|'''''[[Angle of Repose]]'''''
|[[Doubleday (publisher)|Doubleday]] (1971)
|Novel
|[[Iowa]]
|-
|'''[[1972 in literature|1973]]'''
!scope="row"|[[File:Eudora-Welty-1962.jpeg|75px]]
|[[Eudora Welty]] <br> (1909–2001)
|'''''[[The Optimist's Daughter]]'''''
|[[Random House]] (1972)
|Short novel
|[[Mississippi]]
|-
|'''[[1973 in literature|1974]]'''
|colspan=6 align=center |''Not awarded''{{efn|group=notes|name=1974award|The fiction jury had unanimously recommended the 1974 award to [[Thomas Pynchon]]'s ''[[Gravity's Rainbow]]'', but the Pulitzer board, which has sole discretion for awarding the prize, made no award.<ref name="controversies" />}}
|-
|'''[[1974 in literature|1975]]'''
!scope="row"|[[File:Michael Shaara.jpg|75px]]
|[[Michael Shaara]] <br> (1928–1988)
|'''''[[The Killer Angels]]'''''
|[[David McKay Publications]] (1974)
|Historical fiction
|[[New Jersey]]
|-
|'''[[1975 in literature|1976]]'''
!scope="row"|[[File:Saul Bellow (Herzog portrait).jpg|75px]]
|[[Saul Bellow]] <br> (1915–2005)
|'''''[[Humboldt's Gift]]'''''
|[[Viking Press]] (1975)
|Novel
|[[Illinois]] <br><span style="font-size:90%;">(born in [[Quebec]], Canada)</span> 
|-
|'''[[1976 in literature|1977]]'''
|colspan=6 align=center |''Not awarded''{{efn|group=notes|name=1977award|The fiction jury had recommended the 1977 award to [[Norman MacLean]]'s ''[[A River Runs Through It (novel)|A River Runs Through It]]'', but the Pulitzer board, which has sole discretion for awarding the prize, made no award. That same year, however, [[Alex Haley]]'s iconic [[family saga]] ''[[Roots (novel)|Roots]]'' was awarded a special Pulitzer Prize.<ref name="controversies" />}}
|-
|'''[[1977 in literature|1978]]'''
!scope="row"| <!-- [[WP:NFCC]] violation: [[File:James Alan McPherson.jpg|75px]] -->
|[[James Alan McPherson]] <br> (1943–2016)
|'''''[[Elbow Room (short story collection)|Elbow Room]]'''''
|[[Little, Brown and Company|Little, Brown]] (1977)
|Short story collection
|[[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]]
|-
|'''[[1978 in literature|1979]]'''
!scope="row"|[[File:Johncheever.jpg|75px]]
|[[John Cheever]] <br> (1912–1982)
|'''''[[The Stories of John Cheever]]'''''
|[[Alfred A. Knopf]] (1978)
|Short story collection
|[[Massachusetts]] 
|}

