For the first time in 35 years, there's no Pulitzer Prize winner in the fiction category. Publishers, writers and booksellers were dismayed by the snub. The Pulitzer jury had picked three finalists: "Swamplandia!" by Karen Russell, "Train Dreams" by Denis Johnson and "The Pale King" by the late David Foster Wallace.
The prize is given out "for distinguished fiction by an American author, preferably dealing with American life." Sig Gissler, administrator of the Pulitzers said, “Whenever [the Pulitzer board members] make a decision, it’s not meant to be a statement about fiction in general. It’s just a statement that none was able to receive a majority.” Since 1917, there have been 11 times fictional works haven’t passed muster.
Was there no great American novel last year? Is this an indictment of the publishing industry?
Guest:
David Ulin, Book Critic, Los Angeles Times