Who will be the 2016 Pulitzer Prize Winner for Fiction?

ey814 - Oct 6, 2016

https://newrepublic.com/article/137496/will-win-2016-nobel-prize-literature

ey814 - Jul 26, 2016

I'm posting this in both the 2016 Pulitzer discussion thread and the 2017. Viet Thanh Nguyen's experience of writing The Sympathizer and winning the Pulitzer.

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/jul/26/viet-thanh-nguyen-winning-the-pulitzer-changed-the-value-of-my-book-and-myself?CMP=twt_books_b-gdnbooks

DustySpines - Jun 9, 2016

@ey814 @ejcrowe42 For the record, Greenlight had signed copies--that's where i got mine. Not sure if he was their selection though.

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ey814 - Apr 28, 2016

@BRAKiasaurus The following Pulitzer winners have been Powell's Indiespensible selections:ALL THE LIGHT WE CANNOT SEE

THE GOLDFINCH

TINIKERS

I'm basing this on a list on Goodreads.com. I've not been successful at finding a list of selections on the Powell's website itself.

Mike

BRAKiasaurus - Apr 28, 2016

Does anyone know how successful Powells has been at including pulitzers in its signed first editions (for the subscription)?

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Marybethking - Apr 25, 2016

Humility and grace are becoming dinosaurs. Can't wait to read the book now simply based upon the merit of the author's character.

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BRAKiasaurus - Apr 25, 2016

No but it's listed on the pulitzer website (when they announce the winners).

Art Winslow (Chair)

Critic and author, Kalamazoo, MI

Edward P. Jones*

Author and Professor of English, George Washington University

Leah Price

Francis Lee Higginson Professor of English, Harvard University

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AlexKerner - Apr 25, 2016

did anyone post who was on the jury?

ey814 - Apr 21, 2016

@zacharybloomzooey @ey814 I don't operate the PPrize site, but although I don't think there is general opposition to that, I know the site moderator has his hands full keeping up with the tasks around the fiction awards... but, I'll let him respond if that's a possibility.

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Guardiands - Apr 20, 2016

Tom, you are a saint. I can confirm they do ship, very friendly and helpful. And I now have a first printing on its way! Thank you!

ey814 - Apr 20, 2016

@ejcrowe42 Not sure about Greenlight, but it was a Book Passage First Edition Club selection, which is how I got my copy. Which compels me to point out that the Pulitzer winner for each of the past four years has been a selection by at least one of the three FECs I subscribe to (Odyssey, Book Passage, Powell's). Not to mention this year's National Book Award winner (Odyssey).

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zacharybloomzooey - Apr 20, 2016

@ey814

I wanted to share an idea. Could we make a second thread about the Pulitzer Prizes in the other arts categories (general non-fiction, drama, and biography, history)?

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tklein27 - Apr 20, 2016

If anyone is still looking for a first printing, Diane's Books in Greenwich CT had a pile of five first printings when I checked today at 12:45 ET. They sell them for regular price, and probably will ship.

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ey814 - Apr 19, 2016

Viet Thanh Nguyen's comments (from his website, http://vietnguyen.info/2016/on-winning-the-pulitzer-prize) upon winning the Pulitzer. I think I'm going to like this book, this author, and this Pulitzer selection:

I got the news at around 3:15 thanks to my Twitter and Facebook feed. I sat around shocked, stunned, fielding phone calls from my publicist and doing news interviews and trying to reply to as many emails, tweets, and Facebook comments and messages as I could. I called my wonderful partner, Lan Duong. I felt queasy and struck by literary lightning. I went to do a book talk at Harvard Bookstore and was so pleased to have a conversation with so many people. I just want to say to all of you who are reading this what I've tried to say to the press. Of course it's wonderful for me to get this prize. But within minutes of getting it, I knew that I owed tremendous thanks to everyone who has gone before me in the great, ongoing struggle for social justice, for peace, for genuine equality, for representation for all at every level of every society. I think of the enormous debts I owe to everyone who fought for civil rights, for radical power, for economic equity, and how all these issues are inseparable from justice in the literary world. No minority writer, no writer of color, can claim that he or she accomplished anything purely on their own merit. We all owe so much to the collective struggles and activists that preceded us, that laid the foundations for our individual achievement, to everyone lucky enough to be remembered and so many who have been forgotten. Great love to Asian American Studies, to Ethnic Studies, to UC Berkeley, my alma mater that made me into the person that I am, to all who fight the good fight and who will never, ever believe that they are only individuals. All your messages to me registering the pride you feel in my accomplishment as a friend, as a fellow scholar or writer, as an Asian American/ist, as a Vietnamese or Vietnamese American–all of this affirms to me that we who wish to be are part of a movement, of movements, for love, peace, justice, and not least of all great literature. I will respond to all of you over the next few days, but for now, thanks so much for your kind words.

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ey814 - Apr 19, 2016

And, to echo other comments, before we turn our attention to the discussion pertaining to the 2017 Pulitzer (which will be the true 100th anniversary for the fiction category), thanks to Tom for creating, hosting, and maintaining the Pprize.com information and discussion board, and to those folks who contribute to the discussion. I think the 2017 prize will be interesting... lots of big names and big books!

BRAKiasaurus - Apr 19, 2016

@JpCambert @AlexKerner It was a finalist in general non-fiction! So that's cool!

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jjose712 - Apr 19, 2016

@ey814 The Sympathizer won the Flaherty Dunnan first novel prize, it's the second time this award and the pulitzer are the same (the first time it was with The brief wondrous life of Oscar Wao)

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ejcrowe42 - Apr 19, 2016

@ey814 @ejcrowe42 @mrbenchly Haven't read it yet. It was on my radar last year, and we tried to get an event with the author, but Grove couldn't work it out, and then when Viet was back in the states in the fall, there were no more first printings and we didn't pursue it any further.

That may explain why there are pre-pub-dated copies floating around. Grove doesn't usually hold with strict on sale dates, and we were told that the author wasn't really going to be stateside after the publication date, so Viet signed books as available in certain bookstores.

Was it Greenlight or Harvard who picked it for their club? Can't recall, but good work, whoever it was!

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BRAKiasaurus - Apr 19, 2016

Thanks to everyone who runs this site! It's always a pleasure! Two debuts in the running this year and some surprises! Always exciting!

See you on the 2017 boards!

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mwmitchell - Apr 19, 2016

Not to be mean-spirited, but I must confess that I'm glad "A Little Life" was not recognized. Same for "The Sellout." It seems that the winner and finalists in the fiction category were well-deserved this time. Over the years, the Pulitzer Prizes have made some questionable decisions, especially in the fiction category. This year, however, I might check out not only the fiction books, but the books recognized in the other categories as well. "Barbarian Days" and "The Light of the World" seem like excellent choices.

Congratulations to Viet Thanh Nguyen and all of the other 2016 Pulitzer Prize winners. And to all of you who post frequently on this site, keep up the good work.

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TELyles - Apr 18, 2016

Congrats to The Sympathizer! Deft, well written, tight plot and intriguing narrator. I'm not surprised that it was recognized, however, on a personal note I was rooting for Tsar.

From a collector's standpoint, is anyone here a member of Greenlight Bookstore's firsts club - or - did they purchase a copy of Sympathizer from that store (not a club member, but did purchase there). Interestingly, the copy I purchased is signed, then dated by the author "March 25, 2015." This predates the actual publication date of early April 2015. Any thoughts? I'm assuming he signed a stack of books for Greenlight (and other stores) on that date, but I'm not used to seeing a pre-pub date on signed copies.

Emily - thanks for your comments and keep up the great work at Odyssey. Although I am not a member of your firsts club, I do frequent your website to see what your store as picked, given its excellent track record. I believe I ordered Marra's Constellation and Meyer's The Son in the same shipment a couple of summers ago :) This summer sounds like a blockbuster for you guys; I should go ahead and call in an order!

Great pick in Doubters Almanac. I am ~150 pages into Almanac and am really enjoying the novel so far. I am not blowing smoke, but the book feels familiar to past winners Middlesex, Kavalier and Empire Falls.

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Scott S - Apr 18, 2016

@BRAKiasaurus @AlexKerner @ey814 I actually have the Kelly Link book in paperback, and would never have dreamed it would be a contender, let alone finalist.

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W_Shadbolt - Apr 18, 2016

Just picked up The Sympathizer and Get In Trouble from the library. Sympathizer was one of the few books on the list that I hadn't read but was interested in, so I'm glad it won. I had only vaguely heard of Kelly Link before, but after reading a description I'm definitely more excited for that than most of the other books on my to read list. Glowing endorsements from Michael Chabon and Neil Gaiman. And it seems most of her work has a fantastical/speculative bent. I wonder if we'll see more speculative fiction on shortlists/as winners in the coming years.

ey814 - Apr 18, 2016

@ejcrowe42 @mrbenchly Emily, did you read SYMPATHIZER? Thoughts?

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ey814 - Apr 18, 2016

@AndrewBoston Looking forward to reading The Sympathizer, and thanks for being part of the PPrize community!

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ey814 - Apr 18, 2016

@Guardiands Yes, copies will begin to appear online (ebay or through abebooks.com or similar online dealers). Initially, they'll be priced really high and will sell, but eventually the price will settle. I think with 50,000 of them out there, still a good chance to get one without paying way too much. The first print run of ALL THE LIGHT WE CANNOT SEE was 62,500, and there are copies to be had at $50 still.

ey814 - Apr 18, 2016

@kas1985 With 50,000 out there, one will surface, probably without having to pay a premium, though it will demand more now than it did five hours ago :-)

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Guardiands - Apr 18, 2016

The accuracy of this list is almost as amazing as the enjoyment in discussing it. Thank you very much for all you do.

Now to track down a first edition/first print. I had one on Abe's books all lined up but then my meeting began and although I was tempted to bust my wallet out and buy it I resisted...probably better I resisted actually, but I still regret it.

I'm not sure if it was ey814 or tklein or another person on here that once said first editions often become available (show up in used bookstores) a few months down the road. Is that generally accurate?

kas1985 - Apr 18, 2016

I would like to know this as well. I had been looking for a first printing of "The Sympathizer " for several months leading up to the announcement, without success. In fact, it is one of only two from the top 15 list here that I did not own first printings of at the time of the announcement.

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BRAKiasaurus - Apr 18, 2016

@AlexKerner @ey814 I almost picked up Kelly Link's book when a store near me was (sadly) liquidating to close...put it down though...ah well.

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ejcrowe42 - Apr 18, 2016

@mrbenchly This is what Edelweiss, an industry website, says about the print run:

An Indie Next Pick for April anda Publishers Weekly Debut Fiction Pick50,000 print. Starred PW Review! A startling debut novel from a powerful new voice featuring one of the most remarkable narrators of recent fiction: a conflicted subversive and idealist working as a double agent in the aftermath of the Vietnam War. Certainly the latest in a long line of wonderful Vietnam novels, from Tim O'Brien's Going After Cacciato to Karl Marlantes' Matterhorn, but one of the rare Vietnam novels that focuses not only on the Vietnamese people but also on their migration to America and their conflicted loyalties and identities.

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mrbenchly - Apr 18, 2016

Do you happen to know its initial print run?

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ey814 - Apr 18, 2016

Just to note, The Sympathizer was #9 because (1) it made the NY Times 100 Best books list, (2) it was an ALA Notable book, and (3) it was a PEN/Faulkner finalist. The ALA list is already the 3rd strongest predictor (after being a NBCC Finalist or winning the NBCC) and just ahead of the NY Times 10 Best books. I would be surprised if the ALA doesn't increase in strength, predictor-wise, next year. In recent memory, both ORPHAN MASTERS SON and TINKERS were on the ALA list...

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AndrewBoston - Apr 18, 2016

First, congrats to Viet Thanh Nguyen, The Sympathizer was one of my favorites that I read from the list above.

Secondly, thank you to everyone that makes this site possible, I am not a collector, but the recommendations have led me to some of the best books I read this past year.

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Marybethking - Apr 18, 2016

One last thing; the model is kind of amazing bc once again the winner was in the top 10. It's all about the science behind the art.

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Marybethking - Apr 18, 2016

I love a good war novel so I'm excited to give this one my all.

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Marybethking - Apr 18, 2016

Also, congrats to those who predicted this win!!

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jfieds2 - Apr 18, 2016

This is the first year in a few years that I didn't end up with a first edition, and I am unlikely to run out and buy one. I am a reader first and a "collector" second. Still, it's always my goal to have *read* the winner before the announcement. I am glad to keep my streak, started with GOON SQUAD, going. THE SYMPATHIZER is a worthy winner. I maybe would have preferred something else, perhaps even a book I didn't care too much for (A LITTLE LIFE), but it's a worthy winner.

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Marybethking - Apr 18, 2016

Unexpected for sure. I checked it out from the library/started it, but had to return before I finished. The last evacuation happened in April so kind of fitting. PBS did an excellent documentary marking that anniversary last year. 'Matterhorn' was also phenomenal. I tried to read 'Get in Trouble' but it was too out there for me. Haven't even heard of Maud's Line' but will look into that one. Thanks again for an awesome year everyone!!

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ejcrowe42 - Apr 18, 2016

@jfieds2 @AlexKerner

I read about half of the Kelly Link book. While I'm happy for her ( she lives in my area and I know her a little), it never would have been on my radar for this award. And MAUD'S LINE? I've never heard of.

Happy for SYMPATHIZER. Guess this means I have to read it now. :-)

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jjose712 - Apr 18, 2016

And one more year the winner was one of the books on the list.

I want to read the Sellout and Delicious foods and i don't know if they will be published here (The Sellout won the NBCC which should be enough to be published, but Billy Lynn's long half time walk is still unpublished here, of course it happens the same with The good lord bird and the NBA winners usually get published).

I suppose A little life will be published anyway, and given Bill Clegg's connections Did you ever have a family will be published for sure.

I suppose The Sympathizer won't be published as fast as The Goldfinch or All the light we can not see, and i will have to wait, it happened the same with The orphan master's son

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BRAKiasaurus - Apr 18, 2016

@AlexKerner @ey814 Same as AlexKerner--really surprising year!

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BRAKiasaurus - Apr 18, 2016

@OneMoreBook Agree--I love a surprise!

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jfieds2 - Apr 18, 2016

@AlexKerner Wow! Really?! Totally shocked by the finalists. I tried out Kelly Link once. Not my cup of tea. Never heard of Maud's Line.

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OneMoreBook - Apr 18, 2016

Thank Gawd THE SELLOUT didn't win. Dreadul book, in my opinion. I'm thrilled about THE SYMPATHIZER. I love it when this happens ... surprising us all. Finalists? Off our radar. Hmmm. Read on ...

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AlexKerner - Apr 18, 2016

@ey814 @AlexKerner Get in Trouble I have heard of but not Maud's LIne

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proseimprint - Apr 18, 2016

It is his first, it also won the Andrew Carnage. Not to surprised

ey814 - Apr 18, 2016

@AlexKerner Huh? Never heard of either... did anyone talk about these?

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AlexKerner - Apr 18, 2016

the finalists:

Get in Trouble: Stories, by Kelly Link (Random House)

Maud's Line, by Margaret Verble (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)

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BRAKiasaurus - Apr 18, 2016

@ey814 It is indeed

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ey814 - Apr 18, 2016

The Sympathizer is the author's first novel, if I'm not mistaken.

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BRAKiasaurus - Apr 18, 2016

@ey814 Wow! I have a first edition at home, but I haven't read it yet...I wanna know the finalists too!

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AlexKerner - Apr 18, 2016

wow The Sympathizer!!

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ey814 - Apr 18, 2016

The Sympathizer!

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ey814 - Apr 18, 2016

@BRAKiasaurus @OneMoreBook I know. Looong minutes.

1 (SAFE Rule 1)

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BRAKiasaurus - Apr 18, 2016

@OneMoreBook REFRESH, REFRESH, REFRESH, REFRESH

BRAKiasaurus - Apr 18, 2016

@JohnZ Best book I've read all year--and I've read most of the big names, I think.

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OneMoreBook - Apr 18, 2016

Hum de dum ...

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BRAKiasaurus - Apr 18, 2016

@JpCambert @AlexKerner It is non-fiction, but you are correct: it deserves a pulitzer prize

JpCambert - Apr 18, 2016

@AlexKerner @JpCambert I stand corrected. I was under the impression it was a fictionalized memoir from father to son while reading it.

jjose712 - Apr 18, 2016

@AlexKerner @JpCambert In fact Between the world and me is probably the big favourite in the non fiction cathegory

AlexKerner - Apr 18, 2016

@JpCambert Between the World and Me wouldn't be in the fiction category

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JpCambert - Apr 18, 2016

My predictions (talk about last minute) are as follows:

Winner:

Tsar of Love and Techno

Finalists:

Between the World and Me

The Sellout

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Marybethking - Apr 18, 2016

I would like to thank everyone for another awesome year!!! It has been a year for books. Thanks for making and maintaining the lists. I think I'm going to have to go with 'A Little LIfe,' 'Eileen' and 'Fortune Smiles' as being somewhere in there. I wouldn't mind seeing Marra's book walk away with it either. I cannot commit this year at all.

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JohnZ - Apr 17, 2016

@Guardiands Did You Ever Have a Family was one of my favorite novels published last year. It would be wonderful to see it recognized.

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jbh4589 - Apr 17, 2016

I don't comment on here except usually at this late stage of the game. I love doing my final predictions.

The last couple of years I've done pretty terribly. I haven't correctly predicted a winner since Jennifer Egan's (I hadn't read The Orphan Master's Son when it won, but it has since become one of my favorite books, period). I was proud to correctly predict Bob Shacochis's nomination for The Woman Who Lost Her Soul, Nathan Englander's What We Talk About When We Talk About Anne Frank and Chang-Rae Lee's The Surrendered in recent years.

Because of my passion for two of these works I'm slightly afraid to predict them, but here goes:

WINNER - The Sellout by Paul Beatty (it was just too terrific and too timely to not be recognized)

FINALIST - A Manual for Cleaning Women by Lucia Berlin (one of the best short story collections in recent memory)

FINALIST - The Country of Ice Cream Star by Sandra Newman (my left field choice but deserving nonetheless)

Also (slightly off-topic due to their separate categories) but I'd love to see Sally Mann win for Hold Still (Nonfiction), Stephen Karam win for The Humans (Drama) and Ross Gay win for Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude (Poetry).

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JohnZ - Apr 17, 2016

@JohnZ I didn't mention Welcome to Braggsville. I've been reading it lately, and I think it too stands a chance of being noticed.

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Guardiands - Apr 17, 2016

Very insightful post, that was a pleasure to read. i felt the same as you about Fortune Smiles, and agree with your critique of A little Life. I know Did you ever have Family has gotten mixed reviews on here, but I wouldn't mind seeing that win.

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JohnZ - Apr 17, 2016

About a day and a half to go before the 2016 Pulitzer winners are announced. There seems to be nothing that is a solid lock. I haven't read all of the books purportedly in the running, but there are a few which I think may receive some consideration.

The Sellout is a sharp and biting satire in which Mr. Beatty walks a tightrope between outrageous hilarity and profound contemplation on themes that run the gamut. It wouldn't be the first comic novel to win the Pulitzer, but I wonder if the jury and board will go for it. Who knows? It might well win the prize.

The Tsar of Love and Techno shows that A Constellation of Vital Phenomena was no fluke. Mr. Marra's voice is level and distinct, and in the seeming simplicity of its prose lies much complexity. I wouldn't be surprised to see it named as a winner or a finalist.

The Turner House might also be in the running here. Ms. Flournoy is a wonderful writer, and the manner in which she investigates American themes through the lives of the Turner family. It also takes place in Detroit, a city whose exploration did well for Jeffrey Eugenides. Possible finalist. Perhaps even a winner.

Fates and Furies has some lovely prose, but as others have observed, the story itself is a bit insular. It does have those moments in which details are presented in a striking manner, which is something it has in common with a number of Pulitzer winners. Ms. Groff is a very good writer, and though she's been nominated elsewhere for this novel, she has yet to win a prize or award. So it might well be another finalist or winner.

And what of The Sympathizer? Viet Thanh Nguyen writes with a sharp eye and ear for human beings caught in extraordinary circumstances. He has been compared to Graham Greene, George Orwell, and Denis Johnson -- and those three aren't too shabby (ha ha). It wouldn't surprise me if this novel was a finalist, maybe even a winner.

Fortune Smiles. Well, Adam Johnson is really in a class by himself. He's one of the best writers we have, I think. He can take the most bizarre situations and make them seem realistic and inevitable. Of course, he won the Pulitzer not long ago with The Orphan Master's Son, and rightfully so. (If pressed, I say Orphan's Master is my favorite novel.) So, with Mr. Johnson having already won a Pulitzer, many say he won't be considered again. At least, not so soon. But I don't know about that. Fortune Smiles is a wonderful collection filled with flawed and all too human characters, and prose that dazzles. I'm not counting this one out.

And then, as sometimes happens, we might get thrown a curveball by the Pulitzer board and jury. They've done it before. Who's to say it won't happen again?

One novel that might be in the running but that doesn't do much for me is A Little Life. I know a number of people on this site has spoken of their love and admiration for it. But it seems to me to be a novel so mechanical and overwrought that I find it difficult to admire it. Hanya Yanagihara, it seems, has tried to cram everything but the kitchen sink into the story, whose tragic convolutions exceed overdrive to the point that they become overkill. Also, for a novel that puports to deal so intimately with trauma and the emotions that arise as its result, it comes off as much too clinical and distanced. The feeling is of reading not so much about human beings as of guinea pigs or a collection of cells smeared onto a slide and put under the glaring eye of a microscope. The human connection doesn't translate, and as such the exercise becomes, in its way, more sadistic than poignant. Which isn't to say that Ms. Yanagihara isn't a good writer; she is. But that disconnection and clinical observation create an obstacle between a reader and a story. If you're going take readers into the abyss of emotional pain and abuse, you need to be closer to the characters rather than presenting them as symbolic constructs (for wont of a better term). It just doesn't do it for me. Then again, who knows? There aren't many Pulitzer winners I've read and thought: "What could the jury or board have been thinking?" because the choices over the years have been, overall, good ones. But there are still those that left me scratching my head and wondering: "What is so great about this that it deserves a prize?" Which means A Little Life might be in the running.

Really, I have no set idea on what will win come Monday. As always, I'm interested to find out.

Guardiands - Apr 16, 2016

I'd be very interested in your sci-fi recommendations!

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Mstexexec - Apr 16, 2016

@ey814 @Mstexexec Yes, I have read Reunion of Ghosts and absolutely loved it. I read about 45-50 books per year and it is in my top 3 favorites from last year. I also really enjoyed the new Salmon Rushdie book, Two Years, Eight Months and 28 Nights. My favorite books are sci-fi, but I always get excited when I find a winner in the Fiction & Literature category. I haven't read The Virgin Suicides so I'll check it out. If anyone out there also likes Sci-Fi I have a few that I can recommend. Thank you.

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jjose712 - Apr 16, 2016

A little life made the Baileys Women's prize shortlist. I was very surprised Fates and furies didn't even made the longlist

ey814 - Apr 16, 2016

@Mstexexec Not sure why A Reunion of Ghosts hasn't been mentioned (or, maybe it has and I don't remember). Plot looks vaguely like Jeffrey Eugenides first book, The Virgin Suicides. Have you read REUNION? Thoughts?

BRAKiasaurus - Apr 15, 2016

@Mstexexec I'll see if I can get a copy from the library! :) I have a few other books queued up to read, but I'll give it a shot!

Mstexexec - Apr 15, 2016

Thank you for the response. I would love to have reactions to this book from other on this site to see how my opinions fit with more expert opinions. BRAK I intend to check out many of the books you listed as well.

BRAKiasaurus - Apr 15, 2016

@Mstexexec I haven't read this book, but the cover looks familiar.

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Mstexexec - Apr 13, 2016

@jfieds2 I agree with so much of what you described. I am still pulling for A Little Life but I am half way through Tsar and if it wins, I will be just as happy. Personally I have no idea how Delicious Foods made the list. And I'm still wondering why there is never any mention of A Reunion of Ghosts. Has anyone read this book? Thoughts?

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jfieds2 - Apr 13, 2016

I've been advocating for THE SELLOUT for months now. I still think that it is the right book at the right time. That said, I am pretty sure that I already said I enjoyed TSAR OF LOVE AND TECHNO significantly more. If I were recommending a "recent" book to someone, Marra's book would probably be first. I was really hoping it would be honored with the NBCC to give it some more attention. Still, in the end I want the "American themes" *preference* to be followed and that eliminates TSAR from the top perch.

I "enjoyed" A LITTLE LIFE, and I think it's themes are vitally important, but in the end I felt it was incredibly flawed. I felt somewhat similarly about THE TURNER HOUSE -- a very good and "important" story, but with some elements that just didn't work for me.

Among other contenders, I think I enjoyed FATES AND FURIES more than ALL, but in my opinion, it is also probably more flawed. Further, it did not deal with the same kind of culturally/socially "important" (I am using a broad brush here, forgive me) themes that I would love a Pulitzer winner to confront, especially when there are options that do to choose from. FORTUNE SMILES was a "good" (but only good) collection, but won't win Johnson his second Pulitzer. I did not read DELICIOUS FOODS.

Of our top 15, I have read 10. In recent years, when the final list included the winner it has often missed the finalists, but looking back on my 2015 reads, I don't see any contenders that I read which don't appear on the final list. Among highly touted books not on the final list, I didn't read WELCOME TO BRAGGSVILLE or THE MARE. The only book that could slip into a finalist position from off our list is NIGHT AT FIESTAS, but I thought it read very much like a the debut collection that it was. It was possibly better than IN THE COUNTRY, another very good collection that has gotten more awards and attention.

My final predictions:

Winner - THE SELLOUT

Finalist - TSAR OF LOVE AND TECHNO

Finalist - A LITTLE LIFE
Bonus Pick: THE SYMPATHIZER - I don't think many people are talking about this one. It doesn't exactly have American themes, as it is narrated by a Vietnamese spy, but he is living in the US for a large chunk of the book. Moreover, it is a book that brilliantly crosses genres.

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RostislavPlamenov - Apr 13, 2016

The Pulitzer Prize has been extremely populist in the last few years, so I just feel A Little Life will take it in the end with A Manual for Cleaning Women and Eileen as finalists. Maybe even there could be a third finalist and A Little Life takes it as the vote of the committee, not the jury.

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ChrisEllis77 - Apr 12, 2016

It seems everyone is having a guess, so I think I'll have my turn. First, unfortunately I have not read all the books on the list, so can only comment on the books I have read.

The Tsar of Love and Techno (winner)

Delicious Foods

Black River (This was a favorite of mine for most of 2015 but it didn't seem to get that much recognition, great book though)

I know The Sellout is the leading contender, but I have not read it yet as I mostly just buy first printings and this is proving hard to get, however I have read Tuff by Beatty, and that was not for me.

