Winners Celebrate After Pulitzer Prize Announcements

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

And today's last word in business is Pulitzer - or Pulitzer, as they used to pronounce it when I was growing up in Indiana.

Yesterday, the Pulitzer Prize winners were announced. The New York Times led the way, taking four awards for its reporting.

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

And in the arts category, this year marked the return of the prize for fiction. No winner was chosen in 2012. This year, Adam Johnson took the fiction prize for his book "The Orphan Master's Son."

INSKEEP: In an interview last year on NPR, Johnson admitted that the topic here - life in North Korea - was not exactly a light one.

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ADAM JOHNSON: Well, in terms of the fact that the book is maybe not a beach read, escapist enterprise, I would say that North Korea is the most fascinating, mysterious place in the world; and it utterly captivated my imagination. And I believe that the look behind the curtain - it's something almost no one has seen, in the world.

GREENE: This sounds pretty topical, given recent events in North Korea. But mostly, the publishing industry will be happy just to have a winner.

INSKEEP: Publishers were angry over the failure of last year's Pulitzer committee to award any prize for fiction, at a time when book sales are in decline. The publicity surrounding the Pulitzers give more of a sales boost in the United States than any other literary award. And that's the business news on MORNING EDITION, from NPR News. I'm Steve Inskeep.

GREENE: And I'm David Greene.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.