===1980s to 2020s===
Entries from this point on include the finalists listed for each year.
{| class="wikitable sortable"
!Year
!colspan=2 scope="col"|Winner
!colspan=2 scope="col"|Work
!Genre(s)
!Author's origin
!Finalists
|-
|'''[[1979 in literature|1980]]'''
!scope="row"|[[File:Norman Mailer 1948 (cropped).jpg|75px]]
|[[Norman Mailer]] <br> (1923–2007)
|'''''[[The Executioner's Song]]'''''
|[[Little, Brown and Company|Little, Brown]] (1979)
|[[True crime|True crime novel]]
|[[New Jersey]]
|{{bulleted list|[[William Wharton (author)|William Wharton]], ''[[Birdy (novel)|Birdy]]''|[[Philip Roth]], ''[[The Ghost Writer]]''}}
|-
|'''[[1980 in literature|1981]]'''
!scope="row"| <!-- [[WP:NFCC]] violation: [[File:John Kennedy Toole.jpg|75px]] -->
|[[John Kennedy Toole]] <br> (1937–1969)
|'''''[[A Confederacy of Dunces]]''''' <br> (posthumously)
|[[Louisiana State University Press]] (1980)
|[[Picaresque novel]]
|[[Louisiana]]
|{{bulleted list|[[Frederick Buechner]], ''[[Godric (novel)|Godric]]''|[[William Keepers Maxwell Jr.|William Maxwell]], ''[[So Long, See You Tomorrow (novel)|So Long, See You Tomorrow]]''}}
|-
|'''[[1981 in literature|1982]]'''
!scope="row"|[[File:John Updike with Bushes new.jpg|75px]]
|[[John Updike]] <br> (1932–2009)
|'''''[[Rabbit Is Rich]]'''''
|[[Alfred A. Knopf]] (1981)
|Novel
|[[Pennsylvania]]
|{{bulleted list|[[Robert Stone (novelist)|Robert Stone]], ''A Flag for Sunrise''|[[Marilynne Robinson]], ''[[Housekeeping (novel)|Housekeeping]]''}}
|-
|'''[[1982 in literature|1983]]'''
!scope="row"|[[File:Alice Walker.jpg|75px]]
|[[Alice Walker]] <br> (b. 1944)
|'''''[[The Color Purple]]'''''
|[[Harcourt (publisher)|Harcourt Brace Jovanovich]] (1982)
|Epistolary novel
|[[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]]
|{{bulleted list|[[Anne Tyler]], ''[[Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant]]''|[[Chaim Grade]], ''Rabbis and Wives''}}
|-
|'''[[1983 in literature|1984]]'''
!scope="row"|
|[[William Kennedy (author)|William Kennedy]] <br> (b. 1928)
|'''''[[Ironweed (novel)|Ironweed]]'''''
|[[Viking Press]] (1983)
|Novel
|[[New York (state)|New York]]
|{{bulleted list|[[Raymond Carver]], ''[[Cathedral (short story collection)|Cathedral]]''|[[Thomas Berger (novelist)|Thomas Berger]], ''The Feud''}}
|-
|'''[[1984 in literature|1985]]'''
!scope="row"|<!-- [[WP:NFCC]] violation: [[File:Alison Lurie, 1981.jpg|75px]] -->
|[[Alison Lurie]] <br> (1926–2020)
|'''''[[Foreign Affairs (novel)|Foreign Affairs]]'''''
|[[Random House]] (1984)
|Novel
|[[Illinois]]
|{{bulleted list|[[Diana O'Hehir]], ''I Wish This War Were Over''|[[Douglas Unger]], ''Leaving the Land''}}
|-
|'''[[1985 in literature|1986]]'''
!scope="row"|[[File:Larry McMurtry Photo Last Picture Show 1966.png|75px]]
|[[Larry McMurtry]] <br> (1936–2021)
|'''''[[Lonesome Dove]]'''''
|[[Simon & Schuster]] (1985)
|[[Western (genre)|Western novel]]
|[[Texas]]
|{{bulleted list|[[Russell Banks]], ''[[Continental Drift (novel)|Continental Drift]]''|[[Anne Tyler]], ''[[The Accidental Tourist]]''}}
|-
|'''[[1986 in literature|1987]]'''
!scope="row"|[[File:Peter Taylor in 1941 (cropped).jpg|75px]]
|[[Peter Taylor (writer)|Peter Taylor]] <br> (1917–1994)
|'''''[[A Summons to Memphis]]'''''
|[[Alfred A. Knopf]] (1986)
|Novel
|[[Tennessee]]
|{{bulleted list|[[Donald Barthelme]], ''[[Paradise (Barthelme novel)|Paradise]]''|[[Norman Rush]], ''Whites''}}
|-
|'''[[1987 in literature|1988]]'''
!scope="row"|[[File:Toni Morrison.jpg|75px]]
|[[Toni Morrison]] <br> (1931–2019)
|'''''[[Beloved (novel)|Beloved]]'''''
|[[Alfred A. Knopf]] (1987)
|Novel
|[[Ohio]]
|{{bulleted list|[[Diane Johnson]], ''Persian Nights''|[[Alice McDermott]], ''[[That Night (novel)|That Night]]''}}
|-
|'''[[1988 in literature|1989]]'''
!scope="row"| 
|[[Anne Tyler]] <br> (b. 1941)
|'''''[[Breathing Lessons]]'''''
|[[Alfred A. Knopf]] (1988)
|Novel
|[[Minnesota]]
|{{bulleted list|[[Raymond Carver]], ''[[Where I'm Calling From: New and Selected Stories|Where I'm Calling From]]''}}
|-
|'''[[1989 in literature|1990]]'''
!scope="row"|[[File:Hijuelos.jpg|75px]]
|[[Oscar Hijuelos]] <br> (1951–2013)
|'''''[[The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love]]'''''
|[[Farrar, Straus and Giroux]] (1989)
|Novel
|[[New York (state)|New York]]
|{{bulleted list|[[E. L. Doctorow]], ''[[Billy Bathgate]]''}}