Getting exciting now.

Before I go I would like to thank all of you for another great year of Pulitzer discussions, it''s a pleasure to share your advice an expertise, thank you.

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Mstexexec - Apr 12, 2016

I would add A Reunion of Ghosts by Judith Claire Mitchell

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BRAKiasaurus - Apr 12, 2016

I've been thinking about books that, in our enthusiasm for certain works over others, we may have overlooked. I've put in my choices and proposals based on those I have read; however, I feel like "A Manual for Cleaning Women" stands a good shot of being a nominee. We haven't spoken at all about Jim Shepherd's "The Book of Aron", which I haven't read (and which does not have American themes, I don't believe), but which was very well-received when it came out. "The Mare" and "A Hand Reached Down to Guide Me" received little attention by our thread, but both received very good reviews in The New Yorker by James Wood. (As I recall, Gaitskill's was even a full piece about the importance of her novels.)

Anything else that seemed a big deal when it came out but which has since been overlooked or faded?

(I ask, because there is part of me that feels you could see an unexpected, but deserving, lineup this year. For example, I could see "The Mare", "A Hand Reached Down to Guide Me", and "A Manual for Cleaning Women" being the finalists. Thoughts?)

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ejcrowe42 - Apr 9, 2016

A Little LIfe is the best book that I read that pubbed in 2015, but I think its extreme dark subject matter will count against it. If it happened for this book, though, I would be thrilled.

I'm inclined to favor both Anthony Marra and Adam Johnson as likely finalists.

I also thought that Black River was very impressive and tightly written, so that's my dark horse candidate for this year's prize.

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jjose712 - Apr 9, 2016

My blind bet (of the big novels of 2015 only City on fire and Fates and furies are published in Spain, so i didn't read any of the contenders yet), A little life is in my opinion the novel of the year, a lot of people love it, a lot of people hate it, it had amazing reviews and some terrible ones, and it sold a lot, it's too big to not score a nomination.

The second one will be a short stories collection, probably one that flies under the radar right now (there's always some surprised in the Pulitzer finalists).

Last year it was a big year for gay writers and novels with gay themes and for black writers and novels dealing with race and racism, so my winner is James Hannaham's Delicious Foods and you got two for the prize of one

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tklein27 - Apr 8, 2016

I finally found a first of The Sellout. I called around like you suggested. Paid ten bucks. But the way my luck works I have basically jinxed it from winning ;-)

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dm23 - Apr 8, 2016

@ey814 @BRAKiasaurus The Times list includes books from all its reviews since the previous Top 10 list issue, so the 2015 list could have 2014 books in it as that comes out in December.

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Scott S - Apr 8, 2016

Having read none of the books on this list (or anything published in 2015 that would be eligible for the prize, for that matter), I am clearly qualified to weigh in with my uneducated guesses:

Welcome to Braggsville - T. Geronimo Johnson (winner)

Honeydew - Edith Pearlman

The Turner House - Angela Flournoy

ey814 - Apr 8, 2016

@proseimprint That's kind! I think I've located a copy, may turn back to you if not!

ey814 - Apr 8, 2016

@BRAKiasaurus Pretty much positive PREPARATION is not eligible. Every now and then the NYT best of lists include a book that is a year old, for some reason. I'd be happy with BRAGGSVILLE taking it.

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proseimprint - Apr 7, 2016

@ey814 @AlexKerner The one thing I appreciated about A Little Life was that is was polarizing. It should be a book discussed for years. I found it cumbersome, don't get me wrong two of my favorite books 2666 and Ulysses are hefty. I agree though the jury will matter because it has already lost to a couple of books on this list. Yes the Sellout is witty and timely so is Welcome to Braggsville and Delicious Foods. For me reading The Sellout was like sitting in a barbershop during a hurricane where reading Delicious Food was like sitting outside during a hurricane. It reminded me an adult version of The Book Thief with its use of narration. We will find out soon if The Pulitzer stays with the criteria of American life, if not then The Tsar of Love and Techno will win, by far the tour de force book of the year among many excellent books.

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BRAKiasaurus - Apr 7, 2016

I think it's Braggsville, A Little Life, and Tsar with Braggsville taking it...unless Preparation for the Next Life is inexplicably eligible this year (as it was on the New York Times notable list), in which case it should go to that.

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myram319 - Apr 7, 2016

@W_Shadbolt @ey814 @myram319 Totally agree with W_Shadbolt. The Tsar read more like a novel. I realize that it doesn't focus on American Life, but there is a tiny bit in the end that I'm hoping will push it forward for consideration. It was my favorite followed by A Little Life.

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proseimprint - Apr 7, 2016

@ey814 @proseimprint Well it looks like your post has stirred up the hornets nest. I have an extra copy of Delicious Food if your interested.

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ey814 - Apr 7, 2016

@Guardiands I almost chose FATE over LITTLE LIFE for a finalist. Again, it's another book that could make a run at the prize.

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Mstexexec - Apr 7, 2016

I have enjoyed reading all the comments here but want to toss my vote to A Little Life. Also, I am very disappointed that A Reunion of Ghosts by Judith Claire Mitchell was overlooked. As we look to next year I would hope that something as simple as Dawn of Wonder or The Life We Bury, both written by Debut Novelists, will get serious attention. Respectfully...

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W_Shadbolt - Apr 7, 2016

@myram319 I haven't read nearly enough to make any really educated guesses, but I enjoyed Tsar a lot more than The Sellout and am rooting for it as well. I think we'll see A Little Life on there as well, but although Johnson is one of my favorite contemporaries, I don't see his follow up to Orphan Master being a finalist. If they want a short story collection, McCann is a good choice.

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W_Shadbolt - Apr 7, 2016

@ey814 @myram319 Tsar is like Goon Squad where it treads that line between collection and novel, but I think Tsar is ultimately more novel-like. It certainly starts out seeming like it's just a bunch of loosely related stories, but the way they come together in the end is incredible. I go against the marketing and say it's a novel. It's like saying The Sound and The Fury or something similar is a bunch of interrelated stories instead of parts of a novel.

ey814 - Apr 7, 2016

@proseimprint @ey814 I think Did You Ever Have a Family sort of faded from view since it came out early in the year, and agree it could be a finalist. Wishing I'd read Delicious Foods. Now scrambling to find a first edition of it, just in case!

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ey814 - Apr 7, 2016

@myram319 I'm hampered in that I never to to Tsar or Delicious Foods, both which sound like they could win. Fortune Smiles might be a good choice for finalist, the jury tends to often include a short story collection in there. Of course, Tsar is linked short stories, right?

ey814 - Apr 7, 2016

@AlexKerner I agree that it is a book that will stand out for this year, for all the reasons you've articulated, after other books have faded from mind. It's why I included it as a finalist, but I wouldn't at all be surprised if it won.

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Guardiands - Apr 7, 2016

Fortune Smiles is what I want to pick, but I honestly don't see it happening. Then I was thinking (and wanting) Tsar, but I think they will stress the American emphasis this year. I haven't finished The Sellout yet, but I think that it will be a finalist with Fates, with Did You Ever Have a Family winning it all.

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AlexKerner - Apr 7, 2016

so my pick is going to be A Little Life.

I would be happy to see The Sellout win. It was a brilliantly witty and timely book that can rightfully be considered a big "I" IMPORTANT book that we will be talking about for many years to come.

However, the reason I choose ALL is not just because I loved it and found it such an emotional barn burner of a novel. I'd choose it because it was and continues to be the centre of our literary discussions and debates this year. The book has received significant praise and been short-listed for some of the most prestigious awards and won the Kirkus. It has also received significant amounts of criticism, which we have seen on this page, but also in the NY Times (which felt the need to publish not one but two negative reviews) and the Millions. The recent Tournament of Books saw the most contentious and passionate discussions occur in any decision that involve ALL. Even though the Sellout won, it was the ALL decisions that provoked much greater interest, with defenders and adversaries engaging in amazing and thoughtful defences and attacks. I don't think I have ever seen a book divide people into such passionate camps in a long while, yet miraculously it still has a 4.25 rating on Goodreads with over 28,000 reviews (compared with about 3k for The Sellout and 2k for The Tsar--the Tsar has a slightly higher rating but has definitely not stoked the passionate feelings that ALL has that potentionally would drive down its score). In many ways, the reading year has been defined by those who have loved ALL and those who hated it, but it is the book that everyone has strong opinions about.

All these reasons may hurt it of course, depending on who is on the jury or who is on the selection committee who chose the winner. A book that has received such visceral reaction is polarizing and may be too much so to win over enough to be the winner. But I think it is the defining book of the year, in a year filled with many excellent books.

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myram319 - Apr 7, 2016

My Picks are The Tsar as winner, and A Little Life and Fortune Smiles as finalists.

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proseimprint - Apr 7, 2016

@ey814 If the Pulitzer follows the criteria of distinguished fiction by an American author, dealing with American life then the three books that stood out for me this year are The Sellout, Delicious Foods and Did You Ever Have a Family. I feel Delicious Foods wins.

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ey814 - Apr 7, 2016

Okay, getting time for people to quit equivocating and take a firm stand with regard to their picks for the this year's Pulitzer winners and finalists. For me, the two books that strike me as, in the words of the Pulitzer criteria of "distinguished fiction by an American author, preferably dealing with American life" are Welcome to Braggsville by T Geronimo Johnson and The Sellout by Paul Beatty. I'm going to go with the prediction list and say that Sellout will win, with Braggsville and A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara as finalists. By so doing, I've almost certainly jinxed Sellout!

1 (SAFE Rule 1)

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ey814 - Apr 6, 2016

@AlexKerner @GeorgeKing1 @jfieds2 Okay, so let me try to objectively evaluate the utility of the TOB to predict the Pulitzer. I'll honestly try to be objective! (And, I would note, I think the TOB is a fun exercise and I follow it each year.)

The first point to be made is to recognize that in the 11 years it has existed (2005-2015, not counting this year, obviously, since the Pulitzer hasn't been awarded), the TOB winner has won the Pulitzer Prize four times (OSCAR WAO, GOON SQUAD, ORPHAN MASTER'S SON, plus 2007 THE ROAD by Cormac McCarthy). That's a 36% hit rate. Our own humble prediction model has selected the Pulitzer winner in the #1 slot twice (GOON SQUAD, GOLDFINCH) in the eight years there have been predictions (25% hit rate). Round 1 goes to TOB.

Looking at "near misses," in the 11 years of its existence, the eventual Pulitzer winner (from among those years that the Pulitzer winner did not win the TOB, was in the quarterfinals (8 books remaining) once (GOLDFINCH) and in the finals (top 2 books) once (ALL THE LIGHT WE CANNOT SEE). So, with four winners and two near misses, that's a 54% hit/near hit rate. The PPrize list, in addition to two Pulitzer winners being rated #1, had one #3 (OSCAR WAO), AND TWO #4S (ORPHAN MASTERS, ALL THE LIGHT). So two #1, one #3, and two #4s means 5/8 or a 62% hit/near hit rate. Round 2 goes to PPrize.

Here are what I see as the Achilles heel issues for the TOB as a Pulitzer predictor. First, it allows books by non-U.S. citizen authors. Four times in the 11 years, the winner was not a U.S. Citizen (CLOUD ATLAS AND WOLF HALL from British authors, THE SISTERS BROTHERS by a Canadian author, and THE ACCIDENTAL by a Scottish author). So, although 36% of the time it has been won by the eventual Pulitzer winner, another 36% of the time it has been won by someone who is not even eligible for the Pulitzer.

Second, the TOB contenders (e.g., all books that enter Round 1) are determined by the folks who run the TOB. So, four times the eventual Pulitzer winner was not even among the books contending (GILEAD, MARCH, OLIVE KITTERIDGE, TINKERS). In six of the 8 years with the PPrize list, the winner was in the top 10. TINKERS was #32 on the list that year, so "in the running," as it were. (There was no award given in 2012. Two of the three finalists (SWAMPLANDIA, TRAIN DREAMS) were on the PPrize list, one (SWAMPLANDIA) was in the TOB.

All of the TOB winners that did not win the Pulitzer (and who would be eligible for the Pulitzer) (A MERCY by Toni Morrison, THE GOOD LORD BIRD by James McBride, and STATION ELEVEN by Emily St. John Mandel) were in the top 10 on the PPrize list.

To some degree, the TOB has been successful at "predicting" winners because the initial list of contenders in the TOB draws heavily from books that have gotten attention in the months leading up to the TOB. All four of the TOB winners that went on to win the Pulitzer were NBCC winners or finalists. That said, the weighting formula in the PPrize system is heavily impacted by the NBCC finalists and winners list as well. So, to some degree, both systems are drawing information from the same sources. That is why, this year, we end up with the same book (SELLOUT) at the top of both lists. I'm rooting for the TOB winner to win this year :-)

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OneMoreBook - Apr 5, 2016

Just finished Hulse's "Black River" and simply adored the book. So pretty, overall, and much like the Kent Haruf novels, such as "Plainsong" that I've enjoyed over the years. "Black River" is surely one of the best five I've read this year. Solid Pulitzer choice, in my opinion. Side note: As I've mentioned before, I surely don't understand all of the hoopla surrounding "The Sellout," with so many other worthy contenders. But, what do I know? I'm only a reader. :-) Read on ...

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ey814 - Apr 5, 2016

I've just emailed Tom the final list... not that different from the previous list.. Sellout firmly on top, Delicious Foods moved up a bit due to the PEN/Faulkner Award, and that and win by Otessa Mosfegh's Eileen of the PEN/Hemingway moved Little Life down a couple of slots. Two ties (at 13th and 15th) means a list of 16:

Final winner prediction list

1.The Sellout by Paul Beatty

2.The Tsar of Love and Techno by Anthony Marra

3.Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff

4.Fortune Smiles by Adam Johnson

5.Delicious Foods by James Hannaham

6.Eileen by Ottessa Moshfegh

7.A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara

8.Honeydew by Edith Pearlman

9.The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen

10.Did you Ever Have a Family by Bill Clegg

11.A Manual for Cleaning Women: Selected Stories by Lucia Berlin

12.The Book of Aron by Jim Shepard

13.Black River by S.M. Hulse

13. In the Country: Stories by Mia Alvar

15. The Turner House by Angela Flournoy

15. Mislaid by Nell Zink

And, since people always ask, here are the next 10:

Purity by Jonathan Franzen

Welcome to Braggsville by T. Geronimo Johnson

The Beautiful Beaurocrat by Helen Phillips

The Mare by Mary Gaitskill

God Help the Child by Toni Morrison

A Cure for Suicide by Jesse Ball

Refund by Karen Bender

A Spool of Blue Thread by Anne Tyler

Finale: A Novel of the Reagan Years by Thomas Mallon

Thirteen Ways of Looking by Colum McCann

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OneMoreBook - Apr 5, 2016

@BRAKiasaurus Great news! I loved the book, and it's certainly deserving. So much better than the "top faves," I believe.

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BRAKiasaurus - Apr 5, 2016

"Delicious Foods" won the pen Faulkner!

https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books/james-hannaham-wins-15000-penfaulkner-award-for-fiction/2016/04/04/08edfd0c-fa7d-11e5-80e4-c381214de1a3_story.html

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ElenaMendezPerez - Apr 4, 2016

I havent read all your list. But I have been fascinated about A Manual for Cleaning Women: Selected Stories by Lucia Berlin and Fortune Smiles by Adam Johnson.

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AlexKerner - Apr 4, 2016

@GeorgeKing1 @jfieds2 @AlexKerner The Tournament of Books (sorry shouldn't have used the acronym). It's a competition that is run by The Morning News website annually. They choose the top 16 books (according to their committee I guess) and then pair them off in brackets (like the March Madness in basketball). Each pairing is judged by one person, who decides which book moves on.

As noted, it has been pretty successful as a predictor of the Pulitzer (Oscar Wao, Goon Squad, Orphan Masters Son won TOB)

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GeorgeKing1 - Mar 31, 2016

@jfieds2 @AlexKerner Excuse my ignorance but what is the TOB?

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AlexKerner - Mar 30, 2016

@jfieds2 @AlexKerner maybe silly but any more silly than a jury of three or five doing the same? I think one of the motivations of starting the TOB was the absurdity of book competitions in general (which we all love) and taking it to its logical conclusion...battle to the death with zombies :)

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jfieds2 - Mar 30, 2016

@AlexKerner Very good catch. I have been following the TOB since about 2010. (I think that was a year before I found this board.) The TOB is somewhat of a silly exercise -- with only one person passing judgment on two books -- but as you stated, the write ups and even the public comments are very astute and engaged. Further, you also not the record for predicting the Pulitzer. For those that do not know, the TOB is 4/11 (and last year ALL THE LIGHT was the losing finalist). They choose their group of 16 in about January. Even if it (and this board) are both still going in another 10 years, I don't think that we should weigh the TOB decision in the model, but with THE SELLOUT going into the final, I have a feeling that the record will go up to 5/12!

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AlexKerner - Mar 30, 2016

So the Tournament of Books is down to its finals, with The Turner House going up against The Sellout. It has been a really intense year and the discussion boards for the A Little Life decisions were quite amazing in the scope of discussion. I realize that TOB isn't in the statistical model but it still has been quite predictive with the winner or finalist often winning the Pulitzer.

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Guardiands - Mar 28, 2016

This gives me hope! Great idea calling.

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mrbenchly - Mar 28, 2016

The things we book collectors do for first printings ...

I spent an hour or two last week searching online databases (abe, bookfinder, thriftbooks, etc.) for used hardcover copies of The Sellout. Anytime I found one, I called the business and asked if they could pull the book from the shelf and read the number line to me. Finally, it paid off. Coas Books in New Mexico had a copy for $7.39. I ordered it and it just arrived. It's a near fine 1st printing!

To my fellow collectors I say, keep looking. The firsts are out there!

Happy collecting!

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MichaelRuddon - Mar 26, 2016

@JohnZ @ey814 @jfieds2 JohnZ do you think that because the Pulitzer Prize web pages have been stressing that this is the 100th Pulitzers that the American theme might be very important for all the winners this year.

As for Hamilton, at this point wouldnt it be considered a just weird that it did not win.

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JohnZ - Mar 24, 2016

@ey814 @jfieds2 I looked in the Chronicle of Pulitzer Prizes, where over various decades some notes and telegrams from various jury members have been included. In the category of Fiction, many of these notes and telegrams are dated December. As the juries meet at different times throughout a given year, one cannot be certain that all of them have their selected finalists ready by the twelfth month. But it makes sense that they would do this by the end of the year, as it would give the board time to read said finalists and decide on the final choice.

The notes and telegrams are quite interesting, in that one may find lists of books and collections that were considered, as well as reasons for why some of them did not find a slot as regards the three finalists. Sometimes one may glean the cheerleading that was done for a particular book or collection (i.e., So Big; Tales from the South Pacific). There was also a year when James Alan McPherson made note of Robert Pirsig's Lila: An Inquiry into Morals. The winner that year, however, was Jane Smiley's A Thousand Acres.

I know this board focuses mainly on the Fiction category; however, it's also fun to consider the other categories as well. One wonders if the biography of Mary Shelley and her mother will be in the running. As for Drama, it would not be surprising if Hamilton won, especially since its writer was a finalist for In the Heights. Often you see previous finalists eventually winning a Pulitzer (i.e., Tracy Letts, Suzan-Lori Parks, Donald Margulies, and Quiara Alegria Hudes).

That said, I'm wondering if The Sellout will win. No doubt it's a great satire, and its prose certainly catches one's attention -- manic riffs that come across almost as stand-up comedy, but tempered by some very profound (and acerbic) observations about American life. The Tsar of Love and Techno might also get some attention, either as a winner or a finalist. Some may feel that its lack of having a decided "American theme" could weigh against it. But I'm not convinced. As many of us know, there have been a number of winners whose subject matter deals with other countries. Consider The Bridge of San Luis Rey, The Good Earth, The Fixer, The Orphan Master's Son, and All the Light We Cannot See. The latter books are recent winners.

From what I've gleaned during my reading of all the Pulitzer winners in Fiction (as well as a number of the finalists), the main criteria deal with well-written stories that explore the human condition. Which is to say, there is a universal quality that may be found in many of the winners. To me, the Pulitzer winners in Fiction deal primarily with this.

Given that the last couple of winners for Fiction were also bestsellers (meaning they were well on the radar of the reading public), I'm wondering if the jury and board will this year opt for a winner that stands beyond the limelight -- that is, until it's announced as a winner.

ey814 - Mar 23, 2016

@MH631 Wow. I'm completely gobsmacked and envious! So cool. I would love to see some of those. The Reivers signed to his mistress and her daughter the day before he died has got to be pretty close to the ultimate version of that one! This confirms that we have to figure out some opportunity for collectors to get together somewhere or sometime and compare notes, swap extras, etc.! Thanks for posting this!

ey814 - Mar 23, 2016

@JohnZ Okay, maybe I'll have to put Mailer's Executioner's Song up on the list! With regard to the equally-long Lonesome Dove, I was sad to see it end and could have read another thousand pages. Happily, he published a prequel and three sequels. (I've seen McMurtry four times at events now, and I managed to get a proof and a first edition of every book in the Lonesome Dove series signed by him!). And, I thought The Fixer was an amazing book and, like you said, it felt very current and not dated at all.

ey814 - Mar 23, 2016

@MC74 I'm a big Half Price Books fan. Lived in Dallas area for 16 years and made the rounds of a lot of stores weekly. I remember when the main store was on Mockingbird across from the Dr. Pepper plant and when what is now the Main store was a Service Merchandise! I'm in the Kansas City area now, and there are three stores, one of which is very good. Their philosophy is to rotate books frequently, so there is often new stuff, and while they do flag some stuff for the rare books section, there are a lot of $7.99 bargains! I found a signed, first edition of Tinkers (the Powell's Indiespensible hardcover) for $7.99 and the Knopf signed, limited in slipcase of Rabbit is Rich for the same price!

As for the Sotheby's auction, go up to the top of the page and check the mast on the left. There's a link for it... and you're right, the minimum was not met.

Likes: 3
ey814 - Mar 23, 2016

The American Academy of Arts and Letters announced their 2016 Literature Award Winners. This isn't one of the predictor variables (though I'll have to see if I can find information about past winners, might be able to include it if it goes back far enough), but some familiar names are on the list:

http://www.artsandletters.org/press_releases/2016literature.pdf

Rosenthal Family Foundation Award of $10,000 to a young writer of considerable literary talent for for a work published in 2015: Anthony Marra for The Tsar of Love and Techno

Mildred and Harold Strauss Livings Award of $200,000 to each of two writers to enable them to devote time exclusively to writing: Adam Haslett and Jesmyn Ward

Harold D. Vursell Memorial Award of $20,000 to a writer whose work merits recognition for the quality of its prose style: Rachel Kushner

And, I just looked on the website for the Rosenthal Family Foundation Award, and it "has been awarded annually since 1957 to a young novelist for a book published during the previous year that is a considerable literary achievement." So, I can add it to the analysis for next year. Scanning the list of past winners, I see some familiar names... Teju Cole, Claire Vaye Watkins, Daniyal Mueenuddin (Pulitzer finalist), Chris Adrian, Dana Spiotta and some others. Notably, Robert Olen Butler won it for A Good Scent from a Strange Mountain, which also won the Pulitzer, and Marilynne Robinson won it for Houskeeping (Pulitzer finalist). So, a good variable to add to the prediction analysis.

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ey814 - Mar 23, 2016

@jfieds2 Not sure, but it can't be much earlier than that just due to the number of books needing to be read.

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Marybethking - Mar 23, 2016

If I win the lottery we will all go. You get a 1st edition etc. Think Oprah you get a car, you get a car, to infinity and beyond.

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PulitzerPrizes - Mar 23, 2016

Forgot to mention...While you're waiting for the 2016ers, you may enjoy the Pulitzer take on March Madness, Pulitzer Madness, a very quick survey: Choose your favorite Pulitzer-winning novel, in each of four regions: bit.ly/FictionMdnss

64 fiction winners this round, a final four starting March 31 (there will be a new link), a winner decided April 5.

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PulitzerPrizes - Mar 23, 2016

@jfieds2 We cannot offer any specifics but can tell you the various juries meet at different times throughout the year. We aim to give the Board as much time as we can.

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PulitzerPrizes - Mar 23, 2016

@ey814 We are so appreciative to have great fans like you. We will certainly share your requests with the Board but unfortunately cannot guarantee any outcome.

And please feel free to let us know what discussions arise. We like the feedback, and it's fun too.

Thanks for the good wishes!

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jfieds2 - Mar 23, 2016

I have thought about this many times but have always forgotten to post it. I wonder when the juries (plural because I am thinking about the ones for history, biography, etc...) meet and pick their finalists. It has to be no later than mid-January, I would think. They are, after all, handing the full board 3 finalists in a number of categories, and many of the books, especially in biography and history can be *very* long. If the full board really is to read all of the nominated finalists in totality, I would hope they would have about 3 months to do so. Any thoughts?

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PulitzerPrizes - Mar 23, 2016

@AlexKerner Thanks for the smart thinking! You will be please to know that's exactly what we're doing - waiting until after the complete announcement to post the list on the site.

You will be able to watch from the pulitzer.org site itself, or on our YouTube channel, or on Facebook, which will be a different feed. Your choice.

Let us know what you think!

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AlexKerner - Mar 23, 2016

@PulitzerPrizes @pulitzerprize also can i recommend that you don't post the winners on your website until AFTER the live streaming. Last year people were already shouting out the winners before the presenter had made the announcement because the winners had been posted on the site right away. For suspense purposes it would be great if that doesn't happen this year.

ey814 - Mar 23, 2016

@OneMoreBook My sense is that any of these you mention have a shot. Sellout got the bulk of the points, but I think this year is as wide open as I can recall. I'm just finishing Turner House, and like it a lot. I have Eileen and Tsar teed up to read next!

Likes: 2
ey814 - Mar 23, 2016

@PulitzerPrizes @pulitzerprize so nice to see you her!, We are among the Pulitzer Prizes' most enthusiastic fans and supporters, I suspect (other than the winning authors, obviously!). We're a community of Pulitzer collectors and literary fiction enthusiasts, and the Pprize.com discussion thread gives us a chance to interact throughout the year about what we're reading that we think is Pulitzer-worthy. I think I speak for many of us in requesting two things. First, don't repeat the 2012 no award decision :-). Second, we're fans of the "preferably about American life" clause in the fiction requirements, so hope that this is emphasized when deliberations occur.

For jury members, the task of reading all the submitted books seems incredible, so we're grateful to those people who do that annually and we're equally grateful to the Pulitzer Prize board for their time and for making early April an event for us every year. We don't always agree with the Board's selection (or lack thereof!), but we're nevertheless grateful and look forward to the discussions that are generated by the Pulitzer Prize awards.

