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Edith Wharton - ‘Age of Innocence’ -

Edith Wharton, born to a wealthy family of New York aristocrats in 1895, eloquently captured the style and society of New York’s Gilded Age in her seminal novel ‘Age of Innocence.’ For this feat, she became the first woman to be awarded the Pulitzer Prize, in 1921.

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Willa Cather - ‘One of Ours’ -

Just two years later, in 1923, Willa Cather became the second woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, for her novel ‘One of Ours.’ The novel follows Claude Wheeler, the son of a farmer, through his despondent young adulthood and his search for meaning through World War I. 

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Gwendolyn Brooks - ‘Annie Allen’ -

The wonderful 20th-century poet Gwendolyn Brooks made history in 1950 when she became the first African American to ever win a Pulitzer Prize, in any category. Her book of poetry ‘Annie Allen’ follows the trials and tribulations of the titular protagonist through childhood and into adulthood.

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Toni Morrison - ‘Beloved’ -

‘Beloved’ follows the story of a formerly enslaved family living in Ohio after the Civil War, in a house believed to be haunted by an unhappy spirit. It is considered to be one of the greatest American novels ever written, and was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1988.

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Harper Lee - 'To Kill a Mockingbird' -

Harper Lee’s ‘To Kill a Mockingbird' was an instant classic when it was published in 1960, and has become one of the greatest enduring works of American literature. Lee was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for her accomplishment the next year, in 1961.

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E. Annie Proulx - ‘The Shipping News’ -

E. Annie Proulx’s wildly popular and heartfelt novel 'The Shipping News' won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1994. It follows the story of a small-time reporter, Quoyle, who moves to a harbor town in Newfoundland, Canada, with his daughters after the tragic loss of his parents and wife.

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Alice Walker - ‘The Color Purple’ -

Alice Walker was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1983 for her novel ‘The Color Purple.’ The book, told in the form of letters from the protagonist, 14-year-old Celie, to God, tells the tragic and disturbing story of Celie’s childhood. It has been adapted into a play and an Academy Award-winning film, and has proved to be one of the finest American stories ever written.

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Donna Tartt - 'The Goldfinch' -

Donna Tartt’s ‘The Goldfinch’ is one of the most popular American novels published in recent years. A sprawling coming-of-age story, ‘The Goldfinch’ is narrated by a boy named Theo who loses his mother in an explosion at an art gallery. Tartt was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2014.

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Jhumpa Lahiri - ‘Interpreter of Maladies’ -

Short story writer and novelist Jhumpa Lahiri won the first Pulitzer Prize for Fiction of the new millennium in 2000 with her collection of short stories called ‘Interpreter of Maladies.’ The nine stories follow different characters of the Indian diaspora as they make their way in their new American surroundings.

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Suzan-Lori Parks - ‘Topdog/Underdog’ -

‘Topdog/Underdog’ is a drama written for the stage by Suzan-Lori Parks in 2001. It won the playwright a Pulitzer in 2002. The play follows the lives of two African-American brothers living in New York who struggle with money, romance, and their shared past.

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Anne Tyler - ‘Breathing Lessons’ -

Prolific writer Anne Tyler was given the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1989 for her 11th novel, ‘Breathing Lessons.’ The story consists of a family’s hour-and-a-half drive from Baltimore to Pennsylvania for the funeral of a friend, but the hearts and souls of the car’s occupants are poignantly laid bare across the book’s 336 pages.

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Elizabeth Strout - ‘Olive Kitteridge’ -

The 2009 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction went to Elizabeth Strout, author of ‘Olive Kitteridge,’ a novel that consists of a series of vignettes, each following different characters, including the titular Olive, around the town of Crosby, Maine.

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Jennifer Egan - ‘A Visit from the Goon Squad’ -

‘A Visit from the Goon Squad' won author Jennifer Egan a Pulitzer for Fiction in 2011. The novel presents a kaleidoscopic cast of characters that all relate in some way or another to record company executive Bernie Salazar. While the book is rooted in 2010 New York City, the frequent shifts in perspective take readers from New York to Italy to Kenya, and from 1970s to the present day and beyond.

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Carol Shields - ‘The Stone Diaries’ -

‘The Stone Diaries’ is a novel written by Carol Shields in 1996 that reads as a fictional autobiography of protagonist Daisy Goodwill Felt. The novel won Shields the Pulitzer for Fiction in 1995.

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Jane Smiley - ‘A Thousand Acres’ -

‘A Thousand Acres,’ written by Jane Smiley, is a modern retelling of Shakespeare’s classic play ‘King Lear,’ set on a large farm in Iowa. Family secrets and traumas begin to emerge after the dying proprietor of the farm leaves it in the joint custody of his three daughters. Smiley was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1992 for what is considered her masterpiece.