|-
|'''[[1990 in literature|1991]]'''
!scope="row"|[[File:John Updike with Bushes new.jpg|75px]]
|[[John Updike]] <br> (1932–2009)
|'''''[[Rabbit At Rest]]'''''
|[[Alfred A. Knopf]] (1990)
|Novel
|[[Pennsylvania]]
|{{bulleted list|[[Linda Hogan (writer)|Linda Hogan]], ''[[Mean Spirit]]''|[[Tim O'Brien (author)|Tim O'Brien]], ''[[The Things They Carried]]''}}
|-
|'''[[1991 in literature|1992]]'''
!scope="row"|[[File:Jane smiley 2009.jpg|75px]]
|[[Jane Smiley]] <br> (b. 1949)
|'''''[[A Thousand Acres]]'''''
|[[Alfred A. Knopf]] (1991)
|[[Domestic realism]]
|[[California]]
|{{bulleted list|[[David Gates (author)|David Gates]], ''[[Jernigan (novel)|Jernigan]]''|[[Robert M. Pirsig]], ''[[Lila: An Inquiry into Morals]]''|[[Don DeLillo]], ''[[Mao II]]''}}
|-
|'''[[1992 in literature|1993]]'''
!scope="row"|[[File:Robert Olen Butler 2016.jpg|75px]]
|[[Robert Olen Butler]] <br> (b. 1945)
|'''''[[A Good Scent from a Strange Mountain]]'''''
|[[Henry Holt and Company|Henry Holt]] (1992)
|Short story collection
|[[Illinois]]
|{{bulleted list|[[Alice McDermott]], ''At Weddings and Wakes''|[[Joyce Carol Oates]], ''[[Black Water (novella)|Black Water]]''}}
|-
|'''[[1993 in literature|1994]]'''
!scope="row"|[[File:2018-us-nationalbookfestival-annie-proulx.jpg|75px]]
|[[Annie Proulx|E. Annie Proulx]] <br> (b. 1935)
|'''''[[The Shipping News]]'''''
|[[Charles Scribner's Sons]] (1993)
|Novel
|[[Connecticut]]
|{{bulleted list|[[Philip Roth]], ''[[Operation Shylock|Operation Shylock: A Confession]]''|[[Reynolds Price]], ''The Collected Stories''}}
|-
|'''[[1994 in literature|1995]]'''
!scope="row"| <!-- [[WP:NFCC]] violation: [[File:Carol Shields|75px]] -->
|[[Carol Shields]] <br> (1935–2003)
|'''''[[The Stone Diaries]]'''''
|[[Random House]] (1993)
|Novel
|[[Illinois]]
|{{bulleted list|[[Grace Paley]], ''[[The Collected Stories of Grace Paley|The Collected Stories]]''|[[Joyce Carol Oates]], ''What I Lived For''}}
|-
|'''[[1995 in literature|1996]]'''
!scope="row"|[[File:Ford, Richard -MBFI.jpg|75px]]
|[[Richard Ford]] <br> (b. 1944)
|'''''[[Independence Day (Ford novel)|Independence Day]]'''''
|[[Alfred A. Knopf]] (1995)
|Novel
|[[Mississippi]]
|{{bulleted list|[[Oscar Hijuelos]], ''Mr. Ives' Christmas''|[[Philip Roth]], ''[[Sabbath's Theater]]''}}
|-
|'''[[1996 in literature|1997]]'''
!scope="row"|
|[[Steven Millhauser]] <br> (b. 1943)
|'''''[[Martin Dressler|Martin Dressler: The Tale of an American Dreamer]]'''''
|[[Crown Publishers]] (1996)
|Novel
|[[New York (state)|New York]]
|{{bulleted list|[[Joanna Scott]], ''The Manikin''|[[Ursula K. Le Guin]], ''[[Unlocking the Air and Other Stories]]''}}
|-
|'''[[1997 in literature|1998]]'''
!scope="row"|[[File:Philip Roth - 1973.jpg|75px]]
|[[Philip Roth]] <br> (1933–2018)
|'''''[[American Pastoral]]'''''
|[[Houghton Mifflin]] (1997)
|Novel
|[[New Jersey]]
|{{bulleted list|[[Robert Stone (novelist)|Robert Stone]], ''Bear and His Daughter: Stories''|[[Don DeLillo]], ''[[Underworld (novel)|Underworld]]''}}
|-
|'''[[1998 in literature|1999]]'''
!scope="row"|[[File:Michael Cunningham JB by David Shankbone.jpg|75px]]
|[[Michael Cunningham]] <br> (b. 1952)
|'''''[[The Hours (novel)|The Hours]]'''''
|[[Farrar, Straus and Giroux]] (1998)
|Historical fiction
|[[Ohio]]
|{{bulleted list|[[Russell Banks]], ''[[Cloudsplitter]]''|[[Barbara Kingsolver]], ''[[The Poisonwood Bible]]''}}
|-
|'''[[1999 in literature|2000]]'''
!scope="row"|[[File:Jhumpa Lahiri (2015).png|75px]]
|[[Jhumpa Lahiri]] <br> (b. 1967)
|'''''[[Interpreter of Maladies]]'''''
|[[Houghton Mifflin]] (1999)
|Short story collection
|[[Rhode Island]] <br><span style="font-size:90%;">(born in [[London]], United Kingdom)</span> <br><span style="font-size:90%;">(lives in [[Rome]], Italy)</span>
|{{bulleted list|[[Annie Proulx]], ''[[Close Range: Wyoming Stories]]''|[[Ha Jin]], ''[[Waiting (novel)|Waiting]]''}}
|-
|'''[[2000 in literature|2001]]'''
!scope="row"|[[File:Michael Chabon by Gage Skidmore.jpg|75px]]
|[[Michael Chabon]] <br> (b. 1963)
|'''''[[The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay]]'''''
|[[Random House]] (2000)
|Historical fiction
|[[Washington, D.C.]]
|{{bulleted list|[[Joyce Carol Oates]], ''[[Blonde (novel)|Blonde]]''|[[Joy Williams (American writer)|Joy Williams]], ''The Quick and the Dead''}}
|-
|'''[[2001 in literature|2002]]'''