Good luck with this year's process, if the discussion thread is any indication, this will be a good year with a difficult decision to be made!

We definitely follow the announcement through all of the media options and appreciate that. It's a goal for some of us to someday convene a group of us at the actual announcement. Until then, we appreciate the media options.

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PulitzerPrizes - Mar 23, 2016

Hi folks, Pulitzer Prizes here. So fun to see your predictions and comments. Thank you for sharing!

The 2016 Prizes will be announced April 18 at 3pm ET.

We will be announcing on Twitter @pulitzerprize and broadcasting live on Facebook @pulitzerprizes and YouTube. There will also be some news on Instagram @PulitzerPrizes.

We hope you will follow along.

Likes: 2
kellyg - Mar 22, 2016

@OneMoreBook I could not agree more. I am hanging onto my first edition it case it wins, and if it doesn't it'll go straight into a Little Free Library.

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OneMoreBook - Mar 22, 2016

I really don't understand all of the hoopla over THE SELLOUT. Just a so-so book, in my opinion. Minor work. I struggled through it, and can never get back the time spent on that tome. EILEEN and HONEYDEW are sooooooo much better, not to mention THE TURNER HOUSE, TSAR, DID YOU EVER, and others. I'm reading DELICIOUS FOODS right now, and think it's a major-serious contender as well. BLACK RIVER is next on my list, and I can't wait. But, what do I know? :-) Read on ...

ey814 - Mar 20, 2016

@BRAKiasaurus It's usually early March, just doesn't really get much publicity, so you have to look for it!

ey814 - Mar 20, 2016

@BRAKiasaurus I just meant that it's rare that the PEN/Hemingway points impact the Top 10-15 list. But, looking back at where the PEN/Hemingway awardees since 2008, which is when we began to do the prediction list, I'll have to amend my off the cuff comment. Some books that are PEN/Hemingway awardees weren't strong contenders (according to the predication analysis) for the Pulitzer (e.g., Brigid Pasulka for Long Long Time Ago and Essentially True, Arna Bontemps Hemenway for Elegy on Kinderklavier), but others did benefit from the points (though it's not a strong predictor, so not many points), such as Joshua Ferris for Then We Came to an End, Teju Cole for Open City and Kevin Powers for The Yellow Birds .

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myram319 - Mar 19, 2016

@BRAKiasaurus @Marybethking @jfieds2 Thanks, jfieds2! Because of you I now have a first edition of the book. I just wanted to read it, but couldn't find it in my area. The closest library that had a copy was 3 1/2 hours away. So I purchased a used book at a goodwill store online, and was surprised to get what appears to be an unread (new) copy of the first printing.

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BRAKiasaurus - Mar 19, 2016

@Marybethking @jfieds2 I think jfieds2 was the first I heard mention it on this group, for the pulitzer. And, for whatever it's worth, I think jfieds2 has a fantastic track record of recommending fantastic (and promising) reads, so while I too find my own high quality material--in fact, though I can completely understand an argument in either direction, I would still give the pulitzer to "Braggsville" over "The Sellout"--I still take jfieds2's recommendations to heart. Were this a race, I would gladly bet on him any day. ;)

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proseimprint - Mar 18, 2016

@jfieds2 I had just started following this group a couple weeks before reading your post. I picked it up a couple of days later, thought it was the best book of the year until I read Tsar. If The Sympathizer wins The PEN/Faulkner that will make the Pulitzer a little more interesting.

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MH631 - Mar 18, 2016

@tklein27 I'm familiar with the Gianakos collection.

He doesn't have a picture of the So Big jacket in the photo gallery on his website. If you read his inventory list carefully, it's apparent that he only has the book. I've discussed this with all of the major ABAA dealers, and none of them have ever handled So Big in a jacket, nor do they know of any collection that includes one. It may be that the jacket does not exist. But, I'm still looking!

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jfieds2 - Mar 18, 2016

I really hoped that the remarkably good TSAR would win the NBCC, since THE SELLOUT is should still win the Pulitzer.

I am not much for "tooting my own horn" buuuuuuut, you did hear it here first: http://fyre.it/PfcL8m. (July 12, 2015). If I'm right, I bet it's a once in a lifetime prediction, at least that far in advance.

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ey814 - Mar 18, 2016

I'll run the final analysis when the PEN/Faulkner announcement is made, but I suggest collectors seek out a 1st edition of The Sellout, as it will be firmly in 1st place.

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proseimprint - Mar 17, 2016

The winners are http://bookcritics.org/

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JohnZ - Mar 17, 2016

The Sellout wins the National Book Critics Circle Award.

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JohnZ - Mar 17, 2016

@ey814 @JohnZ How nice that you thought of me. Thank you, ey814.

When I began reading the Pulitzer-winners in Fiction, more often than not I would read each new winner as it was bestowed the prize. Of course, I had read To Kill a Mockingbird in high school, so that was my first Pulitzer-winner. Then I grew interested in John Updike's writing, and so Rabbit Is Rich became my second Pulitzer read. After that, I believe it was Breathing Lessons I read (I had read The Accidental Tourist and loved it, so Ms. Tyler was then on my reading radar). I began reading the winners in earnest after A Thousand Acres (such a beautiful novel), and from that point on, I read the winners more or less in earnest, depending on what else I was reading at the time.

By 2004, it occurred to me to read all of the titles which comprise the list. Finding and purchasing first editions was not something I held to be sacrosanct; rather, I looked for good copies that had been well-maintained and were legible. For me, the story and characters are the thing. It was after Gilead's win that I commenced acquiring a full collection. In between the announcement of a new winner, I read other winners, mixing them in with other books I was reading at the time. (There are some writers whose work I admire and love, and I purchase and read their new work whenever it is published. They needn't have won awards; all I require is a good and well-written story.)

At some point, however, the idea of reading the list in reverse came to me. The idea of traveling back in time, as it were, and gleaning social context and possible cultural aesthetics, were too fascinating to pass up.

I understand your wanting to save The Executioner's Song and John Cheever's Stories for later reads. Many people I know have staved off Mailer's book given its length. But here's the curious thing: When people I know finally read Executioner's, they find they cannot put it down. They also speak of how quickly the book goes along, sounding rather amazed that such a development took place. It doesn't surprise me, however; the book is simply that masterful and good. Part of it comes, I think, from Mailer's style (as stripped-down and raw-boned as the characters about whom he was writing); but a larger part, I believe, is that it is a devastating story -- tragedy on a grand scale -- told by a writer at the height of his talent and skill. (Something similar happened when I read Lonesome Dove. It just flies by.)

As for the story collections (principally those by Cheever, Porter, and Stafford), I read them from beginning to end, starting on the first page and ending on the last. While I loved all of the collections, there were times when I had to remind myself that many of the writers were exploring the same milieu, and that it would be best to plunge into each story with as fresh a perception as I could muster. This was especially true of Cheever. So many booze-addled, discontented WASPs people his stories, and there were moments when I steeled myself, waiting for yet another character to mix a martini and wax wistfully about his or her life as well as those of his or her contemporaries. But here's the thing: there's not a bad story in the bunch, and some of them are simply golden ("The Enormous Radio" and "The Swimmer" being among my favorites). It wasn't so much that the stories bored me; it was more like eating a good meal and getting full... and then going for yet another helping. Not a bad thing, although some discipline and stamina are required.

But it's the surprises that really enervated me and kept me reading through to the end (or should it be, the beginning?). Well... the fact that I can be stubborn didn't hurt, either (ha ha).

As for the surprises: Malamud's The Fixer was a jolt. It's a novel everyone would do well to read, especially in our current time of political strife, thick with so much division and enmity. Another surprise was Faulkner's A Fable, which I had heard could be a bit of a slog. Is it challenging? To a degree, yes. But I didn't find it a slog. Really, it's something to which you surrender... and in which, for a time, you become lost. But it's powerful stuff. And gorgeous writing. O'Connor's The Edge of Sadness is also a favorite of mine. So heartbreaking in its way, and filled with some great characters. The narrator was someone about whom I came to care in a way that surprised me.

But some of the books I kept reading for two reasons: 1) I wanted to read all the winners (i.e., my stubbornness again, ha ha); and 2) I had the hope the stories would begin to appeal to me more strongly. I'm a reader who does his best to give writers the benefit of the doubt, and even if I'm reading something I'm not particularly enjoying, I stay in there and continue to plug away. Which is why I finished The Store, Advise and Consent, and Gone With the Wind. The problem comes down to what one prefers aesthetically. For me, the best part of any story has to do with the characters who populate it. The three books I just mentioned had no characters about whom I came to care. They didn't resonate with me, as it's difficult to be moved by those motivated by selfishness, greed, and prejudice. Not that they were not written well. Just that one found himself spending time with characters who didn't merit such long books. That it seemed I was expected to feel for people comprised of egocentricity and bigoted views didn't cut the mustard with me. In fact, with the three books mentioned, it was secondary characters who interested me more.

That said, there's no book I wouldn't recommend in the list (albeit some with reservations). After all, the great thing about reading (or any other artistic medium, really) is that we have an opportunity to consider the world and ourselves from perspectives often dissimilar to our own. And that's not bad at all. In fact, it's how we grow as individuals.

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BRAKiasaurus - Mar 17, 2016

@ey814 Also, thank you for posting the list! The website is set up strangely--the announcement almost gets buried--but I would have completely missed it. I feel like it often comes later in the year? But maybe I'm thinking of a different award...

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BRAKiasaurus - Mar 17, 2016

@ey814 why is this year an outlier in terms of its impact on the list?

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ChrisEllis77 - Mar 17, 2016

@MH631 @MC74 @ChrisEllis77 @ey814 That sounds like one of the most extensive collections I have ever heard of, i'm very jealous. However well done for spending the time on it, a life project. It must be worth/cost six figures.

Right, i'm putting two lotteries on this weekend.

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tklein27 - Mar 17, 2016

MH631's collection sounds about the best you can get. The only other collection I know about that may be on par or better belongs to Jame Gianakos. He was kind enough to provide me with some nice photos of some early dust jackets. He might even have a first issue So Big jacket. I would be happy at this point to simply have a photo of the So Big jacket. For collectors who started recently, is still is possible to find first printings of the early editions, but not with dust jackets. However, I think there is nothing wrong with purchasing a facsimile jacket to protect the book and serve as a placeholder.

I did go to the auction a few years ago. Not too many people attended. I was able to examine the books before hand. It was a very good collection. On the plus side it had signed firsts of GWTW, Grapes of Wrath, and Ironweed. Mockingbird was a first in the right dust jacket. He had a signed Alice Adams with dust jacket. His Cather and Lewis were the signed, limited editions. His Andersonville was also the first limited. He had the Tinkers first hard cover. Most of the other books had nice dust jackets as I remember.

On the minus side, there was no jacket on His Family, and So Big had one of those ugly dust jackets from 1958. Years of Grace was an early printing in early dust jacket, but signed. South Pacifc had a later DJ, and there were a few other later jackets as well. I wrote about it here:

http://www.pprize.com/Discussions.php/Sotheby-Auction

Overall I thought it was a nice collection.

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MH631 - Mar 16, 2016

@MC74 @ChrisEllis77 @ey814 I'll brag about my Pulitzers. I've been actively seeking them for more than 20 years, and I think that my collection is one of the best in the world. I have the true first editions, first printings, of all of the books. Lamb in his Bosom has been rebound, but its signed. All of the others are in the original bindings. I'm only missing three jackets: So Big, Lamb in His Bosom and Years of Grace. I have first the correct first printings for all of the other jackets. That includes the three different colors for One of Ours and variant jackets for Dragon's Teeth and Early Autumn. I also have all of the limited editions of every title. Somewhat surprisingly, I found that for early Pulitzers, the limiteds are generally much easier to find than the trade editions. (The notable exceptions being Old Man and the Sea and the preliminary issue of Bridge of San Luis Rey. I have both. Bridge is signed by Wilder). Over the years, I have upgraded my collection whenever I find a book or jacket that's in better condition than the one I already own. As a result, the overall condition of the books in my collection is excellent - very good to fine. All titles published after 1960 are signed by the author (except for Confederacy of Dunces and The Road, of course) and about half of the ones before that are signed. I think that the best signature I have is William Faulkner on The Reivers. He inscribed it to his mistress and her daughter the day before he died. It may have been the last book he ever inscribed. I'm in Los Angeles. If there are any other Pulitzer collectors out there that would like to meet and compare books, send me a message.

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ey814 - Mar 16, 2016

The PEN/Hemingway awardee and finalists were announced:

http://www.pen-ne.org/hemingway/

The winner is Ottessa Moshfegh for Eileen. S.M. Hulse was a runner up for Black River. This is one of the rare years where this award will boost someone on the list.

The NBCC winner will be announced tomorrow and that will leave only the PEN/Faulkner winner as the final predictor variable.

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ey814 - Mar 15, 2016

@JohnZ I thought about you when I posted the URL, knowing you had recently finished the entire run. I've ready every Pulitzer from Confederacy of Dunces (1980), and then about 1/3 of the books before 1980, but not reading in any order, just whatever strikes me. I intende to read them all, though Cheever's Collected Stories and Mailer's Executioner's Song will undoubtedly be last, given how long they are!

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ey814 - Mar 15, 2016

@ChrisEllis77 @MC74 @tklein27 I'm bringing Tom Klein into this, as he has the most complete run of 1st Edition Pulitzer Prize winners of the folks who haunt the Pprize.com discussion board! I have 67 of the 88 Pulitzer winners in the first edition with the DJs. The earliest I have is Thornton Wilder's Bridge of San Luis Rey (it is signed and dated!). Among the other very earliest books, I have Scarlet Sister Mary, Laughing Boy, Now in November and Honey on the Horn, all in original DJs. I haven't given up on owning them all in DJs, though in my head I know that will never happen! I think if I found inexpensive first editions without DJs, I'd pick one up, but I'd rather save up to buy a more expensive book with a DJ than plop down too much money for jacketless books. Hope springs eternal! It's part of the fun of collecting, I think, is not having some coveted items and not being able to just flat out buy whatever you want (what's the fun of that!). We've talked several times on the discussion board about convening a get together somewhere and everyone bringing their extra Pulitzer winners and arranging for bartering and trading! I think there aren't that many Pulitzer collectors out there, so it's nice to have a gathering place. @DustySpines has a good collection as well.

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MC74 - Mar 13, 2016

@ChrisEllis77 @MC74 @ey814 It certainly does take a little from it. It's this forum's fault!!! :)

I try my best to find Pulitzers with DJs but it's nearly impossible to find the earlier ones with DJs without paying an arm and a leg. I would say over half of my 1st printings have DJs.

I've had some luck with finding a few 1st editions at Half Price Books. I picked up a copy of Advise & Consent for $15. I would highly recommend this place for new collectors. They have a rare books section too.

Did anyone know what happened to that Sotheby auction a few years back? Did the seller end up selling his collection at another auction? I vaguely remembered that the minimum was not met.

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ChrisEllis77 - Mar 13, 2016

@MC74 @ChrisEllis77 @ey814 I also get excited each year on the run up to the announcement, but I am finding in recent years I have already read the winner, takes a little from it, don't you think.

You are extremely lucky to own so many, especially if they are 1st printings, There is a budget issue with me, so I must hunt high and low for them, I have been collecting for nearly 25 years now, since I was in my late teens, so I have built up a huge collection, many nice copies in there, some valuable, but I find it hard to sell them to further my collection of Pulitzers. I have a few early ones such as Laughing Boy and Early Autumn without the dust jackets but first printings, and have reluctantly decided that that must be the way to go for me (without DJ's) for early ones, however I do have a DJ on my copy of The Yearling, in great condition, which I am quite proud of. As for the likes of TKAMB, TGOW and a few more, I can just forget it, and have come across later printings to fill the gaps, to spend 5000 dollars on one book is not in my power, I maybe spend that in a whole year. So I have took to playing the lottery now and again as an attempt to solve this problem.

As for Lamb in His Bosom you need a lot of luck and a pile of cash, I know its very rare.

Good luck in your quest.

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Guardiands - Mar 12, 2016

Posts like these inspire me and are a driving force behind my recent goal in collecting and reading quality literature. Thank you.

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BRAKiasaurus - Mar 12, 2016

@JohnZ @ey814 Really pleasant post to read! Thanks for your thoughts. :)

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JohnZ - Mar 12, 2016

@ey814 In 2005, I found myself reading the list of Pulitzer Prize-winners in Fiction. In doing so, I realized that I had read many of the books and/or collections which had won the prize, and I thought, "Well, why not read them all?" Which I then did.

Often, instead of reading the first book presented in the list (Ernest Poole's "His Family"), I worked backward -- a sensation that made me feel as if I were traveling back in time. Early in my reading, I did skip around, focusing on those books I already had sitting on my bookshelves. Eventually, though -- after pinching pennies and locating titles that were harder to find -- I had every Pulitzer-winner, which was when it occurred to me to begin my time-travel reverse reading.

It's an interesting way to go about reading the winners. There is to it a sense of immersion. One begins to see patterns; certain patterns, throughout the decades, begin to manifest. Echoes occur. For instance, the deeper back you read, you discover that a number of the titles deal with prairie life and the idea of Manifest Destiny, in which you follow characters in triumph and sorrow as they do their best to wrest a living from a land that can be simultaneously beautiful and cruel. Of the titles dealing with this subject, Josephine Johnson's "Now in November" and Harold Davis's "Honey in the Horn" are the ones I most enjoyed (though "Lonesome Dove" remains a favorite).

There's also a pattern of generational division and angst; of tradition vs. personal desire and longing. Margaret Ayers Barnes's "Years of Grace" conquered this theme well. And, of course, Edith Wharton's "The Age of Innoncence," which Ms. Barnes's novel, in its way, echoes. (Perhaps this was no accident, as Ms. Barnes co-adapted Ms. Wharton's novel for the stage.) A favorite, however, is Louis Bromfield's "Early Autumn." During my reading of the novel, I discovered I was having a wonderful time. The novel surprised me, as Mr. Bromfield (who lived here in my home state) was known more as an agriculturalist. Also worth mentioning as regards this theme, Ellen Glasgow's "In This Our Life" was better than I had been led to believe it would be. I had read that it was one of the weaker Pulitzer-winners -- a charge with which I do not agree. Martin Flavin's "Journey in the Dark" is also quite good.

There weren't many Pulitzer-winners I didn't like or love on some level, although there were some that didn't do much for me. T. S. Stribling's "The Store," while well-written, featured a number of characters whom I found selfish and often downright loathsome. A similar thing happened when I read Margaret Mitchell's "Gone With the Wind." Yes, it's well-written, but Ms. Mitchell requires of us to spend over 1,000 pages with two of the most selfish, conniving characters in fiction -- O'Hara and Butler. Ms. Mitchell attempts to provide a buffer with Melanie, but really, she stretched credulity, as no person can be so wholesome and pure. That said, I'm not sorry I read it (there's more to the novel than the film), but I did not find myself having those uxorious feelings so many others do about the book. I did find a delicious irony in the fact that Mammie is -- more or less -- one of the smartest and most insightful characters in the book.

Along with "The Store," Allen Drury's "Advise and Consent" was probably my least-favorite read. I didn't hate it; I did, however, find myself wondering what all the fuss was about. The year it was awarded the prize, it was selected by the Board, not the Jury (they selected Saul Bellow's "Henderson the Rain King"). And Geraldine Brooks's "March," while well-written, was for me an anti-climactic experience. It was inevitable, though. Having read Louisa May Alcott's "Little Women," I knew where Ms. Brooks's story was headed. Even characters she created for her book felt like game-pieces to be plugged into the plot later in the story. In all, "March" struck me more as a literary gimmick or conceit than anything. But, yes, there are some well-written passages.

As for the story collections, I loved Robert Olen Butler's "A Good Scent from a Strange Mountain." And then you have the wonderful stories written by John Cheever, Katherine Anne Porter, Jean Stafford, and Jhumpa Lahiri.

As for my favorite Pulitzer, I must go with Adam Johnson's "The Orphan Master's Son." That's the novel which has stayed with me. Also, Harper Lee's "To Kill a Mockingbird," Jane Smiley's "A Thousand Acres," and Norman Mailer's "The Executioner's Song." All made indelible impressions on me. But Mr. Johnson's gorgeous, frightening, and devastatingly moving novel is the one that, if pressed, I would name as my number-one.

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MC74 - Mar 12, 2016

@ChrisEllis77 @ey814 - Reading the entire Pulitzer list was a 7 year project for me. I still get excited each year when the new winner is announced. As for collecting, I am down to one book, the elusive Lamb in His Bosom. It's been a long 3 year journey searching for this book. I may never find it (or afford it) but it's been fun. I am glad to hear that there are other Pulitzer collectors out there.

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ChrisEllis77 - Mar 12, 2016

@ey814 Nice article, reading them is the easy bit, it's finding them in first edition form, I too have read them all, however only own about half.

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ey814 - Mar 11, 2016

http://www.sltrib.com/home/3567421-155/former-byu-professor-nearing-end-of?fullpage=1

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W_Shadbolt - Mar 11, 2016

Reading The Tsar of Love and Techno right now. So far I'm liking it more than The Sellout, but not sure if it'll win the Pulitzer. There is that whole American life theme, and while the guidelines for that are incredibly vague, we shouldn't completely discount it. I'm also slowly reading All the Light We Cannot See, though not far enough to comment on its lack of "American life," but the other recent winner that seems to have little do to with this theme, The Orphan Master's Son, actually has a lot more than at first glance. Set in North Korea, the plot cannot help but mention America a lot, given we're pretty much the devil over there, but also I've read analyses suggesting that the book is a form of the American dream, about an everyman (Jun Do=John Doe) slowly climbing the ranks before, well, I won't spoil it.

But my point is that maybe the American life theme is still a lot more important for the Pulitzer than we're thinking after ATLWCS and TOMS.

(As a side note, I don't think either Marra or Beatty will win the NBCC. Ferrante has a lot going for her, it will be tough to beat her this year.)

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BRAKiasaurus - Mar 10, 2016

I meant to make that a smiley face, haha, not a frown!

ey814 - Mar 10, 2016

@W_Shadbolt Been meaning to respond for a while, just traveling too much. With regard to the "Pulitzer in recognition of a body of work" situation, it shouldn't happen, but it clearly has. The jury letter for Eudora Welty's Optimist's Daughter specifically said that the book was among the best, but that Ms. Welty should have won the Pulitzer for a prior book, so they might as well give it to her now. I think that it could play a role next year with DeLillo, if Zero K is any good at all.

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ey814 - Mar 10, 2016

@BRAKiasaurus I'm still personally ranking Braggsville above Sellout, Sellout has had more of the big nominations than has Braggville, which peaked as a NBA finalist.

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BRAKiasaurus - Mar 10, 2016

Since the update was kind of tucked into a comment on a thread, just a heads up to anyone interested: The 2017 forum was kindly opened (by, I believe, tklein27) and is already in motion. :(

http://www.pprize.com/Discussions.php/2017-Prediction

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ey814 - Mar 8, 2016

@BRAKiasaurus This was one of the monthly selections from Book Passage out your way for the signed first edition club, so I'm guessing she is local to you. The PEN/Faulkner isn't a very good predictor of the Pulitzer... this will help Delicious foods in the rankings and, to a lesser degree, The Sympathizer, otherwise not so much.

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BRAKiasaurus - Mar 8, 2016

@ey814 @BRAKiasaurus Surprised Braggsville isn't higher on the list. I think it better and just as important as "The Sellout"--certainly more enjoyable to read.

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BRAKiasaurus - Mar 8, 2016

@ey814 Very interesting selection! I have most of those books at home--and I keep looking at "Mendocino Fire" in the store (I think she's relatively local, so a lot of signed copies floating around). Thanks for the heads up! I figured it was happening today, actually, and then totally forgot to check, hahaha

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ey814 - Mar 8, 2016

PEN/Faulkner finalists announced today:

James HannahamDelicious FoodsJulie IromuanyaMr. and Mrs. DoctorViet Thanh NguyenThe SympathizerElizabeth TallentMendocino FireLuis Alberto UrreaThe Water Museum

ey814 - Mar 8, 2016

@BRAKiasaurus Ah, good catch on the Shearer nationality. So, yes, the next place on the list is Angela Flourney's The Turner House. Just for reference sake, the five after that (moving Turner House up to 15) are: Mislaid by Nell Zink, Purity by Jonathan Franzen, Welcome to Braggsville by T. Geronimo Johnson, The Mare by Mary Gaitskill, and God Help the Child by Tony Morrison.

I will do a new list once the NBCC winner is announced and add in that and the LA Times variables. That will be pretty close to the end of the process... after that we'll have the PEN/Faulkner finalists and winners and the PEN/Hemingway winner as the only outstanding variables.

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proseimprint - Mar 6, 2016

@BRAKiasaurus I can see "Delicious Foods" winning this prize. Hannaham's writing and narrative is cleverly executed, doing a nice job of propelling you through some very grim and horrific territory.

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tklein27 - Mar 5, 2016

@proseimprint @jfieds2 @tklein27 Yes, it already looks to be a strong year, and the 2017 page is now ready for action...

http://www.pprize.com/Discussions.php/2017-Prediction

Marybethking - Mar 3, 2016

@BRAKiasaurus nevermind, it's called scrolling!! Couldn't find the novel when I googled him though.

Marybethking - Mar 3, 2016

@BRAKiasaurus what is the title of Shearer's novel?

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OneMoreBook - Mar 2, 2016

Just finished THE TSAR OF LOVE. Three words: Fab.U.Lous. !!! Definitely the best book I've read in ages. Miles and miles above SELLOUT, in my opinion. Loved THE TURNER HOUSE, too, but Marra should win, hands-down. I'll start HONEYDEW tonight. (By the way, I also loved Doerr's MEMORY WALL. Wonderful stories.) Read on.

jjose712 - Mar 2, 2016

@ChrisEllis77 @BRAKiasaurus I think the next book on the list was The turner house

stealth80 - Mar 2, 2016

First time poster, longtime reader of this blog.Thank you for providing such an interesting forum! I check in here religiously.

For the collectors in the bunch, I have a question about signed first editions.A recent listing for a signed/inscribed first printing of A LITTLE LIFE at Modernrare.com suggests that a simple signature for this author is less desirable than an inscription since her signature is "illegible" and having more text from the author in the form of an inscription is more desirable (to demonstrate that the connection with the author is genuine).

I am in a funny position related to this with THE SELLOUT.I have a simply signed first printing and a more elaborately inscribed 2nd printing.Given the relative illegibility of Beatty's signature, it seems to be a comparable situation to the Yanagihara situation above.Would any of you think that the 2nd printing might be more desirable than the signed first given the inscription?

