2011 Pulitzer Prize Winners Announced

By Kristin Masters. Apr 18, 2011. 3:17 PM.

Topics: Book Collecting, Awarded Books

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 2011’s 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.

What’s your favorite Pulitzer winning work of literature? And what works of literature have been overlooked for the award?

Kristin Masters
Master Content Brain. You think it, she writes it, no good thought remains unposted. Sprinkles pixie dust on Google+, newsletters, blog, facebook, twitter and just about everything else.


 

comments powered by Disqus

 

  • There are no suggestions because the search field is empty.

About this blog

How can I identify a first edition? Where do I learn about caring for books? How should I start collecting? Hear from librarians about amazing collections, learn about historic bindings or printing techniques, get to know other collectors. Whether you are just starting or looking for expert advice, chances are, you'll find something of interest on blogis librorum.

Get blog notifications per email:

Download the James Bond Dossier

Recent Posts

Book Glossary
Get your free Guide to Book Care

Blog Archive

> see older posts
A Guide to Historic Libraries Part I