!scope="row"|[[File:Richard Russo.jpg|75px]]
|[[Richard Russo]] <br> (b. 1949)
|'''''[[Empire Falls]]'''''
|[[Alfred A. Knopf]] (2001)
|Novel
|[[New York (state)|New York]]
|{{bulleted list|[[Colson Whitehead]], ''[[John Henry Days]]''|[[Jonathan Franzen]], ''[[The Corrections]]''}}
|-
|'''[[2002 in literature|2003]]'''
!scope="row"|[[File:Jeffrey Eugenides 2017.jpg|75px]]
|[[Jeffrey Eugenides]] <br> (b. 1960)
|'''''[[Middlesex (novel)|Middlesex]]'''''
|[[Farrar, Straus and Giroux]] (2002)
|[[Family saga]]
|[[Michigan]]
|{{bulleted list|[[Andrea Barrett]], ''Servants of the Map: Stories''|[[Adam Haslett]], ''You Are Not a Stranger Here''}}
|-
|'''[[2003 in literature|2004]]'''
!scope="row"| [[File:Poet Edward P. Jones NBF LOC (cropped).png|75px]]
|[[Edward P. Jones]] <br> (b. 1950)
|'''''[[The Known World]]'''''
|[[Amistad Press]] (2003)
|Historical fiction
|[[Washington, D.C.]]
|{{bulleted list|[[Susan Choi]], ''[[American Woman (novel)|American Woman]]''|[[Marianne Wiggins]], ''Evidence of Things Unseen''}}
|-
|'''[[2004 in literature|2005]]'''
!scope="row"|[[File:Marilynne robinson 8405.jpg|75px]]
|[[Marilynne Robinson]] <br> (b. 1943)
|'''''[[Gilead (novel)|Gilead]]'''''
|[[Farrar, Straus and Giroux]] (2004)
|Epistolary Novel
|[[Idaho]]
|{{bulleted list|[[Ward Just]], ''An Unfinished Season''|[[Ha Jin]], ''[[War Trash]]''}}
|-
|'''[[2005 in literature|2006]]'''
!scope="row"|[[File:Geraldine Brooks 2002.jpg|75px]]
|[[Geraldine Brooks (writer)|Geraldine Brooks]] <br> (b. 1955)
|'''''[[March (novel)|March]]'''''
|[[Viking Press]] (2005)
|Historical fiction
|[[New York (state)|New York]] <br><span style="font-size:90%;">(born in [[Sydney]], Australia)</span> 
|{{bulleted list|[[Lee Martin (writer)|Lee Martin]], ''The Bright Forever''|[[E. L. Doctorow]], ''[[The March (novel)|The March]]''}}
|-
|'''[[2006 in literature|2007]]'''
!scope="row"|[[File:Cormac McCarthy (Child of God author portrait - high-res).jpg|75px]]
|[[Cormac McCarthy]] <br> (1933–2023)
|'''''[[The Road]]'''''
|[[Alfred A. Knopf]] (2006)
|[[Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction|Post-apocalyptic fiction]]
|[[Rhode Island]]
|{{bulleted list|[[Alice McDermott]], ''[[After This]]''|[[Richard Powers]], ''[[The Echo Maker]]''}}
|-
|'''[[2007 in literature|2008]]'''
!scope="row"|[[File:Junot Díaz (cropped).jpg|75px]]
|[[Junot Díaz]] <br> (b. 1968)
|'''''[[The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao]]'''''
|[[Riverhead Books]] (2007)
|Novel
|[[New Jersey]] <br><span style="font-size:90%;">(born in [[Santo Domingo]], Dominican Republic)</span> 
|{{bulleted list|[[Lore Segal]], ''Shakespeare's Kitchen''|[[Denis Johnson]], ''[[Tree of Smoke]]''}}
|-
|'''[[2008 in literature|2009]]'''
!scope="row"|[[File:Elizabeth Strout 2015.jpg|75px]]
|[[Elizabeth Strout]] <br> (b. 1956)
|'''''[[Olive Kitteridge]]'''''{{efn|group=notes|"A collection of 13 short stories set in small-town Maine that packs a cumulative emotional wallop, bound together by polished prose and by Olive, the title character, blunt, flawed and fascinating."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pulitzer.org/prize-winners-by-year/2009|title=2009 Pulitzer Prize Winners & Finalists|website=The Pulitzer Prizes (pulitzer.org) |access-date=14 January 2021}}</ref>}}
|[[Random House]] (2008)
|Interrelated short stories
|[[Maine]]
|{{bulleted list|[[Christine Schutt]], ''[[All Souls (novel)|All Souls]]''|[[Louise Erdrich]], ''[[The Plague of Doves]]''}}
|-
|'''[[2009 in literature|2010]]'''
!scope="row"|
|[[Paul Harding (author)|Paul Harding]] <br> (b. 1967)
|'''''[[Tinkers (novel)|Tinkers]]'''''{{efn|group=notes|"A powerful celebration of life in which a New England father and son, through suffering and joy, transcend their imprisoning lives and offer new ways of perceiving the world and mortality."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pulitzer.org/prize-winners-by-year/2010|title=2010 Pulitzer Prize Winners & Finalists|website=The Pulitzer Prizes (pulitzer.org) |access-date=14 January 2021}}</ref>}}
|[[Bellevue Literary Press]] (2009)
|Debut novel
|[[Massachusetts]]
|{{bulleted list|[[Daniyal Mueenuddin]], ''[[In Other Rooms, Other Wonders]]''|[[Lydia Millet]], ''Love in Infant Monkeys''}}
|-
|'''[[2010 in literature|2011]]'''
!scope="row"|[[File:Jennifer Egan BBF 2010 Shankbone.jpg|75px]]