The posts below about finding a first of THE SELLOUT prompted this question, as I think that the print run for the THE SELLOUT must have been relatively small.My local bookstore only had 2nd printings by the time he did a reading here (very early in his tour).Those of you in search of a 1st printing of Alexander Chee's THE QUEEN OF THE NIGHT may have similar issues, as the first printing run was very small and I am told may have been sold out before the official publication date.I had to call numerous bookstores around the country to locate a first printing.

Happy hunting!

W_Shadbolt - Mar 2, 2016

@ChrisEllis77 @BRAKiasaurus ey814 said down below that Turner House is currently at 16

ChrisEllis77 - Mar 2, 2016

@BRAKiasaurus Yes, you are correct Mr Shearer is British and therefore not eligible. I would also be interested to know who would replace him.

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ChrisEllis77 - Mar 2, 2016

@Guardiands Hi, it's great to see new collectors starting out, I have been collecting for the last 25 years, and I m too still looking for a 1st printing of The Sellout, but as tklein27 said, just wait a little and they will start coming out of the woodwork, I think the first print run was small but we will soon start to see more for sale, my advice to you though, should it win the Pulitzer don't buy it right away as the price will be through the roof, wait a few months.

My money is on The Tsar of Love and Techno.

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tklein27 - Mar 2, 2016

Welcome to the forum. Finding first editions can be tricky. Technically from a book publisher's point of view you have a first edition, fifth printing. But collectors and high-end book dealers tend to only use the term First Edition when it is the first printing of the first edition.

I believe that the difficulty finding a first printing of The Sellout is simply because it is so new that dealers aren't selling it, and the book stores are selling new printings. Most first printings are sitting on the shelves of readers, and they will eventually sell or donate them. If the Sellout wins, then I think you will see numerous dealers selling the book, and some of them will sell for reasonable prices. I saw the same thing happen with Visit from Goon Squad. I couldn't locate a first printing before the announcement. Picked up one signed from a dealer for less than $100. Then I picked up two more over the years at used book stores for a dollar a piece.

Guardiands - Mar 2, 2016

I'm new to collecting first editions. Love this site. So I bought the Sellout on eBay "first edition" for $20 or so. I didn't realize, till tklein27 posted the photos to help me out, that even though it says "first edition" on the copyright page, if the number sequence doesn't match (usually having a "1" for first edition) then it actually isn't a first edition.

So my "first edition" is probably a "fifth edition", which is a bit depressing. But still worth $20 and the short lived excitement of thinking I had a first edition.

So much to learn though. Love this place.

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BRAKiasaurus - Mar 2, 2016

I think Alex Shearer is a british novelist. If so, does this bump him from the list? If he were to fall off the list (due to citizenship) who would supplant him?

TELyles - Mar 1, 2016

350 for The Sellout is a farce.

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proseimprint - Mar 1, 2016

@jfieds2 @tklein27 I enjoy the involvement of this post. This is going to be a strong year. Having read "What belongs To You," "Young Blood," "Ways to Disappear," all very good books but four others have so far stood out for me "The Vegetarian," "Free Men," "Tender" and "Poor Your Soul." I am ready now for the heavy hitters for me stating this month with "Gone With the Mind," "The Association of Small Bombs," and "Innocents and Others."

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tklein27 - Mar 1, 2016

Yes, good idea. I'll get a new page up very soon.

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proseimprint - Mar 1, 2016

A wonderful judges' citation for Toni Morrison http://www.pen.org/2016-pen-literary-award-winners

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jfieds2 - Mar 1, 2016

@tklein27 I'd say it's almost time to open a new message board! I forget if you have normally waited for one year to be total "over," (with an announcement of the price) but many 2017 contenders are coming out soon!

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BRAKiasaurus - Feb 26, 2016

@AlexKerner @BRAKiasaurus I can't find it--I keep looking. She was just at book passage. I would recommend looking at the upcoming schedule for bookstores near you. I know she's going to greenlight books, book passage, etc.

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AlexKerner - Feb 24, 2016

@BRAKiasaurus where is the schedule posted?

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BRAKiasaurus - Feb 23, 2016

LA Times book award finalists are announced:

http://www.latimes.com/books/jacketcopy/la-et-jc-la-times-book-prize-finalists-20160222-story.html

FICTIONAnne Enright, "The Green Road" (W.W. Norton & Co.)James Hannaham, "Delicious Foods" (Little, Brown & Co.)Adam Johnson, "Fortune Smiles" (Random House)Valeria Luiselli, "The Story of My Teeth," translated by Christina MacSweeney, (Coffee House Press)Helen Phillips, "Beautiful Bureaucrat" (Henry Holt and Co.)

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BRAKiasaurus - Feb 23, 2016

Hanya Yanagihara is finally doing a book tour, by the way, for the paperback edition.

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W_Shadbolt - Feb 22, 2016

Just finished The Sellout. I liked it a lot but at times it seemed a little uneven. Some jokes also fell flat, and when Beatty kept going off the narrative tracks to simply make some of these jokes, it got annoying. Still, this wasn't too big a problem, I'd probably give it a 4/5.

The only other book I've read so far on here is the Johnson, and while I'm a big fan of his work, if he wins a second Pulitzer it will not be for Fortune Smiles (I'm gearing up to read some others at the moment). That said, I'm not convinced it will win. It struck me more as a fun romp of a book with some topical themes that give it a bit more weight. Similar books do occasionally win Pulitzers, but it didn't wow me. I wouldn't be shocked if it won, but I also wouldn't put my money on it.

Also, what do people think of the Pulitzer as a prize for an author's body of work and not just a single novel? I know it's technically for just one novel, but there have been some Pulitzers in the past that struck me as if the prize committee were saying, Sorry we didn't give you this sooner, like when they gave Al Pacino an Oscar for A Scent of a Woman. Some notable examples include Faulkner, Bellow, and Welty. I wouldn't say this has happened lately (you could make a case that this happened for Gilead and The Road, but other than those, no winners in recent memory seem like possible consolations), but with writers like Joyce Carol Oates and DFW coming out of nowhere to become finalists recently when they weren't predicted at all, it seems the practice isn't completely dead. Since one of the finalists is usually unexpected anyway, if the committee did the same thing this year, who do you think would get that finalist spot?

Franzen certainly could have won in prior years, Colum McCann's book isn't getting much buzz and I think Let the Great World Spin was much better than Tinkers, and, though I doubt it would happen, other than an NBA Vollmann's oeurve has been neglected by literary prizes.

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Marybethking - Feb 22, 2016

Also, if anyone is looking for a break from the hunt; check out 'Perfect Days.' Raphael Montes I believe?

1 (Profane 1)

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BRAKiasaurus - Feb 22, 2016

@proseimprint Oh, very nice. This is a report I read once in a google book (published by university press or another)...and while I completely disagree with their assessment of "Rabbit, Run", the title of which they didn't even record accurately, I think Lee probably did deserve the award.

Had it been another year, I probably would have given it to Updike.

Also worth noting: their dismissal of "A Separate Peace" due to its length. I'm glad to see other juries haven't considered this a point of contention (see: Train Dreams, Tinkers, etc.)

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BRAKiasaurus - Feb 21, 2016

@jfieds2 @BRAKiasaurus The writing has a quality that reminds me of Foster Wallace, of Franzen, of Tom Rachmann, of David Gilbert. It has a lot going for it, but just as "&Sons" was immaculately written and incredibly fun to read, it still has its flaws.

It's possible that the publisher felt it too regional to do well in sales but wanted to give his voice a chance. Only 100 pages in, but if you liked the above authors, I definitely recommend it.

(In all honesty, as well-written as it is, it is also a relief to read after much of my recent lineup: "Preparation for the Next Life", "We Are Not Ourselves", "Between the World and Me", "A Little Life", "The Sellout"...with the exception of a couple reads, like "Undermajordomo Minor", it has been a heavy year.)

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BRAKiasaurus - Feb 21, 2016

@jfieds2 @BRAKiasaurus Yeah, I've enjoyed other books they've published.

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proseimprint - Feb 20, 2016

Thank you to the Pulitzer for sharing this wonderful article http://www.pulitzer.org/article/14174

MC74 - Feb 19, 2016

@ChrisEllis77 - Same here. I've been looking for a 1st printing for the past few weeks and no luck. A copy sold on eBay for $350 last week.

On a separate note, I am trying to complete my Pulitzer collection. If anyone on the board knows where I could get a 1st copy of Lamb in His Bosom (at a reasonable price, not the $7500 copy of Abebooks), I would be forever indebted to you. I enjoy reading everyone's post. Keep up the good work.

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jfieds2 - Feb 19, 2016

@BRAKiasaurus @jfieds2 I was skeptical on its award merits from the get-go, given it was a paperback original by a press than tends not to lean that way. (Although they do have some very "trade-y" fiction exceptions.) There are sometimes good economic reasons for publishers to go the paperback original route -- even when hardbacks do bring in more revenue (on a greater upfront cost) -- but when its a press who does not do primarily softcovers (Bellevue, Sarabende) it does raise questions on their commitment to the book, and the thoughts of its potential.

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BRAKiasaurus - Feb 18, 2016

@jfieds2 Enjoying this book, but it isn't necessarily an award winner. Reminds me a little of the pleasure I received, though, from reading "The Imperfectionists" (which, actually, was a much more perfect book). Strong writing.

proseimprint - Feb 18, 2016

30 Books in 30 Days: counting down the NBCC finalists, nice daily article leading up to the awards http://bookcritics.org/

BRAKiasaurus - Feb 17, 2016

@ChrisEllis77 I might be down. Need to finish reading it first, though.

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Mstexexec - Feb 17, 2016

@Marybethking I totally agree with you regarding A Little Life. 110%

ChrisEllis77 - Feb 17, 2016

Hello all, I am just wondering if anyone has a 1st printing of The Sellout they wish to sell. I understand this is a long shot but if there is anyone out there let me know. Thanks.

jfieds2 - Feb 17, 2016

@BRAKiasaurus Sarabande publishes some outstanding works -- primarily stories -- that are a sometimes a bit too quirky, "heady," or otherwise not right for some of the bigger publishers.

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Marybethking - Feb 16, 2016

Here are my 2016 dilemmas: I think that Anthony Marra and Adam Johnson are phenomenal writers. I know not everyone was on board with 'The Orphan Master's Son,' but thinking about that book still gives me goosebumps. I also thought 'A Constellation of Vital Phenomenom' did not receive the attention that it deserved. I wasn't blown away by either of these authors work of 2016 for some reason. I guess the bar was set too high and I'm not the biggest fan of the short story. However, that cancer account Adam Johnson told in his short story kind of won it for me; all five pages give or take.

I was also floored by 'The People in the Trees' by Hanya Yanagihara. In my opinion, 'A Little Life' could be the book of 2016 to simply recognize an upcoming prolific writer. I have yet to read that one book that I'm just 110% trying to pull into the circle; winner or not. I have yet to read 'The Sellout.' I guess we're lucky to have so many contemporary authors whose work is held in such high regard that we all have such different yet valid opinions.

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jfieds2 - Feb 16, 2016

I agree. TSAR absolutely brilliant. I probably enjoyed it more than THE SELLOUT. It's probably a better book. And yet, imo THE SELLOUT is more worthy of the Pulitzer. I personally really like the the *preferably* about "American life" directive of the prize. Even if it has been overlooked before, it frames the prize. We've argued this point ad naseam in the past. I've beaten the drum more than others. True, it's only a preference. But the directive is there. The prize is not simply for the best work. And THE SELLOUT not only has the right themes, but they are timely and important. We've wondered if the *board* (not the jury) is willing to overlook the preference more. That's an open question. I hope they don't here. My prediction is that TSAR wins the NBCC. THE SELLOUT wins the big prize.

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BRAKiasaurus - Feb 15, 2016

@jfieds2 @BRAKiasaurus Definitely! So far, an interesting read. Some very solid writing.

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proseimprint - Feb 14, 2016

So I picked up Purity on its release day, I also picked up that day M Train, Turner House and The Tsar of Love and Techno which I just put on the shelf until about a month ago. Having read 10 of the 15 books on this list plus Turner House, I have changed my mind The Sellout is a great novel, Tsar of Love and Techno is an once in a decade novel. Phenomenal. Just hand Mr. Marra the Pulitzer right now. 5 stars and an entire constellation to boot. This is one of the most brilliant story collections I've ever read. The stories are tightly linked with characters from one reappearing in others in a complicated dance that all comes together at the end. It's like a puzzle that is both solved and extended with every new story.

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BRAKiasaurus - Feb 14, 2016

Another book I'm looking forward to: https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/amy-gustine/you-should-pity-us-instead/

jfieds2 - Feb 12, 2016

@BRAKiasaurus It's also a paperback original right? That would be an interesting winner!

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Marybethking - Feb 7, 2016

Eileen is my dark horse of 2016 if you're a heavy plot fan.

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BRAKiasaurus - Feb 6, 2016

@jjose712 @BRAKiasaurus @AlexKerner Agree with both of the latter points. It's why I'm glad to see "Braggsville" still getting attention this awards season. I think it's sometimes hard for things released early to regain their attention. Their Pulitzmentum....as it were. Haha

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tklein27 - Feb 6, 2016

@ey814 Thanks Mike, the new list is now posted

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proseimprint - Feb 6, 2016

http://pen.org/2016-pen-literary-awards-longlists

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ey814 - Feb 6, 2016

Okay, just sent the next list to Tom to post. Here it is:

1.The Sellout by Paul Beatty

2.The Tsar of Love and Techno by Anthony Marra

3.Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff

4.Fortune Smiles by Adam Johnson

5.A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara

6.Eileen by Ottessa Moshfegh

7.Honeydew by Edith Pearlman

8.Did you Ever Have a Family by Bill Clegg

9.Delicious Foods by James Hannaham

10.The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen

11.A Manual for Cleaning Women: Selected Stories by Lucia Berlin

12.The Book of Aron by Jim Shepard

13.Black River by S.M. Hulse

14.In the Country: Stories by Mia Alvar

15.This is the Life by Alex Shearer

The obvious impact of the ALA and NBCC Finalists list can be seen... I think the top 5 are pretty solidly major contenders. The next 10 are longer shots... and I would note that Turner House is #16.

Nothing new is announced (predictor variable-wise) until March, so this is it for the rest of the month.

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ey814 - Feb 6, 2016

@W_Shadbolt Glad you asked! The NBCC Finalist list is the strongest predictor of the Pulitzer, followed by the NBCC winner. Appearing on the ALA list is the third highest variable, so it's a good predictor. Here are the eventual Pulitzer winners who appeared on the ALA list (since 1982):

All the Light We CAnnot See by Anthony Doerr

The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt

The Orphan Master's Son by Adam Johnson

A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan

Tinkers by Paul Harding

Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout

The Road by Cormac McCarthy

Gilead: A Novel by Marilynne Robinson

The Known World by Edward P. Jones

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon

The Hours by Michael Cunningham

The Shipping News by E. Annie Proulx

A Good Scent from a Strange Mountain by Robert Olen Butler

Breathing Lessons by Anne Tyler

Beloved by Toni Morrison

A Summons to Memphis by Peter Taylor

Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry

Foreign Affairs by Alison Lurie

Ironweed by William Kennedy

Rabbit Is Rich by John Updike

The ALA list was the only predictor on which Tinkers showed up, so that was a coup. A few notable books have been left of the list... not sure how Junot Diaz's Brief Wondrous Life didn't make the ALA list, it made every other list that year. Middlesex and Color Purple are two other odd misses. But, all in all, a good predictor. It would be stronger, except it's a long list, so there are a lot of books that are on it that don't win, sort of like the NY Times 100 best books list (which is just a few 100ths of a point less than the ALA list for value on the prediction list.

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ey814 - Feb 6, 2016

@Guardiands There will be one more after the next one. We've still got the NBCC selection, the PEN/Faulkner finalists and winner, the PEN/Hemingway winner, and the LA Times Finalist as predictors that don't show up until a bit later.

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ey814 - Feb 6, 2016

@OneMoreBook I'll have to part ways with you on Braggsville and Sellout, but I'm on board with Turner House. I'm 1/4 way through it, and like it a lot. I agree that Johnson is unlikely to win another Pulitzer so soon, or for a short story collection.

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jjose712 - Feb 6, 2016

@BRAKiasaurus @jjose712 @AlexKerner Well, Updike himself explained clearly the difference in his awful review of Alan Hollinghurst's The spell, for him it was pretty clear, sexual graphic scenes are ok if they are straight.

Things changed over the years, The line of beauty is not less explicit than The folding star, but 10 years later that wasn't a problem to win the Booker.

Anyway, what belongs to you has more things against it, it's located in Bulgaria, and being released in january makes more difficult to reach awards season with the hype intact

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BRAKiasaurus - Feb 5, 2016

@worldbfreeheel I believe last year's finalists were announced March 10th (which was later, if I recall correctly, than previous years). I'm not sure why they hold it so close to the vest.

worldbfreeheel - Feb 5, 2016

when are the pen/faulkner finalists announced?

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BRAKiasaurus - Feb 4, 2016

@jfieds2 @TELyles @BRAKiasaurus @ey814 I have it on my shelf--possibly on your recommendation jfieds--not sure! But I still look forward to reading it. I like to support debut novelists. Kind of fun to find new people to get excited about...and on occasion, it puts you ahead of the crowd sometimes (which is why I have a first edition of "Preparation for the Next Life").

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BRAKiasaurus - Feb 4, 2016

@jjose712 @AlexKerner We have had some controversy on this thread earlier about gay themes, etc. We have not touched on the graphic sexual aspect of novels, however. My guess is that that is not a factor in whether awards are won or lost, honestly. Just as Updike won twice for his often-explicit "Rabbit" novels, it comes down to the writing itself and how it contributes to the narrative of the characters.

For "Rabbit" it was important, very much structured around his viewpoint, his observations, and it provided some insight into both himself and how sexuality was viewed at the time of the novel's writing. (Normally, the latter might make a novel seem dated and wouldn't be something to be viewed favorably per se, however Updike was very specifically writing about the decade in which Rabbit found himself and many of his books try to ground the idealism of sexual liberation--who does it harm? how did it help? how did the haight ashbury ideals impact suburban america? The "Rabbit" novels tend to use sexuality as another narrative thread.)

While we seem to be seeing less explicit writing now--it is as though, as the United States has become more permissive and accustomed to constant barrage of sexualized imagery, the writing itself has become less so--I don't think that this would in any way influence a jury. It's about the humanity of the characters, the quality of the writing, and the story itself.

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BRAKiasaurus - Feb 3, 2016

So I was looking up Alexander Chee's novel (due to the recommendation below) and went down the 2016 releases rabbithole. In so doing, I stumbled across the novel "Private Citizens: A Novel", a San Francisco novel that sounds vaguely like "The Group". I gather that it skewers the life out here a bit, but it piqued my interest, because: 1. its setting is local for me, 2. it is a debut 3. it is by a graduate of the Iowa Writer's Workshop 4. getting a little buzz here and there 5. kirkus gave it a star rating

Anyway, after reading a quick sample of the writing--and given the price--I bought it on Amazon. It sounds promising, so I'll keep everyone posted.

http://www.amazon.com/Private-Citizens-Novel-Tony-Tulathimutte/dp/0062399101

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jfieds2 - Feb 3, 2016

@TELyles @BRAKiasaurus @ey814 I *loved* BLACK RIVER when I first read it (as a galley I think in late 2014, I think). However, it did not stick with me. I had almost forgotten about it and I was not surprised that it didn't get many end of year mentions. Still, I am very glad that it did get this nod. Although, it was flawed, I still thought it was a well constructed, quiet, contemplative novel. I, for one, will read her next book.

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jjose712 - Feb 2, 2016

@AlexKerner @jjose712 I think it's not only the country, it's theme itself and i suppose the novel has a good amount of gay sex scenes, so i doubt it will receive big awards. Anyway, given the praises it will probably end in a good bunch of best of the year lists.

And frankly i thought americans overcame their obsession with France.

And just talking about Pulitzer's that are not about american way of life, All the light we can not see must be the Pulitzer winner with better sales in Spain ever. It was curious because the novel was not that well promoted (The Goldfinch campaign was way better) but little by little it became one of the biggest bestsellers of the year here

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AlexKerner - Feb 2, 2016

@jfieds2 @AlexKerner we are all allowed to be grouchy sometimes!!

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jfieds2 - Feb 2, 2016

@AlexKerner @jfieds2 I was almost going to delete my comment! I am feeling grouchy today. It does look like the kind of book that could be a finalist for multiple awards...

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AlexKerner - Feb 2, 2016

@jjose712 @AlexKerner again I'd imagine that American obsessions with France and opera are greater then a much more marginal nation such as Bulgaria

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jjose712 - Feb 2, 2016

@AlexKerner Yes, there's a lot of good reviews for The Queen of the Night. I read a lot of good reviews for Garth Greenwell's What belongs to you too, but the theme and being located in Bulgaria makes it an improbable contender for the Pulitzer

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AlexKerner - Feb 2, 2016

@jfieds2 @AlexKerner I guess I would disagree that North Korea has had more influence on American life than opera culture, which does have cultural followings in the US. While certainly WWII has influenced American life, the actual content of All the Light is pretty tangential to American culture. So I don't feel that will really be a factor of consideration.

While I get you may not want to spend 500pp on a book, the buzz around this has been pretty off the charts so I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss.

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jfieds2 - Feb 2, 2016

@AlexKerner After ORPHAN MASTER and ALL THE LIGHT, I am not about to beat the drum about the Pulitzer's "American life" *preference* (in the directive of the prize), but I will say that modern North Korea and WWII certainly have/had more of an influence on "American life" than 19th century France. I can't see such a novel gaining any traction in the Pulitzer race. Does anyone think I am being too off the cuff dismissive? I guess that I am just not at all interested in spending 500 pp with such a novel. Maybe at 300 I would give it some time.

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AlexKerner - Feb 2, 2016

so totally skipping ahead to 2017...Alexander Chee's The Queen of the Night has gotten tons of buzz and comes out today and is an early favourite for next year's award

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BRAKiasaurus - Feb 1, 2016

@TELyles @OneMoreBook Completely disagree about "Braggsville". Of the books I've read this year, it remains my favorite and the most deserving. But I do find "The Sellout" both brilliant and challenging...it jumps into its fast-paced, allusion-laced, comedic monologue in a way that, frankly, took some acclimating. But once you muscle through the prologue, it smooths out.

Have you read "A Little Life"?

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TELyles - Feb 1, 2016

@OneMoreBook Have you read the Marra? I am halfway through the stories and if they had any link to "American life" then that would be my pick, without any reservation.

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TELyles - Feb 1, 2016

@BRAKiasaurus @ey814 Was anyone else surprised about Black River's inclusion? I read it early last year and was severely underwhelmed....where to start? Part of my dissatisfaction grows from the novel's premise, which was promising. However, I did not feel that the characters were well developed and that they were essentially emotionally stunted. Fairly predictable plot. Lack of emotional payoff. Telegraphed interactions.... I suppose I am being overly harsh, but I was surprised that it had gathered so many starred reviews and that it was included on the ALA list. While I had some issues with Fates and Furies (how was Black River included over Fates?!?), the writing is fantastic and the plot is tight.

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OneMoreBook - Feb 1, 2016

I barely made it through WELCOME TO BRAGGSVILLE. Ugh. Frankly, it wore me out, reading the tome. I gave up completely on THE SELLOUT, even before the end of the 29-page prologue. Both were way too cumbersome. My favorite so far, for the Pulitzer? THE TURNER HOUSE. The Clegg and Johnson books were just "OK" for me, but I can't believe we'll have a repeat winner with Johnson this year. Still waiting for a book to "wow" me.

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BRAKiasaurus - Feb 1, 2016

@W_Shadbolt @ey814 if I recall, this tends to be a good indicator (much like the NBCC), but it isn't a deal maker or breaker.

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W_Shadbolt - Jan 31, 2016

@ey814 Approx how often does the Pulitzer winner appear on this list? Does it mean anything that Fates and Furies didn't make it?

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BRAKiasaurus - Jan 31, 2016

@ey814 Interesting to see "Black River" and "Delicious Foods" show up again. I feel like those two were mentioned a lot early in 2015 and haven't been discussed much since.

I think Alvar is in fact a citizen.

Otherwise, this list is pretty much expected. No real surprises this year. :)

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Guardiands - Jan 31, 2016

Will this be the final list, or is there one more after?

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ey814 - Jan 30, 2016

American Library Association Notable Books list released for books published in 2015... this is a strong predictor of the Pulitzer. I'll comment on this after the list:

"In the Country: Stories" by Mia Alvar

"The Sellout: A Novel" by Paul Beatty

"Did You Ever Have a Family: A Novel" by Bill Clegg

"Delicious Foods: A Novel" by James Hannaham

"Black River: A Novel" by S.M. Hulse

"Fortune Smiles: Stories" by Adam Johnson

"The Prophets of Eternal Fjord: A Novel"" by Kim Leine, translated by Martin Aitken

"The Tsar of Love and Techno: Stories" by Anthony Marra

"The Sympathizer: A Novel"" by Viet Thanh Nguyen

"This Is the Life: A Novel" by Alex Shearer

"The Book of Aron: A Novel" by Jim Shepard

"A Little Life: A Novel" by Hanya Yanagihara

I'm not sure Mia Alvar is a U.S. CItizen, so not clear about the eligibility for Pulitzer. Leine is not a U.S. citizen.

I'll run the numbers for the next list late next week, but clearly The Sellout is likely to be at the top of the list, followed by Fates and Furies, then Little Life, then Fortune Smiles (again, I'm just eye-balling this). Somewhat surprised that Purity isn't on the ALA list. Same with Braggsville.

If Sellout wins the NBCC, that may seal the deal for it. If not, it's a closer race.

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Guardiands - Jan 28, 2016

Thanks! Can't wait to read it.

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tklein27 - Jan 28, 2016

@Guardiands Here's some details about the first edition.

http://www.fedpo.com/BookDetail.php/The-Sellout

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BRAKiasaurus - Jan 28, 2016

@myram319 @jfieds2 Half way through "The Sellout", and it is a very solid novel so far--makes references to every stereotype and skewers every racially charged idea in America, which interestingly places it squarely in both a literary tradition and within the tradition of standup comedy and hip hop--but (having not yet finished it), I'd choose Braggsville over Beatty's novel.

Johnson's got momentum and is receiving lesser-known honors in addition to the major prize noms.

Will be surprised if "A Little Life" isn't among the finalists.

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myram319 - Jan 27, 2016

@jfieds2 I agree with you on Marra and A Little Life and haven't read Braggsville either.

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jfieds2 - Jan 27, 2016

@BRAKiasaurus @Guardiands I've not read BRAGGSVILLE, but I somehow doubt that both it and the SELLOUT will be finalists. I'd give an edge to Marra and A LITTLE LIFE.

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BRAKiasaurus - Jan 24, 2016

@Guardiands I have one--if anyone wants me to keep an eye out, happy to do so.

