The
were announced today, and here are the literary winners -- more books to add to your shelves or e-readers: (Descriptions with each book are from the Pulitzer website.)
Fiction -- "Tinkers," by Paul Harding (Bellevue Literary Press) a powerful celebration of life in which a New England father and son, through suffering and joy, transcend their imprisoning lives and offer new ways of perceiving the world and mortality.
General non-fiction -- "The Dead Hand: The Untold Story of the Cold War Arms Race and Its Dangerous Legacy," by David E. Hoffman (Doubleday), a well documented narrative that examines the terrifying doomsday competition between two superpowers and how weapons of mass destruction still imperil humankind.
Biography -- "The First Tycoon: The Epic Life of Cornelius Vanderbilt," by T.J Stiles (Alfred A. Knopf), a penetrating portrait of a complex, self-made titan who revolutionized transportation, amassed vast wealth and shaped the economic world in ways still felt today.
History -- "Lords of Finance: The Bankers Who Broke the World," by Liaquat Ahamed (The Penguin Press), a compelling account of how four powerful bankers played crucial roles in triggering the Great Depression and ultimately transforming the United States into the world's financial leader.
Poetry -- "Versed," by Rae Armantrout (Wesleyan University Press), a book striking for its wit and linguistic inventiveness, offering poems that are often little thought-bombs detonating in the mind long after the first reading.