|[[Jennifer Egan]] <br> (b. 1962)
|'''''[[A Visit from the Goon Squad]]'''''{{efn|group=notes|"An inventive investigation of growing up and growing old in the digital age, displaying a big-hearted curiosity about cultural change at warp speed."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pulitzer.org/prize-winners-by-year/2011|title=2011 Pulitzer Prize Winners & Finalists|website=The Pulitzer Prizes (pulitzer.org) |access-date=14 January 2021}}</ref>}}
|[[Alfred A. Knopf]] (2010)
|Interrelated short stories
|[[Illinois]]
|{{bulleted list|[[Jonathan Dee]], ''The Privileges''|[[Chang-rae Lee]], ''[[The Surrendered]]''}}
|-
|'''[[2011 in literature|2012]]'''
|colspan=6 align=center |''Not awarded''<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pulitzer.org/prize-winners-by-year/2012|title=2012 Pulitzer Prize Winners & Finalists|website=The Pulitzer Prizes (pulitzer.org) |access-date=24 December 2017}}</ref>
|{{bulleted list|[[Karen Russell]], ''[[Swamplandia!]]''|[[David Foster Wallace]], ''[[The Pale King]]'' (posthumously)|[[Denis Johnson]], ''[[Train Dreams]]''}}
|-
|'''[[2012 in literature|2013]]'''
!scope="row"|[[File:Adam Johnson Writer Water Meter.JPG|75px]]
|[[Adam Johnson (writer)|Adam Johnson]] <br> (b. 1967)
|'''''[[The Orphan Master's Son]]'''''{{efn|group=notes|"An exquisitely crafted novel that carries the reader on an adventuresome journey into the depths of totalitarian North Korea and into the most intimate spaces of the human heart."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pulitzer.org/prize-winners-by-year/2013|title=2013 Pulitzer Prize Winners & Finalists|website=The Pulitzer Prizes (pulitzer.org) |access-date=14 January 2021}}</ref>}}
|[[Random House]] (2012)
|Novel
|[[South Dakota]]
|{{bulleted list|[[Eowyn Ivey]], ''[[The Snow Child]]''|[[Nathan Englander]], ''[[What We Talk About When We Talk About Anne Frank]]''}}
|-
|'''[[2013 in literature|2014]]'''
!scope="row"|[[File:Donna Tartt.jpg|75px]]
|[[Donna Tartt]] <br> (b. 1963)
|'''''[[The Goldfinch (novel)|The Goldfinch]]'''''{{efn|group=notes|"A beautifully written coming-of-age novel with exquisitely drawn characters that follows a grieving boy's entanglement with a small famous painting that has eluded destruction, a book that stimulates the mind and touches the heart."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pulitzer.org/prize-winners-by-year/2014|title=2014 Pulitzer Prize Winners & Finalists|website=The Pulitzer Prizes (pulitzer.org) |access-date=14 January 2021}}</ref>}}
|[[Little, Brown and Company]] (2013)
|Novel
|[[Mississippi]]
|{{bulleted list|[[Philipp Meyer]], ''[[The Son (Meyer novel)|The Son]]''|[[Bob Shacochis]], ''The Woman Who Lost Her Soul''}}
|-
|'''[[2014 in literature|2015]]'''
!scope="row"|[[File:Anthony Doerr (2015).jpg|75px]]
|[[Anthony Doerr]] <br> (b. 1973)
|'''''[[All the Light We Cannot See]]'''''{{efn|group=notes|"An imaginative and intricate novel inspired by the horrors of World War II and written in short, elegant chapters that explore human nature and the contradictory power of technology."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pulitzer.org/prize-winners-by-year/2015|title=2015 Pulitzer Prize Winners & Finalists|website=The Pulitzer Prizes (pulitzer.org) |access-date=14 January 2021}}</ref>}}
|[[Charles Scribner's Sons]] (2014)
|War novel
|[[Ohio]]
|{{bulleted list|[[Richard Ford]], ''[[Let Me Be Frank With You]]''|[[Joyce Carol Oates]], ''Lovely, Dark, Deep''|[[Laila Lalami]], ''[[The Moor's Account]]''}}
|-
|'''[[2015 in literature|2016]]'''
!scope="row"|[[File:Viet Thanh Nguyen - 2015 National Book Festival.JPG|75px]]
|[[Viet Thanh Nguyen]] <br> (b. 1971)
|'''''[[The Sympathizer]]'''''{{efn|group=notes|"A layered immigrant tale told in the wry, confessional voice of a "man of two minds" -- and two countries, Vietnam and the United States."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pulitzer.org/prize-winners-by-year/2016|title=2016 Pulitzer Prize Winners & Finalists|website=The Pulitzer Prizes (pulitzer.org) |access-date=14 January 2021}}</ref>}}
|[[Grove Press]] (2015)
|Debut novel
|[[California]] <br><span style="font-size:90%;">(born in [[Buôn Ma Thuột]], Vietnam)</span> 
|{{bulleted list|[[Kelly Link]], ''[[Get in Trouble|Get in Trouble: Stories]]''|[[Margaret Verble]], ''Maud's Line''}}