I'm about 60 pages into "The Sellout" and I understand the acclaim. So far, I enjoyed "Braggsville" more, but I'll keep you posted.

My guess about the finalists at this point is:

Braggsville, A Little Life, and The Sellout

Interesting crop of fiction, because each is over-the-top in its own way. Each asserts itself boldly. Each is unbelievable and audacious, but demands to be heard, refuses to be dismissed. In honor of Mr. EdParks--whether he ever returns to or still silently reads this forum or not--I would like to see a short story collection in the mix...but I'm not sure if that would be Marra, Baxter, Johnson (unlikely), McCann (unlikely), Lange (unlikely), or Berlin, I'm unsure. I'm sticking with the three above novels for now. Thoughts?

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BRAKiasaurus - Jan 24, 2016

@W_Shadbolt @ey814 @myram319 @jfieds2 I think that Betwen the World and Me deserves the prize, however because the pulitzer does not have a long form criticism or commentary category, I'm not sure where it would win. General Non-fiction tends to go to historical or scientific works that are rooted strongly in fact. It could find its way into the Biography category but it would be an atypical choice. But those are the two best bets. (Worth noting that "A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius" was a finalist for the General Nonfiction category, not the biography category--so I could see Coates' book finding its way into that arena.)

I have only read the first story in Marra's collection (and intend to read the rest soon, but given the attention "The Sellout" was receiving on this page, I decided to read that first), but I'm a big proponent of his work. If it had been up to me--and if I'm recalling my preferences correctly--the finalists a couple of years back (when The Goldfinch inexplicably took the prize) would have been: "Someone", "A Constellation of Vital Phenomena" and "The Son". I think I wanted "Someone" to win, however 2013 was a very strong year. Despite not having read Marra's latest in its entirety, I would be happy to see him as a finalist.

I think I'd rather see a relevant novel win the award. So far, my favorite has been "Braggsville", which I read as soon as it was published last February. It remains the strongest book I've read.

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BRAKiasaurus - Jan 24, 2016

Story Prize finalists also announced:

The Story Prize, now in its 12th year, is pleased to honor as its finalists three outstanding short story collections chosen from 100 submissions representing 64 different publishers or imprints. They are:

There's Something I Want You to Do by Charles Baxter (Pantheon)
Fortune Smiles by Adam Johnson (Random House)
Thirteen Ways of Looking by Colum McCann (Random House)
http://www.thestoryprize.org/

And the spotlight award has also been given, this year to a graphic novelist:

http://thestoryprize.blogspot.com/2016/01/killing-and-dying-by-adrian-tominethis.html

Guardiands - Jan 21, 2016

Now I wonder if my 1st edition i bought on eBay is legit....

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W_Shadbolt - Jan 21, 2016

@ey814 @myram319 @jfieds2 Do you have any models/ideas about the general nonfiction prize? It seems Between the World and Me is popping up everywhere with nominations. I wonder if it will win.

As for the Marra, it didn't happen last year, but the two years before that this board was going crazy over Anne Frank and The Son, both of which wound up being finalists. I've seen a bit of buzz about him on here, I wonder if he'll be nominated.

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TELyles - Jan 20, 2016

@ey814 @BRAKiasaurus It's a difficult novel with difficult themes. On one hand, it would be quite bold to give the Pulitzer to a novel which has child sexual abuse and human trafficking as a major theme. On the other, well, I guess it depends on the jury and their perception of the Pulitzer. Do they want to utilize the Pulitzer platform to highlight these issues? Or do they believe these are themes that merit attention, but not to be held up in a book deemed as the finest in American literature? Tough decisions.

I think you two bring up good points about the characters, the nature of their friendships and their, eventual, success in the fields of their choosing. Unrealistic? Yes, but I'm willing to go where the author takes me. For instance, I doubt that Jude would lack formal education and suffer years of abuse, only to be accepted into a good college, matriculate into an Ivy law school, obtain an advanced math degree at the same time, while simultaneously working at a bakery where he becomes an excellent baker, on top of being an exemplary cook. But this is where we are taken, so I will go along with the ride.

My main issue with A Little Life is more technical. Harold's letters to Willem drew me out of the story whenever they would pop up. I felt they disrupted from the flow of the overall story and I struggled to understand their place in the narrative.

SPOILER

I can see their purpose at the end, as this is how Jude's suicide is communicated...but for me this was more of a detractor. For instance, Willem has been dead for years. Why is Harold writing to him? To what end? Why is he not writing to Jude in order to deal with his grief? Further, the ending. I was not surprised that Jude ultimately committed suicide, but I was put off that the reader learns of it in Harold's letter to Willem. The first suicide attempt was a harrowing piece of writing. Why not let the reader take this second journey with Jude? To learn of it via a letter was cold, calculating, and devoid of emotion. I believe reading Jude's written words to Harold would provide both closure and emotional resonance to the novel. And I realize I am being picky and asking for something difficult, but I also believe in Yanagihara's talent and her ability to write such an ending.

End of the day, I'm glad I read the novel but it is not one I could universally recommend

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TELyles - Jan 20, 2016

@ey814 @myram319 @jfieds2 Ditto. I cannot find a first Sellout anywhere!

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jfieds2 - Jan 18, 2016

I have a first, but I very kindly loaned it out. I trust the person, but it might not return in pristine condition. I love the idea of firsts, but I am not, primarily, as much of a collector as you and others.

ey814 - Jan 18, 2016

@BRAKiasaurus I think it would be hard to give it the Pulitzer... it's so unrelenting. I can't think of any prior winner even remotely like it. But, I'm not betting against it!

And, yeah, the wealth/success had to be an intentional choice, just like ignoring any current events that unfolded during the novel's timeline. In thinking about that, I wonder if some of the intent was about what it takes to be happy. I can't tell if Jude was ever happy, though he had stretches of time. Is the wealth issue just another way to comment on what it takes to be happy?

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ey814 - Jan 18, 2016

@myram319 @jfieds2 Interesting list. Luiselli is a Mexican citizen, so not eligible. This will put Sellout to the top of the next prediction list, followed by Groff.

I'm 2/3 of the way through The Sellout, and it is excellent. I agree with you @jfieds2, it checks all the right boxes. I will say that I think SELLOUT and BRAGGSVILLE are equally deserving. SELLOUT is much funnier, but I liked the riffs in BRAGGSVILLE about the university context. I would be happy to have either one win (though I am having a heck of a time finding a first edition of SELLOUT).

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jfieds2 - Jan 18, 2016

I said a few weeks ago that if THE SELLOUT is an NBCC finalist, I'll call it a done deal. I'll reiterate: it wins the Pulitzer. I'm two thirds through TSAR -- it's great -- but Paul Beatty's novel really has important themes, and it is a slam dunk for the "American life" preference. FATES AND FURIES, was fine, but not good enough. THE SELLOUT might not become one of my favorite novels, but it's the winner this year.

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myram319 - Jan 18, 2016

NBCC Finalists announced

https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books/ta-nehisi-coates-is-among-finalists-for-national-book-critics-circle-award/2016/01/18/3b9c5406-bdf6-11e5-bcda-62a36b394160_story.html

Fiction

"The Sellout," by Paul Beatty (FSG)(Knopf)

"Fates and Furies," by Lauren Groff(Riverhead)

"The Story of My Teeth," by Valeria Luiselli (Coffee House)

"The Tsar of Love and Techno," byAnthony Marra (Hogarth)

"Eileen," by Ottessa Moshfegh(Penguin Press)

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BRAKiasaurus - Jan 16, 2016

@ey814 @jjose712 @BRAKiasaurus I haven't read both--I have only read "The Flamethrowers", but it worked for me thematically and seemed like an ambitious success of a novel. Perhaps not having her debut to compare it to worked in the novel's favor? I will read Telex one of these days.

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BRAKiasaurus - Jan 16, 2016

@ey814 Would you give it the pulitzer? I think it may well be a finalist, so I'm curious whether the jury would ultimately choose it.

As to the extreme success and wealth of all characters, I noticed that as well. It did strike me as an intentional choice, though. Any thoughts on why she made the choice?

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BRAKiasaurus - Jan 16, 2016

@ey814 @BRAKiasaurus Agree--for media satire, I actually much preferred the booker-winning novel Vernon God Little (a book which reminded me tonally of "The Feud" or "Confederacy of Dunces).

ey814 - Jan 15, 2016

@BRAKiasaurus Well, I finally finished Little Life. When David Foster Wallace set out to write The Pale King, he intended it to be a book about boredom, and so there are long stretches of narrative that are--well, boring. A Little Life is to Pain what The Pale King was to boredom. I agree with your observations about Yanagihara's writing... it was very well written. It needed a serious edit, though... honestly, it could have 200 pages trimmed off easily. I also never really bought the friendships or the lifestyles... by that I mean, every major character (the four musketeers, particularly) and many minor characters (the Henry Youngs, etc.) become wildly successful... not just average-run-of-the-mill successful, but famous, picture in magazines famous. Their lives seem oblivious to the rest of the world... jet to Paris, off to the Berkshires, etc. I'm glad I read it, but I can't believe that many "typical" or "average" readers who might cross over to literary fiction occasionally will like it at all. Of course, I could be wrong, I often am!

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ey814 - Jan 15, 2016

@jjose712 @BRAKiasaurus I liked Telex from Cuba better myself. I thought Flamethrowers was more ambitious, though. I also picked The Son and Plague of Doves as my top choices to get the Pulitzer their respective years... both finalists, so not bad picks, but I still think they should have won!

ey814 - Jan 15, 2016

@BRAKiasaurus Yeah, I agree. The only book I really questioned being on the list at all was Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk, which I liked, but wouldn't put in the 12 greatest books of the 21st Century!

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BRAKiasaurus - Jan 14, 2016

@ey814 The order of this is wild, to me. Every single novel is definitely very good, but I'm shocked that the number 1 is Diaz's novel. Interesting choices, though. Would like to read "Half of a Yellow Sun".

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BRAKiasaurus - Jan 14, 2016

@AlexKerner Some interesting novels on here, including some I haven't yet read or heard much about. I somehow doubt we'll see many surprises this year (although I do feel like the pulitzers have been really strange the past few years...with the missing award, the three finalists / fourth winner, and the goldfinch--a decent but problematic novel--chosen against a particularly strong year of novels), but I bet most of these novels are pretty solid.

Worth noting: "Oreo" is in contention, but if I"m not mistaken, that novel came out originally in the 70s. Not sure if it qualifies for the pulitzer as a result (which is almost odd, given that a short story collection that contains even one new story or new title will qualify)...any thoughts? I hear it is a very good novel.

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ey814 - Jan 14, 2016

http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20150119-the-21st-centurys-12-best-novels

An interesting list of the 12 "greatest novels of the 21st Century" (so, since 2000) compiled by BBC Culture contributor Jane Ciabattari. The methodology probably accounts for the domination of US authors (polled several dozen book critics, most of whom looked to be from US outlets--not sure why more British critics weren't included. But, among the 12 listed, six won the Pulitzer and one was a Pulitzer finalist. Another Pulitzer winner was a runner-up. We sometimes talk about whether the Pulitzer recognizes the very best novels, but according to these critics, it seems to do a pretty good job!

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AlexKerner - Jan 13, 2016

Tournament of Books shortlist has been revealed. while not a part of the statistical model the tournmanent has been a strong indicator of PP winners. Both the Goldfinch and All the LIght We Cannot See made the final rounds and several TOB winners have gone on to win the PP (The Orphan Master's Son, A Visit from the Goon Squad, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, and the Road).

Some notables in our list and making the final 16 in the TO include The Sellout, A Little LIfe, Fates and Furies, The Turner House. http://www.themorningnews.org/article/the-2016-tournament-of-books-shortlist-and-judges

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tklein27 - Jan 12, 2016

Sorry about the outage. Should be okay now.

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BRAKiasaurus - Jan 8, 2016

@ey814 @jfieds2 @grahammyers Same

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ey814 - Jan 8, 2016

@jfieds2 @ey814 @grahammyers It's the next book I'll read.

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jfieds2 - Jan 6, 2016

@ey814 @grahammyers I think my pick is still THE SELLOUT. If it make the NBCC list, I will call it a done deal.

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BRAKiasaurus - Jan 6, 2016

Also this: http://www.bustle.com/articles/133036-john-leonard-prize-longlist-announced-and-all-8-nominees-were-written-by-women

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BRAKiasaurus - Jan 6, 2016

By the way, this happened: http://pen.org/2016-pen-literary-awards-longlists

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BRAKiasaurus - Jan 5, 2016

@ey814 By the way, Annie Proulx's novel apparently will cost $32 to buy retail O_O With the exception of William Vollman's tomes, that is the most expensive novel I've seen.

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jjose712 - Jan 5, 2016

@BRAKiasaurus I'm happy they talk about On the edge. Rafael Chirbes was one of our best writers (unfortunately he died suddenly last year). I read Crematorio and it is an amazing novel

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jjose712 - Jan 5, 2016

@BRAKiasaurus Am i the only one who don't love the flamethrowers? Don't get me wrong, i think it's a good novel and i love Kushner's writing but i loved Telex from Cuba so much that The Flamethrowers was a bit dissapointing.

After reading this year some books from that year i understand better the reluctance that some people have with The Goldfinch, in my opinion Tartt's novel is not the worst winner in recent years, but a way easier target due to its popularity, but the truth is i think Someone, The interestings or The son are better novels (i have a similar problem with Olive Kitteridge, in my opinion The plague of doves is a way better novel).

I can't have an opinion of this year's candidates. Fates and furies will be published here in Spain this year, but it won't be published till at least April

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BRAKiasaurus - Jan 5, 2016

@ey814 @BRAKiasaurus It wasn't me--but thank you. :)

Oddly, I think this book worked better for me than did Clegg's novel. I completely understand why others may take issue with it, and it is not without flaws. But Yanagihara clearly writes with intent, with a vision, and most of the criticisms I have heard have been of conscious choices. The critics may not agree with her decisions, but Yanagihara seems to have gone into this book with her eyes open, with a steely determination to craft a very particular experience, and I think that is in part what makes the book undeniably compelling.

The critiques of Clegg's novel seem to revolve around incidental moments, pivotal things that seem to fall flat. I enjoyed a lot about Clegg's book but, given the fact that he didn't even realize he was writing a novel at first (according to him), I think it lacks the intent, the power, the message--however uncontroversial it may have seemed when cast in the shadow of a book like "A Little Life"--that Yanagihara's maintained throughout.

(My favorite part about Clegg's novel, actually, was the strange on-going storyline about the lottery winning. Really interesting storyline in that novel.)

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BRAKiasaurus - Jan 5, 2016

@ey814 @BRAKiasaurus Agree, although I am curious if the fact of the election (apparently publishers often withhold some books until after the election, since that dominates coverage and, for that matter, accounts for many of readers' purchases) will make 2017 a big year of wonderful fiction. We saw this play out in 2013. But I agree. This may mean that the books that get the most attention are by authors which already have a readership, a following. Premature to say such things, but the aforementioned authors are ripe for pulitzers.

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BRAKiasaurus - Jan 5, 2016

@ey814 @BRAKiasaurus Agree about Gates. Bought it as soon as it came out but haven't had a chance to dive into it yet. Wood's endorsement is reason enough for me. I just need to finish up "Refund" and some other collections I'm in the middle of. This received endlessly strong reviews when it came out, and I think it bears watching.

ey814 - Jan 5, 2016

@BRAKiasaurus @ey814 Yes, I read a review of A Little Life (did you or someone post one on this discussion board not long ago?) that noted the themes you've articulated so well here...

ey814 - Jan 5, 2016

@BRAKiasaurus I saw this list; I knew the Annie Proulx had a new one out, but didn't know any details. Next year has the potential to be a year of big books, not only length-wise, but blockbuster value... DeLillo, Proulx, Erdrich... Ethan Canin will be another one to watch, I think, as is Dana Spiotta... and Lydia Millet.

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ey814 - Jan 5, 2016

@BRAKiasaurus The only book on his list that would be eligible for the Pulitzer is David Gates' short story collection, which I think bears closer watching. I haven't read it, but Gates is a past Pulitzer finalist and somewhat of a writer's writer, from my take on it. Anyone on the list read these stories yet? And, I agree about Flamethrowers. It should have been a finalist.

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BRAKiasaurus - Jan 5, 2016

Not a good indicator for Pulitzers (he did not like The Goldfinch, for example, felt The Flamethrowers to be masterful--and, let's be honest, The Flamethrowers probably should have been a finalist that year), but he is a wonderful and astute critic who I agree with more often than not:

http://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/the-books-i-loved-in-2015

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BRAKiasaurus - Jan 5, 2016

Didn't realize it until this list, but Annie Proulx has a new novel out--and it's a big one! "Barkskins: A Novel"

BRAKiasaurus - Jan 5, 2016

http://www.themillions.com/2016/01/most-anticipated-the-great-2016-book-preview.html

BRAKiasaurus - Jan 4, 2016

@Guardiands See some of my thoughts regarding "A Little Life" in the comment section above :)

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BRAKiasaurus - Jan 4, 2016

@ey814 That podcast has major spoilers, of course, so wait until you've finished.

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BRAKiasaurus - Jan 4, 2016

@ey814 @BRAKiasaurus I started to read it more as...almost a Job story, something biblical, wherein Jude represents an idea. He is less human, his story less nuanced, than some of the others in the book. Consider, for example, that although decades pass, there is a sense that all of this takes place in the 90s or 2000s, that time never really passes. There is no historical context, no AIDS epidemic, very little talk of the internet or email, no real sense of cellphones or phone booths or the crime epidemic or of crime overcome. The more you reflect on this novel, the odder it gets, honestly.

Regarding the reciprocal nature of the friendships: I'm not sure we are privy to their friendships in some ways, because our own experience as readers is imbued with such a deep understanding of his pain, of who he really is, and is so focused on that pain that it is almost hard for us to relate to all the positive aspects that others see in him. This is particularly evident in his relationship to his job. We are told how valued he is at the firm, and yet I kept thinking that most people would likely be fired or laid off for such erratic behavior. But, again, that perception is unique to the reader (vs. the characters).

The Slate Audio Book Club podcast (which I highly recommend) actually voiced some of this here:

They also bring up why it is called "A Little Life", reminding me who first says the phrase, and then why the phrase--applied more broadly to the themes of the novel--was used as the title. I don't want to give away any spoilers, but it made me really appreciate the novel in some ways. It is a very thoughtful choice--we can discuss more when you're finished.

I must say that, while I won't recommend this novel to anyone, I think it was powerful. It felt to me like performance art, something I endured, an artistic experience which divides people but is undeniably compelling.

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ey814 - Jan 2, 2016

@BRAKiasaurus @ey814 I'm 500 pages into it. Brutal. One thing that I'm not really buying is that the people in Jude's life remain as loyal to him as all of them are... I don't care how kind and generous you are, supporting someone with as many issues as does Jude takes a toll after 15-30 years. The friendships don't feel very reciprocal, which make it hard to maintain a friendship.

1 (SAFE Rule 1)

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BRAKiasaurus - Jan 1, 2016

@Marybethking I haven't heard anything about her having a new book out...this surprises me, honestly, given how crazy the world went for "Gone Girl" (a novel I admittedly didn't think much of). Are you referring to The Grownup? I think that may in fact be a re-issue of an older work.

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BRAKiasaurus - Jan 1, 2016

@ey814 @BRAKiasaurus So (as I have this week off) I'm now almost 600 pages through, and it only gets worse... -_- This is a rough book to binge read. My next novel will need to be something a bit lighter...at the very least, short stories.

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ey814 - Dec 30, 2015

@grahammyers Keep in mind, although Faulkner's Pulitzer for The Reivers came shortly after his death (published in 1962, he died in 1962), James Agee's Pulitzer was for A Death in the Family, published in 1957 and awarded the 1958 Pulitzer, though Agee died in 1955. And, of course, the Pulitzer for A Confederacy of Dunces was made a whopping 12 years after Toole's death!

ey814 - Dec 30, 2015

@grahammyers I noticed the same thing... and if the Pulitzer is supposed to go to a distinguished novel (preferably) "about American life," seems to me that there are few issues more "about American life" than these at this point in time. I hope the jury/committee gives more thought to the "about American life" criteria this year than they have in recent years.

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grahammyers - Dec 30, 2015

also noticing a theme with the books on this list: many either feature stories about impoverished or down and out characters (honeydew, a manual for cleaning women, the turner house, refund) or about African-American life in the US (the sellout, the turner house, welcome to braggsville, god help the child)

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grahammyers - Dec 30, 2015

i've read 8 of the 15 on this list. my favorite for the Pulitzer at this moment is the collection from Lucia Berlin, although I don't think they'd award it posthumously. the next on my list to read is The Sellout, The Turner House, Welcome to Braggsville and Refund.

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AlexKerner - Dec 29, 2015

so i have read 7 of the list here. While I appreciated the technical brilliance of Fates and Furies, for me it is either The Sellout or A Little Life, which are both amazing reads but also so different that it is really tough to compare. The Sellout was hilarious and sharp and quite tight. It definitely says something profound about our times and thematically is in the Pultizer's wheel house. A Little Life is an imperfect and raw book but it is the rawness (and the lack of editing) which really gives the storytelling such an emotional charge. I read it back in March and I still remember the characters and plot quite vividly. I would be happy with either winning.

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ey814 - Dec 29, 2015

@BRAKiasaurus I'm at about the same place in the book... devastating is the right descriptor.

1 (Profane 1)

ey814 - Dec 29, 2015

@BRAKiasaurus Oddly enough, being a prior Pulitzer finalist has a slight negative value in the prediction model. That is, though, if you've only been a finalist one time before your win. Marilynne Robinson did so (Housekeeping was a finalist, Gilead won). In fact, from over 60 people who have been a Pulitzer finalist one time, only Robinson has then gone on to win the Pulitzer.

If you've been a finalist more than once, then there is a slight positive value. Philip Roth was a finalist three times(Ghost Writer in 1980, Operation Shylock in 1994, Sabbath's Theater in 1996) before winning for American Pastoral. Anne Tyler was a finalist twice (Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant, The Accidental Tourist) before winning for Breathing Lessons. Raymond Carver was a two-time finalist, but never won. Robert Stone was a two time finalist who never won. Alice McDermott is a three-time finalist who has yet to win. Don DeLillo is a two-time finalist who has yet to win. Joyce Carol Oates is a four-time who has yet to win. Richard Ford, Oscar Hijuelos, and Annie Proulx all were finalists after they won for a previous book.

As I've mentioned, being a past Pulitzer winner has a much more negative value. Only John Updike has done it in the time period I'm including in the analysis.

Essentially, winning the Pulitzer more than once is very rare, so once you've won it, having done so counts against you for future wins, and, apparently, not many people who are one-time finalists actually go on to win for another book. Even though McDermott, DeLillo, and Oates are multiple-finalists, that is a pretty insignificant variable in the long run, mainly because so few people have been finalists more than once since 1982 (when my database begins).

BRAKiasaurus - Dec 28, 2015

By the way, thanks for the first list!

Also, 250 pages into "A Little Life"--hard to read and yet hard to put down. Really devastating after about 65 pages in...

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BRAKiasaurus - Dec 28, 2015

Pearlman topping the list is unexpected--I expected "A Little Life" to be higher, although it wouldn't surprise me if that novel rises. I think we may hear more about "Braggsville", "The Sellout", and "The Mare" as the awards season progresses. How does Franzen's prior Pulitzer finalists status play in?

Lucia Berlin may also turn out to be a strong contender. Been awhile since we've seen a posthumous award.

ey814 - Dec 28, 2015

Okay, here we go. This is the first prediction list for the 2016 Pulitzer Prize. Bear in mind the following:

1. It's early. Most of the annual awards that are good predictor variables have not been given out nor finalists announced.

2. This list essentially uses data from the NYTimes best of lists, the National Book Award finalists/winner, and from the author's previous history with regard to awards (e.g., prior winner of an award, prior finalist, etc.).

3. There are 75 books entered for consideration right now, drawn from discussions on this site, best of lists, and award announcements to date. There will be more added as they emerge in other award lists, I'm sure.

With that, here's the list:

1.Honeydew by Edith Pearlman

2.Fortune Smiles by Adam Johnson

3.A Manual for Cleaning Women: Selected Stories by Lucia Berlin

4.The Sellout by Paul Beatty

5.Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff

6.A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara

7.The Turner House by Angela Flournoy

8.Mislaid by Nell Zink

9.Purity by Jonathan Franzen

10.Welcome to Braggsville by T. Geronimo Johnson

11.The Mare by Mary Gaitskill

12.God Help the Child by Toni Morrison

13.Did you Ever Have a Family by Bill Clegg

14.A Cure for Suicide by Jesse Ball

15.Refund by Karen Bender

Some observations on why these books ended up in the top 15.

1. Pearlman's new book was on the NYTimes 100 Best, was a longlist finalist for the NBA, and her last book was a NBA finalist, won the National Book Critics Circle Award, and was a LA Times finalist.

2. Fortune Smiles presence near the top should be self-evident.

3. Perhaps the most interesting entry here is A Manual for Cleaning Women by Lucia Berlin. This is a posthumously published collection of short stories that was on the NY Times 100 best and made their top 10 list.

4. Paul Beatty's book is at 4 for the same reason (actually tied with Lucia Berlin's book). Anyone read this... it sounds a lot like Welcome to Braggsville.

5, 6, 7, & 8 were all NBA finalists (long or shortlist) and on the NY Times 100 Best list.

9. Franzen's Purity made the NY Times 100 best books list, but nothing else so far, but his score is boosted by the fact that he's won the NBA, been a NBCC and PEN Faulkner finalist.

10. Braggsville got points for the NBA finalist and for being a past PEN/Faulkner finalist, but wasn't listed on the NYTimes best 100 books (one wonders how that happened).

11. Mary Gaitskill is another interesting entry. She's a prior NBA, NBCC, and PEN Faulkner finalist. Haven't heard much on this board about her book.

12. Morrison has a slew of past awards and nominations, so pretty much anything she publishes will put her on the list until more awards come out for current year books.

13, 14, & 15 were NBA finalists who didn't make the NYTimes 100 Best (and, unlike T. Geronimo Johnson, didn't have any past nominations.

Other books that have gotten some attention on this list and where they are now:

21. The Harder They Come by T.C. Boyle

26. The Visiting Privilege by Joy Williams

27. The Tsar of Love and Techno by Anthony Marra

28. City on Fire by Garth Hallberg

42. A Hand Reached Down to Guide Me by David Gates

45. The Book of Aron by Jim Shepard

50. Above the Waterfall by Ron Rash

and:74 (out of 75). Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee (no points from anything else, and winning a prior Pulitzer is actually a negative score in the model!)