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Paula Vogel - ‘How I Learned to Drive’ -

Paula Vogel, a playwright from Washington, D.C., won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1998 for her shocking but wildly successful play ‘How I Learned to Drive.’ The play, performed by two actors and three separate Greek-style choruses, goes through the protagonist’s memories of an abusive and traumatic childhood through a series of nonlinear flashbacks.

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Alison Lurie - ‘Foreign Affairs’ -

‘Foreign Affairs,’ written by Alison Lurie, was the winner of the Pulitzer for Fiction in 1985. It follows the exploits and emotional evolution of an American professor on a research trip in London. 

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Eudora Welty - ‘The Optimist’s Daughter’ -

Eudora Welty’s heart-wrenching and life-affirming novel ‘The Optimist’s Daughter’ follows the journey of a woman named Laurel as she copes with the sickness and eventual death of her beloved father, and processes the lifetime of memories that she’s left with. Welty was given the Pulitzer for Fiction in 1973.

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Marilynne Robinson - ‘Gilead’ -

Marilynne Robinson’s masterpiece ‘Gilead,’ which was awarded the Pulitzer for Fiction in 2005, takes place in the fictional Iowa town that gives the novel its name and is told through the journal entries of the dying Reverend John Ames. From his deathbed, Ames recalls the events of his own life, as well as the history of his father and grandfather.

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Geraldine Brooks - ‘March’ -

Geraldine Brooks’ novel ‘March’ won the Pulitzer for Fiction in 2006. The novel ties into the classic Louisa May Alcott 1868 novel ‘Little Women,’ and tells the story from the perspective of the girls’ father, who is absent throughout the main events of ‘Little Women.’

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Lynn Nottage - ‘Ruined’ -

Lynn Nottage is a prolific and celebrated playwright, and the only woman to be awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Drama twice. The first was awarded to Nottage in 2009 for her play ‘Ruined,’ which followed the lives of Congolese women in the midst of their country’s civil war. The second was awarded in 2017, for ‘Sweat,’ which follows the lives of the Pennsylvanian working class.

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Katharine Graham - 'Personal History' -

Katharine Graham, iconic publisher and head of The Washington Post from 1963 to 1991, is one of the most legendary figures in news publishing. Her autobiography, simply titled ‘Personal History,’ won her the Pulitzer Prize for Biography in 1998.

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Louise Erdrich - ‘The Night Watchman’ -

Louise Erdrich’s powerful novel ‘The Night Watchman’ draws on the real-life experiences of her grandfather and the residents of the Turtle Mountain Reservation in North Dakota during the mid-20th century, as they fight against abhorrent and destructive federal policies. Erdrich was given the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2021.

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Jennifer Higdon - ‘Violin Concerto’ -

Jennifer Higdon is one of only nine women to ever win the Pulitzer Prize for Music. Higdon was awarded hers in 2010 for her 2009 ‘Violin Concerto,’ which is described as a "deeply engaging piece that combines flowing lyricism with dazzling virtuosity."

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Pearl Buck - ‘The Good Earth’ -

A lucid and progressive glimpse into Chinese village life, ‘The Good Earth,’ penned by Pearl S. Buck in 1931, won the Pulitzer for Fiction the next year. Buck, who was raised in China by her missionary parents, is said to have written an impassioned book that “opposes religious fundamentalism, racial prejudice, gender oppression, sexual repression, and discrimination against the disabled."

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Beth Henley - ‘Crimes of the Heart’ -

Beth Henley’s Tony Award-winning drama ‘Crimes of the Heart’ also won her a Pulitzer for Drama in 1981. The play is set in Hazlehurst, Mississippi, and tells the intertwined stories of three sisters.

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Marsha Norman - ‘’night, Mother’ -

The 1983 Pulitzer Prize for Drama was given to Marsha Norman for her emotional and gutting play ‘’night, Mother.’ The play consists of just a single evening, during which a daughter explains to her mother her reasons for deciding to take her own life. The mother, naturally, tries in every way to talk her daughter out of it, and the audience witnesses the relationship between the two characters change over the course of their discussions.

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Katherine Anne Porter - ‘Collected Stories’ -

Katherine Anne Porter was awarded the 1965 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1965 for her collection of short stories. The anthology consists of 19 stories written by Porter, and deals with a wide range of subjects explored in various settings. She is also known for her novel ‘A Ship of Fools,’ which is considered a masterpiece.

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Stacy Schiff - ‘Vera’ -

Stacy Schiff’s illuminating nonfiction work ‘Vera,’ which chronicles the life of Vera Nabokov, wife of famous Russian author Vladimir Nabokov, won her the Pulitzer Prize for Biography in 2000.

Sources: (Bustle) (The Pulitzer Prizes) (Stylist)

See also: 30 books that influenced the world

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