|-
|'''[[2016 in literature|2017]]'''
!scope="row"|[[File:Colson whitehead 2009.jpg|75px]]
|[[Colson Whitehead]] <br> (b. 1969)
|'''''[[The Underground Railroad (novel)|The Underground Railroad]]'''''{{efn|group=notes|"For a smart melding of realism and allegory that combines the violence of slavery and the drama of escape in a myth that speaks to contemporary America."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pulitzer.org/prize-winners-by-year/2017|title=2017 Pulitzer Prize Winners & Finalists|website=The Pulitzer Prizes (pulitzer.org) |access-date=14 January 2021}}</ref>}}
|[[Doubleday (publisher)|Doubleday]] (2016)
|[[Alternate history|Alternate historical novel]]
|[[New York (state)|New York]]
|{{bulleted list|[[Adam Haslett]], ''[[Imagine Me Gone]]''|[[C. E. Morgan]], ''[[The Sport of Kings (novel)|The Sport of Kings]]''}}
|-
|'''[[2017 in literature|2018]]'''
!scope="row"|[[File:Pulitzer2018-andrew-sean-greer-20180530-wp.jpg|75px]]
|[[Andrew Sean Greer]] <br> (b. 1970)
|'''''[[Less (novel)|Less]]'''''{{efn|group=notes|"A generous book, musical in its prose and expansive in its structure and range, about growing older and the essential nature of love."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pulitzer.org/prize-winners-by-year/2018|title=2018 Pulitzer Prize Winners & Finalists|website=The Pulitzer Prizes (pulitzer.org) |access-date=14 January 2021}}</ref>}}
|[[Little, Brown and Company]] (2017)
|[[Satire|Satirical novel]]
|[[Washington, D.C.]]
|{{bulleted list|[[Hernan Diaz (writer)|Hernan Diaz]], ''[[In the Distance]]''|[[Elif Batuman]], ''[[The Idiot (Batuman novel)|The Idiot]]''}}
|-
|'''[[2018 in literature|2019]]'''
!scope="row"|[[File:Richard Powers (author).jpg|75px]]
|[[Richard Powers]] <br> (b. 1957) 
|'''''[[The Overstory]]'''''{{efn|group=notes|"An ingeniously structured narrative that branches and canopies like the trees at the core of the story whose wonder and connectivity echo those of the humans living amongst them."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pulitzer.org/prize-winners-by-year/2019|title=2019 Pulitzer Prize Winners & Finalists|website=The Pulitzer Prizes (pulitzer.org) |access-date=14 January 2021}}</ref>}}
|[[W. W. Norton & Company]] (2018)
|Novel
|[[Illinois]]
|{{bulleted list|[[Rebecca Makkai]], ''The Great Believers''|[[Tommy Orange]], ''[[There There (novel)|There There]]''}}
|-
|'''[[2019 in literature|2020]]'''
!scope="row"|[[File:Colson whitehead 2009.jpg|75px]]
|[[Colson Whitehead]] <br> (b. 1969)
|'''''[[The Nickel Boys]]'''''{{efn|group=notes|"A spare and devastating exploration of abuse at a reform school in Jim Crow-era Florida that is ultimately a powerful tale of human perseverance, dignity and redemption."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pulitzer.org/prize-winners-by-year/2020|title=2020 Pulitzer Prize Winners & Finalists|website=The Pulitzer Prizes (pulitzer.org) |access-date=14 January 2021}}</ref>}}
|[[Doubleday (publisher)|Doubleday]] (2019)
|Novel
|[[New York (state)|New York]]
|{{bulleted list|[[Ann Patchett]], ''[[The Dutch House (novel)|The Dutch House]]''|[[Ben Lerner]], ''[[The Topeka School]]''}}
|-
|'''[[2020 in literature|2021]]'''
!scope="row"|[[File:Louise_erdrich_8199.jpg|75px]]
|[[Louise Erdrich]] <br> (b. 1954)
|'''''[[The Night Watchman (novel)|The Night Watchman]]'''''{{efn|group=notes|"A majestic, polyphonic novel about a community’s efforts to halt the proposed displacement and elimination of several Native American tribes in the 1950s, rendered with dexterity and imagination."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pulitzer.org/prize-winners-by-year/2021|title=2021 Pulitzer Prize Winners & Finalists|website=The Pulitzer Prizes (pulitzer.org) |access-date=11 June 2021}}</ref>}}
|[[Harper (publisher)|Harpercollins]] (2020)
|Novel
|[[Minnesota]]
|{{bulleted list|[[Daniel Mason]], ''A Registry of My Passage Upon the Earth''|[[Percival Everett]], ''Telephone''}}
|-
|'''[[2021 in literature|2022]]'''
!scope="row"|[[File:Joshua Cohen BBF 2010 Shankbone.jpg|75px]]
|[[Joshua Cohen (writer)|Joshua Cohen]] <br> (b. 1980)