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BRAKiasaurus - Dec 27, 2015

Very cool that you live there! I'll reach out to them, but I suppose I can also just be patient, haha. If you are ever in the states, I would also be happy to send you some books but totally get the cist of overseas shipping...it can get pricy!

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Marybethking - Dec 27, 2015

I just finished Gillian Flynn's new book and thought it was really good.

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ChrisEllis77 - Dec 27, 2015

@BRAKiasaurus Hi, I would in normal circumstances be happy to past it on or swap it, but I live in Norway in Scandinavia, so I guess the postage is a big cost, however I know Powells in Portland have had a few, maybe if you contact them you could arrange a swap or through my experience with them, they may just give you one. Hope it's some help.

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BRAKiasaurus - Dec 27, 2015

I may be one of the few here who has not yet read any of the Erdrich novels. Need to get on that--I own them both.

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BRAKiasaurus - Dec 27, 2015

I have to say: it is always wonderful to find that a new favorite author is also fairly prolific! This seems true of Geronimo Johnson (who said at a reading that he wrote two novels after "hold it till it hurts"--of which "braggsville" was one (so expect another from him relatively soon, I guess). Marra is another! This is great news!

Chriselliot, would you be willing to pass on that ARC to me? I would be happy to swap as I have a number of ARCs from 2015. Just let me know! (Same goes for anyone else. I'd love to get some swaps happening here.)

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Marybethking - Dec 27, 2015

@ey814 I didn't know 'The Round House' was a series. I'm going to have to check this out.

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ey814 - Dec 26, 2015

@BRAKiasaurus Can't believe I forgot this one:

http://www.harpercollins.com/9780062277022/larose

Third in the trilogy by Louise Erdrich. The first one (Plague Doves) was a Pulitzer finalist, second one (Round House) won the National Book Award (and, in my opinion, should have won the Pulitzer). If this is as good as those two were and as it sounds, I have high expectations for it.

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jjose712 - Dec 25, 2015

@myram319 @BRAKiasaurus I am going to read Nobody's fool next year (i loved Empire falls) so it's perfect time for a sequel.

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ChrisEllis77 - Dec 25, 2015

@BRAKiasaurus I have an ARC of Tuesday Nights in 1980 by Molly Prentiss, it's very well written and a great read, I can easily see this being a contender, very popular at the very least.

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ey814 - Dec 25, 2015

@BRAKiasaurus Looks like this is drawn just from best of lists, which are, of course, helpful, but not all that reliable as a predictor on their own. Agree though that the top books will likely be at the top of our list as well. I plan to do the first list next week, so we'll see.

1 (SAFE Rule 1)

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ey814 - Dec 25, 2015

@myram319 @BRAKiasaurus I saw Russo last year, and asked him what he was working on and he mentioned the sequel to Nobody's Fool, so I'm very much looking forward to this... as well as the Marra.

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ey814 - Dec 25, 2015

@BRAKiasaurus Congratulations on the pending new arrival! I understand the DeLillo book is another big one, so I'm hoping it's a return to his earlier form. Also saw there's a new novel coming out by Jonathan Safron Foer.

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myram319 - Dec 25, 2015

@BRAKiasaurus

Richard Russo - Everybody's Fool: A Novel (May 2016)

Anthony Marra - The Peacock Palace (2017)

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BRAKiasaurus - Dec 25, 2015

Also this book: https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/garth-greenwell/what-belongs-to-you/

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BRAKiasaurus - Dec 24, 2015

Not to get ahead of the group here--I'm only just now 200 pages into "A Little Life", a book I've found hard to put down so far, so I clearly have plenty to read from 2015--but I have a few 2016 books that I'm getting excited about:

Why We Came to the City by Kristopher Jansma

Tuesdays in 1980 by Molly Prentiss

Why They Run the Way They Do by Susan Perabo

Zero K by Don Delillo

Innocents and Others by Dana Spiotta

My Name is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout

Imagine Me Gone by Adam Haslett

Alice & Oliver by Charles Bock

Anyone else looking forward to next year's releasees? I'm particularly excited about Jansma and Prentiss. Bock and Delillo could be good, although I never know what type of book the latter will release. Haslett sounds like he has written something beautiful (along the lines of the short stories in his debut collection), so I will be keeping my eye on that one. (I may have to be pretty selective about my reading in 2016 / 17. New baby on the way! I imagine that will take away some of my reading time, hahaha)

Anyway, anyone else have books they're looking forward to?

*****

Will we have a prediction list in the coming weeks?

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BRAKiasaurus - Dec 23, 2015

Vaguely reminds me of what we got goin' on on this site...albeit more data goes into the stuff here. That said, it would surprise me if we don't see both of the books atop that list as finalists for this year's pulitzer.

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BRAKiasaurus - Dec 23, 2015

This is interesting (scroll down for books): http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/judging-by-best-of-lists-kendrick-lamar-was-2015s-cultural-icon/

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JohnZ - Dec 22, 2015

@wadamreed @JohnZ @W_Shadbolt Your question is a tough one to answer. I enjoyed many of the Pulitzer winners, with a few here and there which didn't particularly appeal to me. Also, one has to consider that what he or she looks for in a novel or collection may not be that for which others look. Aesthetics and art, you know.

Bearing that in mind, here is a list of those winners which have stayed in my memory. The first two are my favorites of all the winners; those following are listed in no particular order

THE ORPHAN MASTER'S SON; TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD

THE EXECUTIONER'S SONG

A THOUSAND ACRES

AMERICAN PASTORAL

THE FIXER

RABBIT IS RICH; RABBIT AT REST

LONESOME DOVE

A GOOD SCENT FROM A STRANGE MOUNTAIN

OLIVE KITTERIDGE

BREATHING LESSONS

BELOVED

A DEATH IN THE FAMILY

THE GRAPES OF WRATH

EMPIRE FALLS

THE SHIPPING NEWS

INTERPRETER OF MALADIES

ALL THE KING'S MEN

ELBOW ROOM

THE EDGE OF SADNESS

GILEAD

A BELL FOR ADANO

THE AMAZING ADVENTURES OF KAVALIER & CLAY

THE BRIDGE OF SAN LUIS REY

THE STORIES OF JOHN CHEEVER

THE COLLECTED STORIES OF KATHERINE ANNE PORTER

MIDDLESEX

THE AGE OF INNOCENCE

I know -- it's more than ten. But these are the ones that gave me hours of both enjoyment and contemplation.

Happy reading to you!

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BRAKiasaurus - Dec 21, 2015

100 pages into "A Little Life" and enjoying it a lot. Might just be a nice break from the measured, largely internal Clegg novel. I haven't gotten to the overwhelmingly depressing things I keep hearing about, so I'll keep you posted.

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wadamreed - Dec 20, 2015

@JohnZ @W_Shadbolt

John,

Since you have read all the Fiction winners, I wonder if you could share your expertise. Would like to read many more books this year. Have read maybe 15 of the Pulitzer winners myself. Could you share your ten favorite winners that you have read? Thanks for your help!

Adam R.

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JohnZ - Dec 19, 2015

@W_Shadbolt @JohnZ Actually, A Fable was the jury's second choice; its first was Milton Lott's The Last Hunt. The jurors admitted that Faulkner's novel was at times dense, and certainly challenging; but that it was also worthy of mention. The board, however, decided to ignore the jury's first choice; hence, A Fable was given the prize.

One of the more challenging novels to have won the prize, I think, is Andersonville. In addition to its unrelenting bleakness and the horrors it reveals, the novel demands that you pay attention. This happens more in the early part of the novel, when flashbacks and various characters in various locales are being introduced. But it was the jury's unanimous choice for the prize, and the board agreed.

And then there is Beloved. As with any Toni Morrison novel, one must apply a certain surrender when entering the lives of her characters. When it comes to experimenting with prose, she's near the top of the list. It's as though she makes a deal with you: as long as you bring something to the table (the surrender of which I spoke, but also attention and empathy), her novels pay off in a huge way. When finishing reading Beloved (among other Morrison novels), I know that I've had a deeper experience. Because not only have I been entertained, I've been challenged, too. It's a great feeling.

As for postmodern works, I agree -- to a point. We mustn't forget A Visit from the Goon Squad. Jennifer Egan includes riffs of various kinds of writing -- not only classic, but postmodern. One chapter is comprised solely of a Power Point presentation. Another comes with many footnotes (a tip of the hat to Mr. Wallace?). I was surprised the jury and board honored the novel (or collection; people see it differently -- another curious element of the novel). Although I enjoyed it, and might read it again, it isn't my favorite novel to win the prize. A bit too cold and clinically detached (perhaps that was the point, though).

As for Vollman, who knows? Certainly he's a dynamic writer. I thought Europe Central might have had a chance -- if not as the work chosen for the prize during its year, then perhaps as a finalist.

And The Pale King was among the finalists of its year -- a year, need I mention, in which none of the finalists were chosen by the board for the prize; thus, no prize that year.

Just this year, the board asked the jurors to provide a fourth title for consideration. As it was, the jury nominated Lovely, Dark, Deep; Let Me Be Frank With You; and The Moor's Account. One guesses the fourth title added -- All the Light We Cannot See -- was the eventual winner. (Maybe the board didn't want another ruckus, given to the wrath it incurred in 2011.)

As of late (i.e., the past two years), the board appears to be opting for more general fair. To be clear, neither of the last two novels to have won are bad novels (not to me, at least); however, they were nothing near obscure. Which is something that has happened in the past as regards the Pulitzer. Gone with the Wind won, after all.

Having read all of the Pulitzer winners in Fiction, I'd agree that the jury and board have mostly made choices that aren't embarrassing for them. Most of the novels and collections are good. Some are even great.

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BRAKiasaurus - Dec 18, 2015

Agree with you about Welcome to Braggsville. I think it may well be a finalist, if not the winner.

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ey814 - Dec 17, 2015

@BRAKiasaurus Pretty brutal review, but I did agree with some of the points. I've mentioned before that I didn't like the chapter-by-chapter change in narrator structure... I got lost in the middle chapters as to who the narrator was. I'm not sure I bought the stove episode, it seemed to wrap up a bit too neatly. I think it's one of the better novels of the year, at least worth the longlist for the NBA (which it was), but not sure it deserves more than that. I liked it well enough (my wife liked it more, I told her I think I had very high expectations based upon all I'd heard and read about it and it didn't meet those) to read his next one.

I'm half-way through A Little Life. Talk about your bleakness piled on bleakness! I dunno, it seems a bit much so far, but it is a rich rendering of human thought and perception, if not a big overwrought on that. I'm interested in seeing where the last half leads!

At this point, Welcome to Braggsville may be my favorite novel of the year.

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W_Shadbolt - Dec 17, 2015

@JohnZ @W_Shadbolt I think a big part of it too is people's expectations with these prizes. Gass asserts that the Pulitzer aims to award the best novel of the previous year, but really all the fine text on the award's website says is it goes to "distinguished fiction." And of course, when you're viewing things in retrospect, it seems the novels that have survived were always going to survive, but in the moment, its a crapshoot, and I'd argue that a fair amount of the time the prize has gone to well deserving winners.

However, the prize definitely has problems that go beyond aesthetics preferences (as does any prize). It's practically snubbed all postmodern books, one of the most important recent literary trends, and it sometimes has an odd tendency to give the award to writers who are due. For example, no matter what you're opinion of A Fable, it's tough to deny it's one of Faulkner's densest pieces and is such a departure from other winners that it probably would not have gotten the prize had Faulkner not won the Nobel. And Saul Bellow was an unofficial finalist 3 times until he finally won it for Humboldt. The Pulitzer definitely has a "type" of book it likes the reward.

And I think that is Gass's real problem with that prize. The Pulitzer rarely goes to the dense, lyrical sort of writing Gass produces, and instead likes to bring attention to lighter, book clubbish stuff. Not that there's anything wrong with that, I've enjoyed many Pulitzer winners, but when you're writing essays on why Gertrude Stein is one of the greatest stylists of all time, it's easy to see why most Pulitzer prize winners are not to your liking.

For my part, I like literary prizes (I think they do more good than potential harm, and it's more people's expectations that are the issue), the Pulitzer included, but I do wish they'd be a bit more daring and experimental. As a Vollmann fan, I think it's too bad that despite netting the best reviews of his career, Vollmann will probably barely be taken seriously as a Pulitzer contender because of the type of book it is. (Really, despite Vollmann coming up in some Nobel discussions, I can't see him ever writing the type of book that's Pulitzer friendly.)

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Guardiands - Dec 17, 2015

I enjoyed it, I didn't find the stove aspect too unbelievable. But given your view of that book, I look forward to your thoughts on A Little Life. That book I objectively was thinking "nope, not buying it" the whole time.

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BRAKiasaurus - Dec 16, 2015

I just finished Clegg's novel, and I have started "A Little Life". I really enjoyed being in the world crafted by Clegg, but I had trouble believing in the threat posed by the stove. Perhaps that was just me, but as a reader, I found myself vacillating between deep empathy and objective distance, occasionally being removed from the story, disbelieving the overwhelming bleakness, the immense death and loss, in every single character's life.

I don't think it deserves the pulitzer, but I would read his future endeavors. I think Clegg has it in him to write a great novel, but I'm not sure this one is as flawless as I would want from the pulitzer winner.

That said, I wonder what others think of this:

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/09/books/review-bill-cleggs-did-you-ever-have-a-family-heaps-one-tragedy-upon-another.html

I did not read his review until after I finished the novel.

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JohnZ - Dec 13, 2015

@W_Shadbolt Given that Mr. Gass was part of a milieu (or institution, if you like), perhaps he's writing about the subject with a knowledge that runs deeper than those who are not a part of it. Not out of conceit, mind you, but rather from the center of the arena rather than from a seat in the stands. I find myself agreeing with him on some points, while not on others. (For instance, I think "A Fable" is a wonderful, challenging novel worthy of merit.)

But here's the problem with awards, no matter in what medium they're given out: When it comes to art, an individual cannot extricate what he or she prefers aesthetically. For each of us, some books connect, whereas others do not. Perhaps the reason for this is because we each bring to a work our own life experiences. When we read a book whose subject deals with something we may have experienced ourselves to some degreee, and it does so honestly and artfully, we're apt to like -- even love -- the book more, because we know the author neither condescended to his or her audience, nor did he or she lie to it. What I'm getting to here, in a word, is "versimilitude." We see the truth in something; it moves and inspires us; and we are grateful for it.

There is also this: any board or jury is comprised of human beings; and as human beings, none of us is infallible. Sometimes we make mistakes; sometimes we allow ourselves to follow the status quo rather than to stand as individuals. Politics and bureaucracy sometimes do play a part (a point Mr. Gass eludicates well in his essay), as does popularity -- which, in itself, is not necessarily equatable to greatness. For example, in the year "The Color Purple" won the Pulitzer, there was division among the jury (the chairperson, I believe, was staunchly against it, but was overruled by other members of the jury). Still, I think Ms. Walker's is most deserving of recognition. It's a moving, insightful novel in which much wisdom and empathy lie. Consider, too, "Gravity's Rainbow." As I understand it, Mr. Pynchon's novel was the jury's unanimous choice for the Pulitzer; however, members of the board did not like the novel, for a number of reasons: some found it opaque; some found it obscene; some did not like the fact that the story was a challenging one, its various storylines structured in the form of analepses -- which is to say, they found it a challenging read, and were not at all enlivened by the fact of it. But for those who have surrendered to the novel, Mr. Pynchon's zany and sometimes caustic wit, and put forth some level of concentration, "Gravity's Rainbow" is a hell of a good ride. It's also brilliantly executed, with an array of fascinating characters and situations, and certainly, for its attributes, deserved the recognition which the board denied it.

I'm certain there are those on this site who have felt certain novels or collections were more deserving than the winners of a given year. I myself have preferred a number of finalists to the actual winners (often I did not loathe the winners; I just did not feel them to be as meritorious as some of the finalists). Some of us have even mentioned novels or collections that weren't even in the running for the prize.

Which brings us again to aesthetics, from which it is impossible to remove from the equation of what we think, whether individually or communally, constitutes worthy work. What I do find enlivening is that we have a place to which we may come and discuss our feelings and views (albeit in a civil manner). As the best art teaches us, true education occurs when we're willing not only to offer our own views, but to listen to those of others, as well.

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BRAKiasaurus - Dec 13, 2015

http://nytimes.com/2015/12/11/books/the-top-books-of-2015.html

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BRAKiasaurus - Dec 10, 2015

@AlexKerner Yeah, a lot of the biggest books have received a lot of praise...and then a lot of backlash. It's been a year of much-praised books, but some have been divisive. We have seen that here on our own forum. I'm almost done with Did You Ever Have a Family, and I'm really enjoying living in that world. I'm not sure I understand any intense dislike for the book, m'self.

I have a few short story collections to finish and then will start "A Little Life", I think.

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AlexKerner - Dec 10, 2015

this is an interesting piece about the backlash some of the bigger books have faced this year

https://newrepublic.com/article/125267/year-literary-backlash

jfieds2 - Dec 9, 2015

@BRAKiasaurus I'm wondering the same thing. I think I read one lukewarm review, but it is showing up on more and more lists (including the NPR one posted above today). It might be the right kind of book in what I have found to be a lackluster year. One of my personal filtering techniques is to only consider books for the Pulitzer that got a starred review in either PW or Kirkus. We talked about this earlier in the year. The stars are incredibly arbitrary -- and many Pulitzer winners failed to get starred reviews at both -- but most recent winners got one. And The Mare qualifies, with a Kirkus star.

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BRAKiasaurus - Dec 9, 2015

Maureen Corrigan's picks:

http://www.npr.org/2015/12/07/458461851/maureen-corrigans-best-books-of-2015-short-ish-books-that-pack-a-big-punch

As we here will recall, she was on the jury during a particularly controversial year.

BRAKiasaurus - Dec 6, 2015

@AlexKerner @ey814 @BRAKiasaurus I think Prep still stacks up as one of the strongest books of this year or the last. Be amazing to see it win, but yes, the Nov. 2014 first run of the book had me confused. :)

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BRAKiasaurus - Dec 6, 2015

@AlexKerner @jfieds2 I don't believe she's American--I think she's british? Not sure about her citizenship.

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AlexKerner - Dec 6, 2015

@jfieds2 Cusk is a Canadian living in the UK so not sure if she is eligible actually. She grew up in LA according to her wikipedia so maybe.

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W_Shadbolt - Dec 4, 2015

Going off the discussion back from October about the Pulitzer being a popularity contest, what do people think of This William Gass article?

https://www.nytimes.com/books/98/11/01/specials/gass-prizes.html

It is a bit old, and in that time some exceptions have come about, but I'd argue they're just that, exceptions (and I think, while prizes are doomed to miss great books and writers, are very beneficial forces). I do think Gass goes too far, though I myself have mixed thoughts about the Pulitzer. However, I think when it gets it right, the Pulitzer knocks it out of the park.

W_Shadbolt - Dec 3, 2015

@ey814 Even more amazing that Bellow's Henderson, Herzog, and Sammler were all Pulitzer finalists (For Henderson the board overruled it and gave the prize to Allen Drury, no prize was given for the years his other two were eligible for),

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jjose712 - Dec 3, 2015

@jfieds2 This year the non fiction books are more obvious than the fiction ones (which lacks of any of the clear front runners till now)

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jfieds2 - Dec 3, 2015

NYT top 10 list (5 fiction) is out.

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/12/02/books/review/03best-books-of-2015.html?smid=fb-share&_r=0

Unlike past years, the list spotlights a few books that haven't gotten much attention, at all. I think that is great, but overall the list is not helpful to us, especially since 2 of 5 are translations. (One of those two certainly DID receive a lot of attention, though.)

Of Pulitzer eligible books, OUTLINE by Rachel Cusk -- which I hadn't heard about -- sounds like it lacks a real narrative arc, something that almost all Pulitzer winners seem to have. (It also takes place outside the US, but I am hammering that point less, now after ORPHAN MASTER and ALL THE LIGHT.)

The final two on the list are both ones that we have talked about: MANUALS FOR CLEANING WOMEN and THE SELLOUT. For me, THE SELLOUT is still my personal front runner, even as I have wanted to love other books more. Satire is not my thing, so I had high hopes to find a strong contender with a different kind of story in FATES AND FURIES and CITY ON FIRE (which I have tabled temporarily), but I'm not convinced either one will win.

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jfieds2 - Dec 2, 2015

@AlexKerner I'll make a note of this. Based on what I've read, the book doesn't much interest me, but it certainly is getting attention, on more than just the NYT list. I think it was on Buzzfeed (FWIW) and a few other lists so far.

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AlexKerner - Dec 2, 2015

so I just finished reading Delicious Foods and I think it deserves another little bump. It is a shame it hasn't made any award short lists yet but was on the NYTs 100 notable. It is really powerful and the writing is intense and particularly creative (one of the voices being that of crack cocaine).

DustySpines - Dec 1, 2015

@ey814 @kas1985 yeah I was a little disappointed but not surprised. Thought that maybe since B&N was an early supporter of the book, they might have some kicking around. David Mitchell signed firsts are probably worth grabbing, but I didn't buy any others.

I wonder how the B&N Goldfinch will fare on the market, and how many will try to pass it off.

DustySpines - Dec 1, 2015

@tklein27 @DustySpines @ey814 wow, I had not seen a signed one, but yes too rich for my blood. You could probably make a better investment with the $1500.

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ey814 - Dec 1, 2015

@Speelo @ey814 You're right, I forgot to add ALL THE LIGHT... I haven't merged the database from last year's analysis into the overall database yet! And, your point about the fact that the NBCC is such a strong predictor even though its not restricted to American authors is spot on... we've speculated over the years as to why its such a better predictor than being a National Book Award finalist or a PEN/Faulkner finalist. Part of it will be differences in the juries/judges/panels for the various awards. The NBA fiction judges include authors, academics, bookstore owners, and others (although from 1987 to 2013, it was all authors). The PEN/Faulkner is an author-only panel. The NBCC panel includes only critics, as one might surmise. I feel like the PEN/Faulkner awards tend to differ more from the other awards, winners are often "a writer's writer." The Pulitzer jury is smaller, and also a mixed group of authors, academics, and critics, so more, now, like the NBA judges (perhaps we'll see more overlap between NBA and Pulitzer finalists/winners in the future). Of course, the NBCC, Pulitzer, and PEN/Faulkner awards are all much later than the NBA, so those panels/juries/judges have the benefit of seeing which books have performed well over a longer period of time. That was, of course, how Tinkers even got on the list... a Pulitzer jury member reached out to the small publisher to ask that it be nominated based upon strong word of mouth in the indie book circuit. I think sometimes that the later awards favor not repeating the earlier awards, just to make themselves distinct. But, whatever the reason, at least for now, being a NBCC finalist is the way to go!

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ey814 - Dec 1, 2015

@AlexKerner probably last week in December...

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AlexKerner - Nov 29, 2015

when is the first list coming out?

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AlexKerner - Nov 29, 2015

@ey814 @BRAKiasaurus Ali Smith's How to be Both, which was also published in 2014 was also on the list

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Speelo - Nov 29, 2015

@ey814 That list of NBCC "misses" is pretty telling - although I believe it's missing last year's Pulitzer winner. It's surprising what a good predictor it is given that one or two finalists any given year aren't even eligible for the Pulitzer.

tklein27 - Nov 29, 2015

@ey814 @tklein27 @DustySpines Yes, it is pricey. But there are some black friday and holiday coupons that could get the price down to $1,000. Still pricey, but closer to something realistic.

ey814 - Nov 29, 2015

@tklein27 @DustySpines @ey814 Saw it. Out of my price range!

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ey814 - Nov 29, 2015

@myram319 @ey814 I've been happy with Odyssey's Signed First Editions club, they do a good job with their selections.

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ey814 - Nov 29, 2015

@BRAKiasaurus Odd. PREPARATION FOR THE NEXT LIFE was published in November of 2014, so definitely not eligible for the Pulitzer this year. It does seem that, every now and then, a book that is an off-year book makes the NY Times Notable books list. I suspect it has to do with the deadlines for releasing the list in early December... maybe they include books from November to November instead of January to December?

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ey814 - Nov 29, 2015

@jjose712 @jfieds2 Good question, I don't think we have discussed the NYT Notable list. It is sort of a mid-list overall predictor... it ranks 11th out of 37 total variables, but most of the variables from about 25th onward basically contribute almost nothing to the model. Here are the books (from 1982 onward) that have won the Pulitzer that were not on the NYT Notable list:

2013 ORPHAN MASTERS SON

2010 TINKERS

2009 OLIVE KITTERIDGE

2006 MARCH

That's it. So, only 4of the 33 eventual winners were not on the NYT 100 Notable Books list. So, you ask, why is it not a stronger predictor? Simply because the list includes a lot of books each year. Last year, I included 29 Fiction books from the NYT Notable List that were eligible for the Pulitzer (e.g., literature, American author), the year before that there were 28, the year before that there were 25, and so on. The gist is, while the list more often than not includes the winner, it also includes a whole lot of books that don't win. It's far and away the longest list of books included in the model. At this stage, the strongest predictors of the Pulitzer (from last year's analysis) are #1 NYT 10 Best books, #2 NBA Finalist, #3 NBA winner. Being on the NYT 10 Best books list is a strong predictor... eclipsed only by being on the ALA Notable book list, being a NBCC Finalist, being the NBCC winner. The latter two are the strongest two predictor variables, by far, with the NYT 10 Best books list a rather distant, though still strong, third out of the total 37 predictor variables. To be at the top of the prediction list without being on the NBCC finalist list (which, of course, includes the eventual winner), one has to have gotten points from virtually all of the 35 remaining predictor variables. By way of illustration, here are the books that won the Pulitzer (from 1982 onward) that were not on the NYT 10 Best books list:

2013 ORPHAN MASTERS SON

2010 TINKERS

2009 OLIVE KITTERIDGE

2008 BRIEF WONDROUS LIFE OF OSCAR WAO

2007 THE ROAD

2006 MARCH

2002 EMPIRE FALLS

2001 AMAZING ADVENTURES OF KAVALIER AND CLAY

2000 INTERPRETER OF MALADIES

1999 THE HOURS

1997 MARTIN DRESSLER: THE TALE OF AN AMERICAN DREAMER

1995 THE STONE DIARIES

1994 THE SHIPPING NEWS

1993 A GOOD SCENT FROM A STRANGE MOUNTAIN

1992 A THOUSAND ACRES

1990 THE MAMBO KINGS PLAY SONGS OF LOVE

1989 BREATING LESSONS

1987 A SUMMONS TO MEMPHIS

1986 LONESOME DOVE

1985 FOREIGN AFFAIRS

1983 THE COLOR PURPLE

As you can see, it missed some pretty big books! Now, here are the books that won the Pulitzer (from 1982 onward) that were not on the NBCC finalist list:

2010 TINKERS

2006 MARCH

2002 EMPIRE FALLS

2000 INTERPRETER OF MALADIES

1997 MARTIN DRESSLER: THE TALE OF AN AMERICAN DREAMER

1993 A GOOD SCENT FROM A STRANGE MOUNTAIN

1989 BREATING LESSONS

1983 THE COLOR PURPLE

This list still missed a couple of big ones (how could The Color Purple not show up on either list, one wonders), but still has a substantially better track record than does the NYT 10 Best.

jjose712 - Nov 29, 2015

@jfieds2 I can think only two books that weren't on that list that won the Pulitzer in recent years, Tinkers and The orphan master's son

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BRAKiasaurus - Nov 29, 2015

I'm also shocked that "braggsville" and clegg's novel aren't on the list. I'm reading the latter now, and it's quite good.

