Today the winners of the 2011 Pulitzer Prizes were announced at Columbia University. These prizes recognize excellence in newspaper journalism, literature, and musical composition. They are awarded to American writers and artists.
The 2011 Winners
This year the following works earned Pulitzer Prizes in Letters, Drama, and Music:- Novel: A Visit from the Goon Squad (Jennifer Egan)
- Drama: Clybourne Park (Bruce Norris)
- History: The Fiery Trial: Abraham Lincoln and American Slavery (Eric Foner)
- Biography: Washington: A Life (Ron Chernow)
- Poetry: The Best of It: New and Selected Poems (Kay Ryan)
- General Non-Fiction: The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer (Siddhartha Mukherjee)
- Music: Madame White Snake (Zhou Long)
For a complete list of 2011s winners, visit the Pulitzer Prizes online.
A Brief History of the Pulitzer
Named for Hungarian-American publisher Joseph Pulitzer, the awards were first awarded in 1917. Since then, categories have been added or changed to reflect the evolution of journalism, literature, and music. For example the Novel category was changed to Fiction in 1948 and now includes short stories.The list of Pulitzer Prize winners for literature includes several legendary authors, including John Updike, Toni Morrison, and Arthur Miller. Saul Bellow, John Steinbeck, and Ernest Hemingway also earned the award.
Not every eligible literary work is automatically considered for the Pulitzer. The work must be submitted along with an application in order to be judged by the independent panel that chooses winners.
Whats your favorite Pulitzer winning work of literature? And what works of literature have been overlooked for the award?