|'''''[[The Netanyahus: An Account of a Minor and Ultimately Even Negligible Episode in the History of a Very Famous Family]]'''''{{efn|group=notes|"A mordant, linguistically deft historical novel about the ambiguities of the Jewish American experience, presenting ideas and disputes as volatile as its tightly-wound plot."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pulitzer.org/prize-winners-by-year|title=2022 Pulitzer Prize Winners & Finalists|website=The Pulitzer Prizes (pulitzer.org)|accessdate=9 May 2022}}</ref>}}
|[[New York Review Books]] (2021)
|Novel
|[[New Jersey]]
|{{bulleted list|[[Francisco Goldman]], ''Monkey Boy''|[[Gayl Jones]], ''[[Palmares (Jones novel)|Palmares]]''}}
|-
|rowspan=2|'''[[2022 in literature|2023]]<ref name=":02">{{Cite web |last=Stewart |first=Sophia |date=2023-05-08 |title='Demon Copperhead,' 'Trust,' 'His Name Is George Floyd' Among 2023 Pulitzer Prize Winners |url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/awards-and-prizes/article/92233-demon-copperhead-trust-his-name-is-george-floyd-among-2023-pulitzer-prize-winners.html |access-date=2023-05-10 |website=[[Publishers Weekly]] |language=en}}</ref>'''
!scope="row"|[[File:Hernan Diaz 5132716.jpg|75px]]
|[[Hernan Diaz (writer)|Hernan Diaz]] <br> (b. 1973)
|'''''[[Trust (novel)|Trust]]'''''{{efn|group=notes|"A riveting novel set in a bygone America that explores family, wealth and ambition through linked narratives rendered in different literary styles, a complex examination of love and power in a country where capitalism is king."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pulitzer.org/prize-winners-by-year|title=2023 Pulitzer Prize Winners & Finalists|website=The Pulitzer Prizes (pulitzer.org)|accessdate=8 May 2023}}</ref>}}
|[[Riverhead Books]] (2022)
|Novel
|[[New York (state)|New York]] <br><span style="font-size:90%;">(born in Argentina)</span>
|rowspan=2|{{bulleted list|[[Vauhini Vara]], ''[[The Immortal King Rao]]''}}
|-
!scope="row"|[[File:Barbara Kingsolver (48684513758) (cropped).jpg|75px]]
|[[Barbara Kingsolver]] <br> (b. 1955)
|'''''[[Demon Copperhead]]'''''{{efn|group=notes|"A masterful recasting of “David Copperfield,” narrated by an Appalachian boy whose wise, unwavering voice relates his encounters with poverty, addiction, institutional failures and moral collapse–and his efforts to conquer them.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pulitzer.org/prize-winners-by-year|title=2023 Pulitzer Prize Winners & Finalists|website=The Pulitzer Prizes (pulitzer.org)|accessdate=8 May 2023}}</ref>}}
|[[Harper (publisher)|Harper]] (2022)
|Novel
|[[Kentucky]]
|-
|'''[[2024 in literature|2024]]'''
!scope="row"|[[File:Jayne Anne Phillips (4987067124) (cropped).jpg|75px]]
|[[Jayne Anne Phillips]] <br> (b. 1952)
|'''''[[Night Watch (Phillips novel)|Night Watch]]'''''{{efn|group=notes|"A beautifully rendered novel set in West Virginia's Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum in the aftermath of the Civil War, where a severely wounded Union veteran, a 12-year-old girl and her mother, long abused by a Confederate soldier, struggle to heal."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pulitzer.org/prize-winners-by-year|title=2024 Pulitzer Prize Winners & Finalists|website=The Pulitzer Prizes (pulitzer.org)|accessdate=6 May 2024}}</ref>}}
|[[Knopf]] (2023)
|Novel
|[[West Virginia]]
|{{bulleted list|[[Yiyun Li]], [[Wednesday's Child (short story collection) | ''Wednesday's Child'']]|[[Ed Park]], [[Same Bed Different Dreams (novel) | ''Same Bed Different Dreams'']]}}
|-
|'''[[2025 in literature|2025]]'''
!scope="row"|[[File:Percival Everett, author, at the 2024 National Book Awards finalist reading 2 (cropped).jpg|75px]]
|[[Percival Everett]] <br> (b. 1956)
|'''''[[James (novel)|James]]'''''{{efn|group=notes|"An accomplished reconsideration of ‘Huckleberry Finn’ that gives agency to Jim to illustrate the absurdity of racial supremacy and provide a new take on the search for family and freedom."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pulitzer.org/prize-winners-by-year|title=2025 Pulitzer Prize Winners & Finalists|website=The Pulitzer Prizes (pulitzer.org)|accessdate=5 May 2024}}</ref>}}
|[[Doubleday (publisher)|Doubleday]] (2024)
|Novel
|[[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]]
|{{bulleted list|[[Rita Bullwinkel]], ''Headshot: A Novel''|[[Gayl Jones]], ''The Unicorn Woman''|[[Stacey Levine]], ''Mice 1961''}}
|-
|}