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BRAKiasaurus - Nov 28, 2015

Also of note: "Preparation for the Next Life" is on the list...does this mean it is eligible for the Pulitzer this year!?

jfieds2 - Nov 28, 2015

@ey814 Mike, I think I asked last year, so my apologies, but I think it's an easy question for you to answer. How many times has the eventual winner been on NYT Notable list? (Let's say in the last 30 years, or even only 20 if that's easier.) The real question being, since it's a few more months until the NBCC (of course, our best predictive factor): how likely is it that the winner is already here. Again, I think we went through this last year (but it's good for new participants), recently Tinkers didn't make this list, but how many others didn't?

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tklein27 - Nov 28, 2015

@DustySpines @ey814 Have you seen the signed limited edition of Go Set a Watchman selling at B&N?

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/go-set-a-watchman-lee-harper/1122902815

Limited to 500 copies and sells for $1,500

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myram319 - Nov 28, 2015

@ey814 Thanks so much for the information. My copy has never been read and I would say that it is in Near Fine condition. I think I got it after I read someone else's hardcover, because the cost was less. I did the same with The Goldfinch. This was before I found out about Odyssey Bookstore's First Edition Club early this year. I'm extremely happy with their picks.

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ey814 - Nov 28, 2015

@myram319 @ey814 @kas1985 Yes, definitely worth hanging on to. I didn't see as many of the ARCs of ALL THE LIGHT as I've seen of other big selling books. Of course, condition matters a lot... if it's "well-read," it's probably not worth much more than a regular trade paperback. If it is in Near Fine or Fine condition (maybe a crease or two, but generally like new), then it is more valuable than the hardcover first edition (to the right buyer... people vary a lot in whether they collect ARCs or not).

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myram319 - Nov 28, 2015

@ey814 @kas1985 I'm new to this, but was wondering if an Advanced Reader's Copy of ALL THE LIGHT is worth hanging on to. I didn't buy the actual hardcover of it.

ey814 - Nov 28, 2015

@BRAKiasaurus Late to the game with this post, but I was rooting for Ta-Nehisi Coates' BETWEEN THE WORLD AND ME, which, of course, did win. I think it's an important book (I think we had a discussion about this earlier in the thread, just don't remember!).

ey814 - Nov 28, 2015

@BRAKiasaurus @kriscoffield @ChrisEllis77 I think it's worth pointing out that the criteria for the Pulitzer is "For distinguished fiction by an American author, preferably dealing with American life." It doesn't state that it is the best book, it is a work of "distinguished fiction." In my mind, that implies that there are other distinguished works of fiction that, necessarily, don't win.

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ey814 - Nov 28, 2015

@Scott S @BRAKiasaurus Personally, I think AMERICAN PASTORAL is Roth's best book. I also liked THE PLOT AGAINST AMERICA and his final book, NEMESIS. SABBATH'S THEATER is on my to-read list. So many books...

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ey814 - Nov 28, 2015

@BRAKiasaurus I finished PURITY and DID YOU EVER HAVE A FAMILY. As I mentioned above, FAMILY didn't live up to what I had anticipated, though I liked it. I enjoyed PURITY a lot, though I don't think it was as good as either FREEDOM or CORRECTIONS. I'm now reading Howard Frank Mosher's GOD'S KINGDOM (he's a "regional writer," writing about Vermont, and I really liked his last book, WALKING TO GATLINBERG, so thought I'd give this one a try... I like it, reminds me of reading Daniel Woodrell or Joe Coomer, but I don't think this one will elevate very far on any list), and BRAGGSVILLE is next on my to-read list. I have high hopes for it... glad you liked it.

ey814 - Nov 28, 2015

@kas1985 @DustySpines Disappointing that the B&N signed edition of ALL THE LIGHT is just a later printing version. The B&N GOLDFINCH version was identified as a First Edition, but it was clearly a reprinted version... the copyright pages for the true 1st Edition and the B&N signed Edition vary in several ways, including an additional ISBN number for the "signed edition." So, the GOLDFINCH was clearly not copies of the true First Edition, but a reprinted version identified as a 1st edition of, I suppose, that version, making it a First Edition Thus. That said, I'd much rather have that then a signed 48th printing! Ah well, I don't live that close to a B&N anyway, so don't have to make a long trip!

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ey814 - Nov 28, 2015

@jjose712 I finally finished DID YOU EVER HAVE A FAMILY. I thought it was good, and certainly deserves to be on the "100 Notable Books List," but I wasn't a big fan of the structure with different characters narrating different chapters. I felt like I got lost a bit in the middle chapters and couldn't remember who was the person who was narrating that chapter.

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jjose712 - Nov 28, 2015

New York Times notable books list http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/06/books/review/100-notable-books-of-2015.html

With Bill Clegg as notable absence

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kas1985 - Nov 27, 2015

Anthony Doerr's "All The Light We Cannot See" signed editions at Barnes & Noble were not first printings. In fact, the copy I picked up was a 48th printing with the Pulitzer foil seal on the front. I was curious about this as well.

Marybethking - Nov 26, 2015

Thanks!! I am also putting ALA for the win. People in the trees was brilliant too, not sure why it didn't receive as much attention?

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BRAKiasaurus - Nov 22, 2015

http://best-books.publishersweekly.com/pw/best-books/2015/top-10#book/book-1

Publishers Weekly best books of 2015

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Scott S - Nov 20, 2015

@BRAKiasaurus Thanks for the recommendations! I own American Pastoral so I'll start there.

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DustySpines - Nov 20, 2015

Has there been a discussion of this year's Barnes and Noble signed first editions? All the light we Cannot See is among them if I remember correctly. I wonder what these versions do to the market value. Also, it means B&N has a warehouse of first printings of Pulitzer prize winners they can throw on the market at any time. @ey814 take notice... I remember you saying you thought the B&N Goldfish was printed on inferior paper--I didn't notice that myself.

Speaking of our beloved chain, if anyone's interested, I saw a pile of "Robert Galbraith's" The Cukoo's Calling at Barnes and Noble while I was waiting in line to buy something tonight, picked up the one on the top, and it was a first printing in fine condition. Not my cup of tea, literary-wise, but it was rumored to be a small US printing (1500) so I thought some on here might be interested.

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DustySpines - Nov 20, 2015

@BRAKiasaurus @AlexKerner @ey814 Compassionate is a great word. He is a funny guy and seems like a very nice man. The collection was terrific in my opinion. Couldn't have happened to a nicer guy, though Groff was really really personable when I chatted with her at the Brooklyn book festival this year so I was pulling for her. Had signed ARC and hardback of Refund so the collector in me was pulling for that.

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BRAKiasaurus - Nov 20, 2015

@Scott S @ey814 Good catch, all! I think Roth may have the most impressive record of anyone, honestly. And Scott S! You MUST read more of his work--I can't recommend American Pastoral, The Ghost Writer (and then, as a followup, Exit Ghost), and Sabbath's Theater highly enough. All of those are on my list of favorite novels.

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Scott S - Nov 20, 2015

@ey814 Oh! I thought maybe that was what you were aiming for but I threw that out there anyway.

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ey814 - Nov 20, 2015

@Scott S Yeah, I saw the Roth streak... I was looking exclusively for NBA/Pulitzer runs. If you add in NBCC and PEN/Faulkner, you've got decent streaks by a couple of folks, but Roth's is the most impressive.

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Scott S - Nov 20, 2015

@ey814 Philip Roth had an impressive consecutive award streak as well:

Operation Shylock - 1994 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction

Sabbath's Theater - 1995 National Book Award

American Pastoral - 1998 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction

And if you skip one novel on each side of the spectrum above, you will find that The Counterlife, one novel removed from the above streak at the front end, won the 1986 National Book Critics Circle Award. At the back end, The Human Stain won the 2001 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction. You could pretty much go on ad infinitum with Roth in this manner and find a similar pattern.

I remember reading about this streak in the front pages of The Counterlife and must thank Wikipedia for confirming this. Somewhat embarrassingly, the only Roth books I have read so far are Nemesis and The Humbling.

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BRAKiasaurus - Nov 20, 2015

https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/entertainment/best-books-of-2015/

Washington Post has its list of 10 best of 2015 out. "Braggsville" (my pick for this year's pulitzer winner) is on the list as is "A Little Life". A book we haven't paid much attention "The Book of Aron" is also on the list.

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ey814 - Nov 19, 2015

So, looking at back-to-back author's books winning prizes, Saul Bellow had an impressive streak. Herzog won the 1964 National Book Award. His next book, Mr. Sammler's planet also won the 1970 National Book Award, and the book after that, Humboldt's Gift, won the 1976 Pulitzer Prize. A few more years inbetween these books than Johnson's books.

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BRAKiasaurus - Nov 19, 2015

Has anyone read Mary Gaitskill's "The mare" yet?

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BRAKiasaurus - Nov 19, 2015

@Marybethking I think it's slightly experimental short stories. Could be a finalist, but if I had to guess, you'll probably see one short story collection (mia alvar, etc.) and then two novels up, with a novel winning. As jfieds said below: "Based on the past, winning the NBA also makes winning the Pulitzer less likely." If that is a valid consideration, it actually increases the chance that the winner may well be "A Little Life". Bill Clegg is the only other person whose novel seems to have utterly captivated this thread, so if I had to guess at this moment, it would be those two novels, plus a possible collection. Lucia Berlin, for example. Mia Alvar, Richard Lange, Karen Bender, etc. Would be surprised if Johnson made his way into that list, but who knows...the pulitzer committee last year had a strange set of finalists that seemingly completely overlooked some of the most wonderful novels of the year and which included a former winner (Richard Ford). So I guess we'll see!

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Marybethking - Nov 19, 2015

I'm not sure how I missed that Adam Johnson had a new book out. He is one of my favorites. I wonder if his new book will take the pulitzer this year as well.

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BRAKiasaurus - Nov 19, 2015

@AlexKerner @ey814 I really like hearing him talk. Looks like a football player, but has a soft compassionate voice and good sense of humor. Spoken with him a number of times (he's local to the Bay area), and he's awesome--haven't read his collection, but definitely happy for his good fortune (no pun intended).

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AlexKerner - Nov 19, 2015

@ey814 his speech was quite good too

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ey814 - Nov 19, 2015

Adam Johnson has had a pretty good couple of years. I'll have to see if I can figure out when the last time an author's back-to-back books won NBA or Pulitzer. But, I heard Adam Johnson read Nirvana from Fortune Smiles, and it was very good (and he was a very nice guy.)

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Guardiands - Nov 19, 2015

I think that's great. I loved Fortune Smiles! I really, really, thought A Little Life was well written, but so over the top, so lacking in believability. I felt like it was a chore to get through it.

Fortune Smiles might be the best book I've read this year.

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AlexKerner - Nov 18, 2015

@jfieds2 so Fortune Smiles won. It was good but I have to say that I was not overwhelmed by it and thought it wasn't as good as Mara's collection. Kudos to Johnson though.

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BRAKiasaurus - Nov 18, 2015

@jfieds2 It's funny--I have ONLY read "refund", and it is very good. I think it remains a finalist, however. Tonally, it reminds me a bit (as I believe I said earlier on this thread) of Donald Antrim's latest collection. The novels in this year's crop of finalists--and Fortune Smiles--were all really well-received by critics. I actually wouldn't be surprised to see "Fates and Furies" win, but we'll see. I highly doubt it will go to "Refund" or "The Turner House", but it's nice to see surprises like that get a nod.

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jfieds2 - Nov 18, 2015

NBA prediction: A LITTLE LIFE takes it. It wouldn't be my choice -- I'd go with FORTUNE SMILES (I've read all but REFUND) -- but Yanagihara win. Although far from perfect, the book deals with some important "American" themes in important ways. Lately the NBA seems to pick a book that does that kind of thing more so than the Pulitzer.

Based on the past, winning the NBA also makes winning the Pulitzer less likely. I was pulling for FATES AND FURIES to become my front runner in the Pulitzer hunt, but after finishing it last night, although I enjoyed it, I don't think it's the one.

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jfieds2 - Nov 18, 2015

@Marybethking I enjoyed it, but only moderately. I adored BATTLEBORN (and have met Claire in person and basically fell in love with her), so I had obscenely high expectations. That said, she writes beautifully, and I thought she built an alternative world that was compelling and believable in the context of the story. It was a different take on a "apocalyptic" (a word I heard she, her publicists and publisher are trying hard *not* to use themselves) tale. It also had a few tropes that bothered me. I am not sure that I will return to it in the future -- and I don't think it's this year's Pulitzer -- but she is a writer who I will read whatever she next writes without a moment of hesitation.

TELyles - Nov 13, 2015

@Afterglow Hey! Thanks for mentioning The Sympathizer. It has also been on my radar (book club selections, amazon mid year best of list) but I have not yet read the book. It is also popping up at

www.fictionawardwinners.com

I do not know who runs the site or their formula, but if you look at the past "best of year" lists, then the site's owner has done a terrific job of identifying stand out fiction from that calendar year. I expect that the list will fluctuate as award season progresses and best of lists are published, but at the current time Sympathizer is right up there with several other books which have been more widely discussed on this site.

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Marybethking - Nov 11, 2015

Has anyone read 'Gold, Fame, Citrus?' I just can't get into it despite good reviews.

BRAKiasaurus - Nov 8, 2015

I'm reading "Refund", a collection of stories that reminds me vaguely of Donald Antrim's story (the only one I have read from his most recent collection) "Another Manhattan", and enjoying it a lot! It is one of the NBA finalists this year, and though it is hard to say how it will stack up (when it is time for the Pulitzer prizes) against what appear to be some pretty strong long-form contenders and some other very strong short story collections, it is definitely worth picking up.

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BRAKiasaurus - Nov 7, 2015

@Marybethking Glad to hear from someone who read it! I haven't read it yet, but picked it up based purely on the fact that Clegg recommended (and is the agent for) it.

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Marybethking - Nov 5, 2015

I just finished 'Eileen.' Oddly satisfying which kind of amazes me as the book is more of a character study than heavy on plot.

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BRAKiasaurus - Oct 30, 2015

Happy Halloween! To piggyback on kris' post, is anyone rooting for books in other categories?

Has anyone read Stacy Schiff's latest? She is someone I always read, but I haven't gotten to that one yet.

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BRAKiasaurus - Oct 28, 2015

@AlexKerner @kriscoffield I snagged "The Shore" from the library when you first brought it up, Alex--I didn't have time to read it, however, so it was returned. Thank you for reminding me! I was meaning to give it a second shot. :)

The only novel I've read from this year that is deserving is "Welcome to Braggsville". (Haven't yet read any of the NBA finalists or Clegg's novel.)

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BRAKiasaurus - Oct 28, 2015

@kriscoffield @ChrisEllis77 Agree with you about 10:04, by the way. My list, as I recall was: Preparation for the Next Life, 10:04, and Fourth of July Creek--and honestly, I still think that is a much much much stronger list than the one initially submitted.

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AlexKerner - Oct 27, 2015

@kriscoffield my finalist would be A Little Life and Fates and Furies. I know people had issues with the former, but I found it heartbreaking and majestic in its emotional scope. There is a reason it is piling on the awards and shortlists and I imagine that the Pulitzer will have difficulty not acknowledging it, at least as part of the three finalists.

Fates and Furies is a more technically savvy and tighter novel than A Little Life, with its clever character switch that really reveals a whole new novel in its second half. I found it impressive and the writing really sharp and ambitious. Again there is a reason for it getting lots of award attention.

In terms of the third choice. I would like to say The Shore, again a really interesting novel that is as much about place as it is about characters and plot. It hasn't gotten as much attention as other books this season, but the Pulitzer always seems to chose one dark horse, so lets go with this one.

Afterglow - Oct 27, 2015

"A Little Life" and "The Sympathizer", but I don't know what other title. Maybe "Tsar" or "The Sellout".

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grahammyers - Oct 27, 2015

@kriscoffield my finalists would be 'the tsar of love and techno' by anthony marra, 'mislaid' by nell zink, and 'the sympathizer' by nguyen viet thanh

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kriscoffield - Oct 27, 2015

Just for fun, what would be your finalists today, if you had to name them? We're a little more than halfway through the year. There is still good literature to come. Just trying to gauge to board, so to speak.

BRAKiasaurus - Oct 26, 2015

@Marybethking @ey814 I think it's in November--not sure the exact date.

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BRAKiasaurus - Oct 26, 2015

@Marybethking @ChrisEllis77 Not likely to be a pulitzer contender (nor should it be) but definitely worth more than 20 pages!! Maybe you'll pick it up at a later date. :) Worth a second try, I think.

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Marybethking - Oct 25, 2015

@ChrisEllis77 You're a better man than I am. I made it to page 20 of 'City of FIre' and was annoyed by how heavy it was to return to the library

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kriscoffield - Oct 22, 2015

@JohnZ Modern fiction often eschews grammatical discipline because the rules of grammar attach to times gone by. Ben Lerner's 10:04, for example, is almost literal poetry in prose (no surprise, since Lerner is an NBA-nominated poet). Times change; language evolves. Post-postmodern events require, perhaps, an explosion of literary and semiotic boundaries. I like it, especially when it amplifies new ways of thinking about the world.

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kriscoffield - Oct 22, 2015

@ChrisEllis77 I'd push back on the idea that the Pulitzer is purely a popularity contest. Paul Harding's TINKERS (2010), for example, had such a small print run that few readers knew about it. The year's most popular books, by sales alone, are almost invariably (and by definition) popular fiction. Trade fiction.

I find several post-2000 (last 15 years) winners deserving of the award. For me, there's never "one book to rule them all." Rather, each year produces multiple works that pique my aesthetic, intellectual, and emotional interest. Some do so more than others; those are the books I find most worthy, particularly when they speak to an American theme (whatever that means in today's world).

The idea of a "best book" is prima facie farcical. It's subjective. I would've given last year's Pulitzer to Ben Lerner's 10:04. Some on this thread found ALL THE LIGHT WE CANNOT SEE to be a perfect choice, given its poetry. Readers differ in what they value or find impacting.

So, to answer your question, I think the Pulitzer speaks to our communal need to narrate our times, values, humanity and lack thereof, and strengths and weaknesses as a society. Its relevance is in its ability to highlight how our individual stories pull society forward, or at least in new directions. I participate in this thread because it compels me to read the year's great writing. I'm also an aspiring author. Somewhat more aspirational than productive these days, but still.

I don't think that the Pulitzer is "forced" upon us. ATLWCS was widely praised. It wasn't a random book gathering critical drool. Critics, too, have shown a willingness to fault popular authors and titles, like the misogyny in Jonathan Franzen's PURITY. I think the judges do their best to select works that continue the Pulitzer's cultural legacy, that speak to some aspect of the American experience in a fresh way. While they can't be expected to read every book published each year, I've no doubt that they take seriously their mission to award a novel that advances in our insight into society, ourselves, and the relationship between the two.

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ChrisEllis77 - Oct 22, 2015

I think from past discussions most of us are in agreement that not always the best or most deserved novel wins the Pulitzer, judges for me seem guided by public opinion or a large well organised publishing campaign, The last two winners fall right into the middle of this theory, so I guess, what I am wondering is, what does the Pulitzer mean? If anything. Is it just the most popular book of the year or some obscure novel that is fitting with what is going on in the world. I am no expert by a far, however none of the Pulitzer winners over the last 15 years have in my opinion, should have won, this most prestigious award.

So it leaves me to think, are we putting too much emphasises and time into the Pulitzer? Is it THAT special? Or is The Man Booker a better indicator of the years best novel? I think its more fair, includes the world not just the US, not forced into choosing the best campaign.

Take this year and Hallberg's City of Fire, what do we have here? a great publishing campaign, yes, has it been forced on us? I'm not sure, but I have been hearing about this book since the new year. The 2 million dollars advancement Hallberg's walked with means a massive first print run, and for me as a collector as well as a book lover, a not so great investment. As for the publisher a Pulitzer win means a huge payday, because we all know a winner sells.

I have only read 200 pages of a loaned copy (my copy will be arriving in the form of Powells indiespensable) and I have to say I can see myself not getting to the end.

So what I am saying is, are we, being again led to the winner? The timing of the release of City of Fire, and campaign, smells really bad of a Pulitzer "wannabe"

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BRAKiasaurus - Oct 21, 2015

@grahammyers @jfieds2 (Postscript: I'm so so so happy to have others with whom I can finally discuss this book. I procured an ARC and then had no one to talk to about the merits and downsides of the novel!)

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BRAKiasaurus - Oct 21, 2015

@grahammyers @BRAKiasaurus @jfieds2 I actually think that opening couple of pages was my favorite bit of writing. It's a well-written novel; in fact, I may at some point even read it a second time now that I have slightly adjusted expectations (really didn't know what I was jumping into, honestly, and was hoping for something more literary, something closer to Delillo's work perhaps)...but I do wish that the novel had carried on like that introductory chapter.

ey814 - Oct 21, 2015

@jfieds2 So it has! I have to read Little Life... decided to read Purity first!

grahammyers - Oct 21, 2015

@BRAKiasaurus @jfieds2 about 100 pages into 'City on Fire' now. i love big, social novels like this with many different characters. probably why Jonathan Franzen is my favorite novelist. i appreciate the ambition. i'm intrigued about the plot and I will definitely read on, however, it seems like Hallberg's prose is almost too precious. some descriptions are just too overdone.

For example: one character is on an Amtrack and Hallberg uses all of these descriptions to set it up:

1. "wires racing along through chords and triplets, swelling every so often into corroded connections, weird shapes against the sky, triangles and spheres like a coded message trying to tell him something."

2. "power transformers tilted up like weary crucifixes, shot through with rust and ice on the far side of a window he could see through only imperfectly, as he could remember the night only imperfectly."

3. "condensation drew lines on the fogged parts of the glass, and beyond these lines, birds floated in a clearing sky, the gulls of Jamaica. Grasses sprouted from the snow like whiskers on a pale gray face."

this happens throughout the book so far. he could have cut the adjectives down and had a stronger novel.

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jfieds2 - Oct 21, 2015

@ey814 Just as a note: the short list was actually already announced. http://www.ala.org/awardsgrants/carnegieadult/short-listsA LITTLE LIFE

THE BOOK OF ARON

THE SYMPATHIZER

Continued love for A LITTLE LIFE, a book which I was very conflicted about. On the one hand, I think some of the issues it brings up and confronts are vitally important and don't get enough attention (male sexual abuse, self-harm, sexual identity or lack there of). On that other, as many have written about, it felt overwrought and. in my opinion, pushed the boundaries of plausibility, even within the context of the "world" that Yanagihara created. By this I mean, the inability to suspend disbelief has to be judged within the context of each book. One-third into CITY OF FIRE, I am willing to go with HALLBERG'S world of wild coincidences. In Yanagihara's case, I was never convinced of the reality of orphanage, how Jude became the tortured soul he was, etc, etc. A more minor point, someone mentioned, and I agree: the time line was also troubling. The point was, given the ubiquitous use of cellphones early in the story, it couldn't have been earlier than the early 2000s, so that means the story concludes in the future, something that is just a bit sloppy, in my opinion. I'm kind of rooting against it in the rest of awards season.

ey814 - Oct 21, 2015

I should note that many of the books we've been talking about are on this list... LITTLE LIFE, Clegg's FAMILY, T.C. Boyle's HARDER THEY COME, Franzen's PURITY, Johnson's BRAGGSVILLE, Pearlman's HONEYDEW, Jim Shepard''s BOOK OF ARON, Joy Williams' VISITING PRIVILEGE. Plus Bonnie Jo Campbell's new collection of short stories MOTHERS, TELL YOUR DAUGHTERS.

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ey814 - Oct 21, 2015

@BRAKiasaurus I finished FATES AND FURIES a week and a half ago... my initial opinion was that it was well written, but I didn't think it had the heft, if you will, for the Pulitzer. In reflection, I'm beginning to change my mind and could see it as a strong contender. I haven't read LITTLE LIFE or FAMILY yet, so will see how I feel after I finish those.

ey814 - Oct 21, 2015

The Longlist for the ALA Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction was posted recently (thanks Barbara!):

http://www.ala.org/awardsgrants/carnegieadult/longlists

From what I can tell, the award has only been around since 2012, so too recent for me to add as a predictor variable. I would note that the winners for the last two years were ALL THE LIGHT and GOLDFINCH, so they've hit on the last two. On the other hand, the first three medal winners were not even Pulitzer finalists.

Afterglow - Oct 21, 2015

Has anyone read "Against the Country"?

BRAKiasaurus - Oct 21, 2015

@ey814 "Braggsville" is currently my pick for the Pulitzer. I haven't read some of the more popular selections this year (Clegg, Groff, Yanagihara, Beatty, etc.), but I will be surprised if "Braggsville" gets edged off my finalist prediction this year. :)

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BRAKiasaurus - Oct 21, 2015

@jfieds2 @BRAKiasaurus I think the term "epic" is about scope, but it tends to get conflated with "sprawling".

Man, oh, man, do I ever agree with you about short novels about big things! But I did love "Middlesex" and "Underworld" as well. "Tinkers", "Train Dreams", and others like it seem to have been replaced by the big novel. Just as Jhumpa Lahriri's win in 2000 saw a resurgence in the short story, I think two years ago, when all three finalists were HUGE novels, may have sparked a rebirth of the large novel. "The Luminaries", "We Are Not Ourselves", "The Dying Grass" (admittedly Vollmann has always written huge novels), "A Little Life", "The Goldfinch", "The Son", "The Woman Who Lost Her Soul", "A Brief History of Seven Killings", "City on Fire" are all fat tomes and each has received its share of accolades, hefty advances, prizes, etc.

But yes, you are correct. There is something so wonderful in the tidy economy of a book like "Tinkers", the succinct way it details generations. For me, those books border on poetry.

In a way, "City on Fire" almost seemed to be trying to write something similar to "Let the Great World Spin", but he's so heavy-handed about the interconnectedness of the characters, the way they drift into and out of each other's lives (due a lot, it often seems, to coincidence) that it diminishes the power of those threads. I actually think the length bothers people, because in a strange way, the book is about small things. The limited perspective gives every chapter a strangely myopic feeling. I would almost have preferred to read the same book with less characters, no murder, and only slight interconnectedness.

