NEW YORK (AP) 鈥� novel "James,鈥� his radical re-imagining of 鈥淭he Adventures of Huckleberry Finn鈥� from the perspective of the enslaved title character, has won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction. 鈥淧urpose,鈥� drawing-room drama about an accomplished Black family destroying itself from within, won for drama. It also earned
Everett鈥檚 Pulitzer confirmed the million-selling 鈥淛ames鈥� as the most celebrated and popular U.S. literary novel of 2024, and accelerated the 68-year-old author鈥檚 remarkable rise after decades of being little known to the general public. Since 2021, he has won the PEN/Jean Stein Award for 鈥淒r. No,鈥� was a Pulitzer finalist for 鈥淭elephone鈥� and on the Booker shortlist for 鈥淭he Trees.鈥� Before Monday, 鈥淛ames鈥� already had won the National Book Award, the Kirkus Prize and the Carnegie Medal for fiction. His racial and publishing satire 鈥淓rasure,鈥� released in 2001, was adapted into the Oscar-nominated 2023 film
The Pulitzer citation called 鈥淛ames鈥� an 鈥渁ccomplished reconsideration鈥� that illustrates 鈥渢he absurdity of racial supremacy and provide a new take on the search for family and freedom.鈥� Everett said in a statement that he was 鈥渟hocked and pleased, but mostly shocked. This is a wonderful honor.鈥�
鈥淧urpose鈥� was praised in its citation as 鈥渁 skillful blend of drama and comedy that probes how different generations define heritage.鈥� Jacobs-Jenkins had been twice nominated for a drama Pulitzer, for 鈥淓verybody鈥� in 2018 and 鈥淕loria鈥� in 2016. He won the Tony Award for for 鈥淎ppropriate,鈥� a work centered on a family reunion in Arkansas where everyone has competing motivations and grievances. He is on the host committee of this year鈥檚
Also Monday, Pulitzer officials announced that Jason Roberts won the biography award for 鈥淓very Living Thing: The Great and Deadly Race to Know All Life鈥� and Benjamin Nathans' "To the Success of Our Hopeless Cause: The Many Lives of the Soviet Dissident Movement" had been cited for general nonfiction. Two books were announced as history winners, both of them, like 鈥淛ames鈥� and 鈥淧urpose,鈥� explorations of race in U.S. history and culture: Edda L. Fields-Black's 鈥淐ombee: Harriet Tubman, The Combahee River Raid, and Black Freedom During the Civil War鈥� and Kathleen DuVal's "Native Nations: A Millennium in North America."
Marie Howe's 鈥淣ew and Selected Poems鈥� won for poetry, and composer-percussionist Susie Ibarra's 鈥淪ky Islands,鈥� an eight-piece ensemble inspired by the rainforest habitats of Luzon, Philippines, was awarded the Pulitzer for music.
The Pulitzers were announced at a time when the which has provided support for thousands of writers and literary organizations, was cutting back funding and pushing staff members to leave. Howe and Everett are both past recipients of NEA creative writing fellowships.
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AP Entertainment Writer Mark Kennedy contributed to this report.
Hillel Italie, The Associated Press
