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Pulitzer Prize winners

This group is for those who love books that have won the Pulizer for Fiction, Drama, Poetry, Non-Fiction, Biography, History, or Drama.
  • Category: General | Started Wednesday, March 7 2007

Discussions: Reading them all!

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Reading them all!
Started by writingteacher, Monday, March 17 2008. Last post Tuesday, March 25 2008.

I've just joined your group after posting to the group, Book Snobs, my intention to read all the Pulitzer winners for fiction. I wish I had found you all sooner.

I've read many of the more recent (last twenty years) Pulitzers for fiction already, but many of the early ones I've never heard of. I'm starting my challenge with 1918 and 1919, His Family by Poole and The Magnificent Ambersons by Tarkington.

Has anyone read these early winners?
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DashForCover - Tuesday, March 18 2008
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I read The Magnificent Ambersons last year. It was a truly incredible book. I enjoyed it greatly. I won't speak regarding the films. Another one that was a delightful surprise was Now in November (Johnson). If you've not already read this, move it up on your list. I also particularly enjoyed The Angle of Repose (Stegner). Its structure was most unusual.
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writingteacher - Wednesday, March 19 2008
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Thank you much for responding so positively to my choice for new books to discover and read, and your suggestions for others. I'm looking forward to reading them all ! Thanks again.
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atleast - Thursday, March 20 2008
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I've been reading them in chronological order for a while now. I recently finished Scarlet Sister Mary (1929). Of the early winners His Family (1918), The Able McLaughlins (1924), So Big (1925) and Arrowsmith (1926) have been my favorites. I've also been reading the winners of the Newbery Medal and the Caldecott Medal and Honor books in order as well. This has been very interesting.
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writingteacher - Friday, March 21 2008
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Thanks for the encouragement. Some people are not inclined to follow a time line, but I am interested in how ideas evolve and develop over time. So reading these prize winners in chronological order offers some unique insights into what our society, as represented by the judges, valued at different points in time. Then, maybe, it would be more worthwhile to pick and choose various themes to study in more depth.
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atleast - Tuesday, March 25 2008
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I agree. It's especially interesting to see how "the novel" has changed over time. Maybe I'm old fashioned, but I tend to enjoy fiction written before 1960, particularly children's literature. Let me know what you think of His Family.
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