==Repeat winners==
Four writers to date have won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction multiple times, one nominally in the novel category and two in the general fiction category. [[Ernest Hemingway]] was selected by the 1941 and 1953 juries, but the former was overturned with no award given that year.{{efn|name=1941award}}

* [[Booth Tarkington]], 1919, 1922
* [[William Faulkner]], 1955, 1963 (awarded posthumously)
* [[John Updike]], 1982, 1991
* [[Colson Whitehead]], 2017, 2020

==Authors with multiple nominations==
'''5 nominations'''

* [[Joyce Carol Oates]]

'''4 nominations'''

* [[Philip Roth]]

'''3 nominations'''

* [[Alice McDermott]]
* [[Anne Tyler]]
* [[Colson Whitehead]]

'''2 nominations'''

* [[Russell Banks]]
* [[Raymond Carver]]
* [[Don DeLillo]]
* [[Hernan Diaz (writer)|Hernan Diaz]]
* [[E. L. Doctorow]]
* [[Louise Erdrich]]
* [[Richard Ford]]
* [[Adam Haslett]]
* [[Oscar Hijuelos]]
* [[Ha Jin]]
* [[Denis Johnson]]
* [[Gayl Jones]]
* [[Barbara Kingsolver]]
* [[Richard Powers]]
* [[Annie Proulx]]
* [[Marilynne Robinson]]
* [[Robert Stone (novelist)|Robert Stone]]
* [[John Updike]]

== Notes ==
{{notelist|40em}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite book |last1=Stuckey |first1=W. J. |title=The Pulitzer Prize Novels: A Critical Backward Look |date=1981 |publisher=University of Oklahoma Press |location=Norman |isbn=978-0806106885}}

==External links==
{{Portal|Novels}}
{{Commons category|Pulitzer Prize for Fiction winners}}
{{Commons category|Pulitzer Prize for the Novel winners}}

* [http://www.pulitzer.org/ Official website] for Pulitzer Prize: for the [http://www.pulitzer.org/prize-winners-by-category/261 Novel] and for [http://www.pulitzer.org/prize-winners-by-category/219 Fiction]
* {{StandardEbooks|Standard Ebooks URL=https://standardebooks.org/collections/pulitzer-prize-for-fiction-winners|Display Name=the public domain winners as}}
*[https://pulitzerprizefiction.wordpress.com/ The Pulitzer Prize Thumbnails Project]
* Michael's Cunningham's "Letter from the Pulitzer Fiction Jury: What Really Happened This Year," ''The New Yorker'' — [http://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/letter-from-the-pulitzer-fiction-jury-what-really-happened-this-year Part One] (July 9, 2012) and [http://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/letter-from-the-pulitzer-fiction-jury-part-ii-how-to-define-greatness Part Two] (July 10, 2012)

{{PulitzerPrizes}}
{{PulitzerPrize Fiction}}

[[Category:English-language literary awards]]
[[Category:Pulitzer Prizes by category|Fiction]]
[[Category:Awards established in 1918]]
[[Category:American fiction awards]]