I think I said this previously, but there is a moment when Mercer returns home and talks with his brother...and despite all jazz and flare of the zines (which, admittedly, were some of my favorite parts of the novel) and the use of historical moments to punctuate a genre-stifled plot and the multitude of characters, that quiet moment between Mercer and his brother, that is what has stuck with me after all was said and done.

I do think that most Pulitzer judges actually do take their job very seriously. (I have only ever heard the judges of fiction talk about how much they labor over the task, however, so I can't say that all the biography and such are read.) I think the jury must read most of the finalists--and that actually makes sense, in a way. Most of them are journalists and writers who read and research for a living. But who knows! It is possible that some read thoroughly, while others are delinquent.

From this year--without having read all the possible nominees--I would probably still hand it to "Welcome to Braggsville". But it seems like Groff, Yanagihara, and Clegg have written some very resonant novels that I intend to read in the coming months. (Doing everything I can to resist re-reading "Preparation for the Next Life" again.)

Afterglow - Oct 21, 2015

@jfieds2 @BRAKiasaurus I definitely think that it could wind up being a finalist like Underworld.

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jfieds2 - Oct 20, 2015

@BRAKiasaurus I'm only 1/3 in. I am enjoying it. But only enjoying it. Is this a novel that will stand the test of time? Probably not. Could it win the Pulitzer? Absolutely. I've said this before, but I'll say it again. I think we have to remember that the Pulitzer board (mostly journalists) probably does not read many more novels than the three finalist novels every year. (If they even read the finalists that is...Do you honestly think they read -- cover-to-cover -- all of the finalists in biography, history, non-fiction...? I don't think so.) If the judges pass CITY OF FIRE on to the board, and they begin reading it, I think it is exactly the kind of novel they could settle on.

Then again, I still haven't finished it. Maybe it's length will grate at me eventually. I think I've said this before, but I do much prefer short, tightly written books with beautiful lyrical sentences to anything long, sprawling and "epic" in scope. Give me TINKERS over UNDERWORLD. Or even OLIVE KITTERIDGE over MIDDLESEX.

How would you define "epic" @BRAKiasaurus? Is it about scope and length more than sentence quality?

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BRAKiasaurus - Oct 20, 2015

It's uneven. You may well enjoy it--and you are welcome to! I was hoping for a literary epic, and it has its moments, but it is also a mystery novel that never entirely pays off on that trope and genre. I honestly want to hear from someone who unabashedly loves the novel!

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grahammyers - Oct 20, 2015

@BRAKiasaurus just started it also. hope it's better than what i've hearing, although it did get a good review in the NYT.

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BRAKiasaurus - Oct 19, 2015

Did you finish it already? So much promise in that novel...definitely a letdown.

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Marybethking - Oct 19, 2015

@BRAKiasaurus I think the first three you listed are from this blog the biggest contestants so I would go with any of them.

Marybethking - Oct 19, 2015

@ey814 when is nba announced?

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Marybethking - Oct 19, 2015

so let down by 'City on Fire.' a two million dollar advance, are you serious?!

1 (SAFE Rule 1)

Afterglow - Oct 19, 2015

"A Little Life" is one of the three finalists for the Carnegie Medal. It's appearing in almost every awards shortlist, it seems. It's competing against the novel I mentioned, "The Sympathizer". Call me crazy, but they're both in my slowly-shortening Pulitzer shortlist.

Afterglow - Oct 19, 2015

Despite its supposed shortcomings, something tells me "City of Fire" may end up being a finalist or something. There's a lot of good reviews behind it, and I hear the writing, though excessive, is very exceptional, and does a great job in evoking the time period. Maybe they'll overlook its flaws and consider its ambition. It kind of reminds me of "Underworld".

Afterglow - Oct 19, 2015

I want to read Lori Ostlund's debut "After the Parade" next. I read as much as the Amazon sample allowed and it was quite lovely.

Afterglow - Oct 17, 2015

What does everyone think about The Sympathizer?

Afterglow - Oct 17, 2015

I'm reading Fates and Furies as well, but I'm not completely won over. The writing is quite nice, but the characters seem to be all over the place and I don't know if Groff wants them to be melodramatic or realistic. I heard that the second part is much better than the first, so I remain hopeful. It's just that so far I'm not getting the Pulitzer vibe.

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BRAKiasaurus - Oct 16, 2015

@JohnZ Yes, I sometimes do rewrite people's sentences. Not often pulitzer winners, but when I was 13, I read a Dean Koontz novel and rewrote it in my head the whole way. Then again, he's an awful writer....

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BRAKiasaurus - Oct 16, 2015

@ey814 BtWaM is difficult, tiny, and so so important. Glad you read that wonderful book! I hope it wins a pulitzer, frankly, but I'm not entirely certain what category would have it. It could sneak into general nonfiction, but (like "A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius" before it) it would be something of an outlier.

I will probably heed your advice about "A Little Life" if I read a book from this year. That said, it occurs to me that I have a number of ARCs (some bought on the cheap at the local bookstore and a few given to me by goodreads--"Everybody Rises", "The Visiting Privilege", and "The Secret Chord", etc.) that I need to jump on! Always so many options, hahaha....in addition to this, I was looking over my shelves yesterday, and it occurred to me that (my enthusiasm for any big New York novel notwithstanding) I haven't yet read "We Are Not Ourselves"! I may well be the only person on this thread who didn't get around to it.

In any case, yes "Fates and Furies" would also be worth reading. And I might be able to do double duty on that one, as I got the audiobook from the library in addition to owning a signed copy.

By the way, did Yanagihara do a book tour? The "events" page on her publisher's page was never up-to-date, and I swear she seems to have forgone any sort of formal signings....but maybe I'm mistaken? Anyone else notice this?

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JohnZ - Oct 16, 2015

I'm still reading A LITTLE LIFE, but I've also begun reading FATES AND FURIES. I have to say, I'm getting Pulitzer tingles regarding the latter. Ms. Groff's prose bears a sharp snap; one comes upon phrases and, for a moment, stops to ponder them. The story, too, has threads of the exotic running through it that put me in mind of Eugenides (MIDDLESEX) and Russell (SWAMPLANDIA!). The details, the elements of discovery, the creative spark inherent in Ms. Groff's voice... I don't know. If F & F doesn't win, I've a feeling that it will at least be a finalist.

As good as it is, there are some dangling modifiers that have me shaking my head. For instance:

"Antoinette was lying in the sun on the balcony in a black bikini and slash of red lipstick when Gaiwan came up the stairs carrying the family rocking chair."

Some punctuation would have cleared things up, don't you think?

"On the balcony, and clad in a black bikini and slash of red lipstick, Antoinette was lying in the sun when Gaiwan came up the stairs, carrying the family rocking chair."

Or:

"Wearing a black bikini and slash of red lipstick, Antionette was on the balcony and lying in the sun when Gawain, carrying the family rocking chair, came up the stairs."

For a balcony cannot wear a black bikini and slash of red lipstick; nor are stairs capable of carrying a rocking chair.

Ah, I suppose this is just the writer and grammarian coming out in me. It's something I can't help but do. (Hell, I find myself correcting billboards and news headlines, too!) There are even instances during which I rewrite a sentence in my mind until it achieves a greater clarity than that in which it's been conveyed. (Does anyone else do this?) It's something one encounters more in fiction of late; in fact, clumsy grammar can even be found in Pulitzer Prize-winning novels and stories. I'm often reminded of Harper Lee: she once observed that there were too many writers who, eschewing discipline, had abandoned the beauty and muscularity of a well-written sentence.

Still, thus far with F & F, the pros are outweighing the cons. I wish I could say the same for A LITTLE LIFE. As it is, I'm still not impressed. Not only that, but Yanagihara loves her split infinitives. I say this not from a place of snobbishness, but from one of perplexity. Clearly, she's an able writer (if a bit detached and clinical), so one wonders why she wouldn't take more time to sculpt her sentences properly.

That said, I will continue to sing the praises of DID YOU EVER HAVE A FAMILY. (Funny side note: Ms. Groff's agent is none other than Bill Clegg.)

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ey814 - Oct 16, 2015

@BRAKiasaurus I'm envious of your reading consumption and speed! If UNDER MAJORDOMO MINOR is a bit of a lark, might set you up for something more serious... LITTLE LIFE seems to fit that bill, though if you read FATES AND FURIES now, you'll have it read before the NBA is anounced.

I read Between the World and Me ad couldn't agree more that it is an important (and soboring) book. I hope it wins the NBA for non-fiction.

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BRAKiasaurus - Oct 15, 2015

http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2015/10/15/448961756/ta-nehisi-coates-hanya-yanagihara-and-pam-mu-oz-ryan-win-kirkus-prizes

Kirkus prizes announced. Another vote of confidence for "A Little Life".

Guardiands - Oct 14, 2015

I really love this place, thanks for all the suggestions.

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BRAKiasaurus - Oct 14, 2015

Okay, so I have a question for everyone here, but I'd like to briefly preface it with a word about my current read.

Here's where I'm at: I'm about 20 pages away from the end of "Under Majordomo Minor", which isn't likely to win any awards but is simply great fun.

It's something of a fairytale and has been a great relief after the letdown of my past couple novels ["Last Flight of Poxl West" (which got a lot of attention when it first came out but which really didn't captivate me or make me feel anything toward its characters) and "Saint Mazie" (which really struck me as...run of the mill...and somewhat a waste of my time). The best books I've recently read have been nonfiction: "Between the World and Me" and "The Sixth Extinction"--both of which are wonderful and also heartbreaking and important.] I'm normally put off by such labels as "fairytale", but I read "The Sisters Brothers" and decided to give this a go. It is something akin to Don Quixote.

Now, my question:

Do I read "Fates and Furies", "Did You Ever Have a Family", "A Little Life", "Eileen", "Refund", or Anthony Marra's latest (linked) collection next? I'm honestly at a loss!

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AlexKerner - Oct 14, 2015

@ey814 I have read The Turner House, which was a poignant family drama but not necessarily something that jumps out at you. Fortune Smiles was quite good, but as most short story collections I find myself not overwhelmed. For me it is definitely A Little Life or Fates & Furies going head to head. I figure these two will either win this and the other will win the NBCC or the Pulitzer. They have stood above anything else I have read this year (American at least) ...although just started Did You Ever Have A Family, so that may join the pack too.

I have to say, this has been a fantastic year for books, a significant improvement from last year.

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ey814 - Oct 14, 2015

So, the shortlist for the National Book Award were announced this morning. LITTLE LIFE and FATES & FURIES made it, DID YOU EVER HAVE A FAMILY did not. TURNER HOUSE (Angela Flourney), REFUND (Karen Bender) and Adam Johnson's FORTUNE SMILES rounds out the list. Anyone read TURNER HOUSE or REFUND? Two short story collections.

ey814 - Oct 14, 2015

@grahammyers @BRAKiasaurus @JohnZ I'm a bit old-fashioned or maybe nostalgic about the "American Life" criteria in the Pulitzer in that I think it ought to be given more weight than I think it has recently. That says, the criteria says "preferably about American life" so there has always been some books that departed from that (Good Earth among them). I wonder how much emphasis is placed on that for the Pulitzer board when they make their selection from what the jury gives them. Whomever on this board sees Junot Diaz next, ask him that!

ey814 - Oct 14, 2015

@grahammyers I agree re: ALL THE LIGHT, but still think that Robinson's LILA is the book that will still be read in 30 years and should have won. I did like Lish's book, though.

ey814 - Oct 14, 2015

@JohnZ FAMILY is up next, almost done with FATES & FURIES. The latter is well written, but I agree with an earlier comment that it doesn't seem very Pulitzer-ish. I'm also wanting to read Johnson's WELCOME TO BRAGGSVILLE.

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JohnZ - Oct 14, 2015

I recommend that everyone get a copy of DID YOU EVER HAVE A FAMILY and read it. And do so sooner rather than later. It's a stunning beauty of a book and I doubt I will read a better novel this year. There's a fullness and profundity to it that feel in no way manufactured or derivative of other stories that have dealt with grief and loss. What it offers instead is that inevitability we encounter now and again in life. How incredible that a novel dealing with such somber themes manages to be untouched by sentimental tropes, and through hard-earned wisdom dares to look at cricumstances and consequences with an unvarnished sense of truth and, yes, even hope. Again and again I wondered -- and have continued to wonder -- how Bill Clegg managed to do it. I suppose part of it comes from his own life experiences. When you've come up against loss in your own life and then read a book that deals with the same, you can spot pretty quickly what is genuine and what is not. Bill Clegg is genuine, a writer who knows of what he speaks, and does so in prose that is clear, precise, and vivid. I would not be surprised if this novel became a classic. I know those are weighty words, but I don't particularly care. DID YOU EVER HAVE A FAMILY really is that good.

I'm now reading A LITTLE LIFE. While it's more or less well-written, I can't help but feel -- because it deals with similar themes as Mr. Clegg's novel -- that it's attempt is clumsy and less informed. There clings to it a patina of artificiality, a feeling that I'm reading something which lacks any real veracity or anchorage. There seems to be more convolution to it than one finds in most novels. I'm trying to give the story the benefit of the doubt, and though I'm doing my best to see the characters as three-dimensional rather than pieces constructed to fill a mosaic (itself stilted and a bit too detailed, like the art created by some of the characters in the novel), Yanagihara seems to be making things more difficult than they need to be. I have the hope that at some point there will be a shift; that instead of the cold clinician's eye with which the story has thus far been told, there will appear a greater depth and humanity to both the characters and the prose. As it is (and perhaps this is part of Yanagihara's intent), reading the novel is like embarking on an endurance test, with flickers here and there of elements that might prove to be substantial and of interest. Writing about the mundane is not easy, of course. David Foster Wallace attempted to do this with THE PALE KING, and he was sometimes successful, sometimes not. But A LITTLE LIFE's approach is so distant and at arm's length that I find myself wondering if the energy and focus required are worth it. I'm not going to quit on the novel, but I do hope there surfaces something that explains all the glowing reviews and nominations. Which is all to say, at some point it would be nice if Yanagihara allows the souls of her characters to burgeon. As it is, they seem like specimens to be studied under a microscope -- cut-outs devoid of dimension and heart. Clearly she's a writer with talent, but how she's utilizing that talent thus far doesn't leave much room for one to be enamored.

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Marybethking - Oct 12, 2015

@BRAKiasaurus @Marybethking I'm on 'Fates and Furies' right now. It's pretty good, but not knocking it out of the park for me yet. 'The Incarnations' was incredible.

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BRAKiasaurus - Oct 11, 2015

@Marybethking I can't wait to read "The Incarnations"! I don't' believe it is eligible for the pulitzer, but it looks incredible. :) Based almost exclusively on the reviews, reception, and the current trends--and honestly, having read none of these yet...it looks like "Fates and Furies", "Have You Ever Had a Family" and "A Little Life" are the most likely contenders, in so far as novels are concerned.

A lot of great short story collections this year, so I could see one of them being included in the roundup. But I expect to see at least one of those three books being a finalist.

Guardiands - Oct 11, 2015

I also disliked A Little Life. I'm not sure I can voice why without risking misinterpretation, I just felt like some relationships and characters struck me as too unrealistic to draw me in.

This is my first time posting (I tried a few times by using Facebook account but they just say pending), but I've been lurking for months. I appreciate everyone's comments and have picked up great books based on recommendations on here. I even join the Odyssey First Edition book club after someone recommended it on here last Spring.

I do have to say I miss Ed Parks. I consider myself quite progressive on social issues, and I don't know exactly what he said, but I will say that A Little Life is hard to criticize without misinterpretation. Regardless I'm happy you all are still here.

And I just got my copy of "Have you ever had a Family" but haven't cracked it open yet so I'm no help there. I am excited for it though.

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Marybethking - Oct 11, 2015

I am bummed that my cheap little self returned 'Have You Ever Had a Family' to the library today because it was due and someone had a hold on it. I need the down low asap. I just finished 'The Incarnations' and it was pretty brilliant. I think you can write about gay/ straight, it doesn't matter as long as the mundane is pushed into bloody brilliant by epic writing. I HATED 'A Little Life,' but I think it might win the pulitzer this year due to the quality of the writing.

benjaminblacklist - Oct 9, 2015

Did someone on this forum once present a theory (or even an analysis) on the boost New York-themed books (or New York-based authors) seem to get in the Pulitzer, NBA, NBCC, etc. awards? I was thinking about this in light of the acclaim A Little Life is getting. If someone actually looked at data, was this boost borne out? It wouldn't be surprising. On the other hand, AtLwCS, penned by an Idaho-based writer, was set in the past in Europe. So go figure.

benjaminblacklist - Oct 9, 2015

A

BRAKiasaurus - Oct 8, 2015

@JohnZ @grahammyers We may have discussed this, but how did you feel it stacked up to Preparation for the Next Life? I haven't yet read AtLWCS.

JohnZ - Oct 8, 2015

@grahammyers The "american theme" quotient of the citation has become quite pliable over the years. In fact, it's tenuousness has existed for quite a long time -- since Thornton Wilder won the prize in 1927 for The Bridge of San Luis Rey. It has also been utilized in other categories the Pulitzer jury and board consider. W. Jackson Bate won twice for biography, and his subjects were John Keats and Samuel Johnson. And John Mack won for his exemplary biography of T. E. Lawrence.

As it has been with Biography (among other categories), it has also been with Fiction. Adam Johnson won a few years ago for The Orphan Master's Son, and rightly; it is a staggeringly good novel worthy of recognition.

What I think the Pulitzer novels do best (a number of them, though not all) is to present the universality of human life and emotions -- this is what many of the winning novels and collections have in common. Each reminds us of what it means to be a thinking species capable of empathy.

I enjoyed All the Light We Cannot See. While it isn't my favorite novel to have won the Pulitzer, I don't think it's a terrible or presumptuous choice. It was beautifully written; the characters were vivid; and, save an obtuse simile here and there, it was sharply realized. I didn't read it with as much passion as I've read other Pulitzer winners, but it did keep me engaged, and there were moments during which I was moved.

In truth, though, I wouldn't have minded if Joyce Carol Oates had won for Lovely, Dark, Deep.

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BRAKiasaurus - Oct 8, 2015

@grahammyers Great to hear! It is rare to read a novel as good as Lish's, and I completely agree that it should have won the pulitzer.

I'm not sure how I feel about the American Theme emphasis...while you are correct that this is one of the stipulations, it feels anachronistic to me. At the very least, one could argue that it could be applied in a more expansive way given the global nature of our interactions now.

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grahammyers - Oct 8, 2015

the more i've been thinking about it, i really don't think 'All the Light We Cannot See' deserved the 2015 Pulitzer. it was a fine novel and had some beautiful prose, but it really lacked the 'American themes' vibe that the Pulitzer should award; would have given it to Atticus Lish

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jfieds2 - Oct 6, 2015

@BRAKiasaurus It is a dystopic novel but it is truly not primarily so. I was disappointed when I heard that she was writing such a book, but it's quite good. Is it an award winner? Not in my opinion. Is it worth your time? Yes. Even if dystopia is not your thing? Yes.

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BRAKiasaurus - Oct 6, 2015

https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books/the-tsar-of-love-and-techno-review-dissidents-reemerge-in-fiction/2015/09/29/70573098-66d6-11e5-9223-70cb36460919_story.html

So far, this collection of linked stories is (like his debut novel) getting very good reviews. If he continues to create such beautiful books--each of which has featured uniquely beautiful and evocative writing--I will be shocked if Marra doesn't at some point win every major award.

AD1971 - Oct 5, 2015

@BRAKiasaurus @kriscoffield Hello one and all, this is my first post although I've had the pleasure of reading all of your opinions and fantastic suggestions for the past couple of years.

I figured I'd jump in now because of my very strong feelings on The Sellout. I picked it up based on the jfieds2 post. From the get go I was sucked in. I thought it was a wonderfully ingenious book. The language is colorful and surprising, I did laugh out loud a few times but it was out of sheer delight. I can see how the phrase "comic novel" might have turned you off. I never was able to quite get into Confederacy either but I think joyous novel is perhaps more accurate... I found myself rereading certain passages and reading them out loud to my wife and co-workers... I was very disappointed not to see it on the long list for the NBA but now that I've begun "Welcome To Braggsville" I figure these too very intelligent novels must have split the vote with the nod going to Braggsville. Anyways, I highly recommend The Sellout and look forward to hearing all your thoughts.

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BRAKiasaurus - Oct 5, 2015

This seems to sum up how I felt about this book: a novel of great promise that it can't quite live up to.

http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/10/12/the-time-of-broken-windows

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JohnZ - Oct 4, 2015

I've been reading A Little Life, and while it hasn't been an awful experience, neither has it been very enlivening. The prose, I am finding, registers as little more than functional. Pervading Yanagihara's voice is a thread of detachment which, thus far, has not served the characters well. Now, perhaps this will change (I do have that hope); however, should it prove not to be true, I cannot say that I expect to experience much in the way of shock.

Some writers compose in a manner that erects a barrier between characters and readers; they present the story as though one were peering through a panel of aquarium glass. This is something I understand; and while I do not prefer it, I have enjoyed (though not loved or revered) novels that are written in such a way.

For example, Jennifer Egan's A Visit from the Goon Squad. Even though the novel was well-written, I never felt an emotional connection with either Sasha or Bennie. I did feel something for Rob in "Out of Body"; it became my favorite "chapter" or "story" in the novel precisely because it welcomed something in the way of emotional resonance. I could care for Rob more than the other characters because he didn't strike as some specimen to be dissected. The character was readily human and not so much something to be observed with clinical detachment.

Another example, for me, is the work of Jonathan Franzen. Franzen seems principally engaged with the act of literary derring-do; he seems to love his prose and machinations so much that he's not bothered much by the fact that such elements tend to drive a wedge between characters and readers. Certainly he is talented, and in his novels, despite pages upon pages of scholarly exhortations and various modes of alienation and dysfunction, there are characters who struggle to get through and reach readers. Enid is a wonderful example of this, I think. But often, when cracking open a new Franzen novel, I have to steel myself for what the experience will undoubtedly be. Still, I continue to read Franzen out the hope that there will be one character who seems more three-dimensional than he or she does a construct.

Anyway, the manner in which the characters in A Little Life have thus far been treated by the author brings back to me the indifference -- sometimes merely chilly; other times, glacial -- which I have observed Egan and Franzen utilizing in their own work. Perhaps Yanagihara felt it was necessary to do this given the exorbitant amount of pain and misery she inflicted upon her characters. Or it could also be the way she chooses to write.

Whichever the reason may be, I'm going to do my best to remain optimistic. That said, there are other novels that have been published this year which are better and more worthy of recognition.

Likes: 1
TELyles - Oct 1, 2015

@ey814 I should further clarify. To me, the emotional weight was not there...

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TELyles - Oct 1, 2015

@ey814 I just finished Fates and Furies. Thumbnail review is such: well plotted, solid characters, great format, but for awards, specifically the Pulitzer, it lacked a certain "weight" that is usually found in extraordinary fiction. This is likely a personal tick, but I was turned off by the amount of sex in the book. Which is significant as sex figures prominently into the main characters lives. Good book? Yes. Can I recommend it to other readers? Depends on the reader

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grahammyers - Oct 1, 2015

@BRAKiasaurus @grahammyers Only three stories in so far, but I've enjoyed them. Not a lot has happned though yet.

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BRAKiasaurus - Oct 1, 2015

@grahammyers I could see Joy Williams faring very well in any award season. I'm surprised it hasn't already been up--but I'm similarly surprised that David Gates collection hasn't received any notice. How are you enjoying it? I haven't yet read it, even though I was gifted an ARC from goodreads.

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BRAKiasaurus - Oct 1, 2015

@ey814 As someone who lives in Northern California, the drought is interesting to me--using it as the premise for a novel could be great! I might pick it up. There are a few signed copies around.

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grahammyers - Oct 1, 2015

Reading 'The Visiting Privilege' by Joy Williams now. Anyone think that can win next year?

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ey814 - Oct 1, 2015

@JohnZ Well said!

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ey814 - Oct 1, 2015

@BRAKiasaurus Washington Post gave it a good review... I'm with you on dystopian novels, I've sort of had my fill of them...

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ey814 - Oct 1, 2015

@BRAKiasaurus Wow, a $50,000 prize! Jim Shepard, Lauren Groff, and Hanya Yanagihara among the finalists. NBA short list out October 14, will be interested in seeing if Groff and Yanagihara make that cut. I'm reading Fates and Furies now... so far, so good.

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BRAKiasaurus - Sep 30, 2015

Kirkus finalists.

http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/09/30/kirkus-announces-finalists-for-2015-book-prizes/?_r=0

BRAKiasaurus - Sep 30, 2015

Got my three Lauren groff novels signed tonight but missed the reading / q&a. I saw Claire Vaye Watkins' novel there--is anyone excited about it? I have to confess that I'm both hopeful and disappointed that she went dystopian...

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jfieds2 - Sep 29, 2015

@BRAKiasaurus @kriscoffield Yep. It was me. I am not usually a satire fan. I rather a "quiet" gut punch of a novel than a belly laugh, honestly, but Paul Beatty put together something really good, and it is a gut punch in the way it confronts racial issues.

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jfieds2 - Sep 29, 2015

@BRAKiasaurus I read THE TURNER HOUSE. It actually had some of the "fearlessness" that I love about some first novels, but it didn't quite gel for me. Still, I am glad it is getting attention. There was enough there for me to believe that Flournoy could produce something even better down the line. My assessment is to pass but watch for her next book.

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BRAKiasaurus - Sep 28, 2015

@kriscoffield @BRAKiasaurus I've seen that at the store--sounds fascinating, actually. Some nice relaxing reading for Hawaii, hahaha

jjose712 - Sep 28, 2015

I red the Kirkus review for Lori Ostlund's After the parade and is really good. The novel is nominated for the Flaherty Dunnan Award for first novels (like The turner house)

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kriscoffield - Sep 28, 2015

@BRAKiasaurus And I could've had it. Went back to City Lights before leaving the city, today, but picked up BLACK EARTH instead. For what it's worth, BLACK EARTH–my plane reading back to Hawai'i–will likely be a nonfiction contender for multiple awards. Snyder's reevaluation of the Holocaust in parallel with modern resource depletion is striking.

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JohnZ - Sep 27, 2015

@BRAKiasaurus @JohnZ Isn't it remarkable that Atticus was unaware of Jonathan Franzen? Considering Atticus's father is none other than Gordon Lish, I find the news surprising.

I, too, am a reader of acknowledgment sections. It's interesting to see how many writers hail from the Iowa Writers' Workshop, or were Michener fellows, etc. I also know how challenging writing can be, so it's always refreshing to see writers who mention those who helped them in getting the book written.

I first heard of Bill Clegg's novel via reviews and the announcement that it has been long listed for the Man Booker. And then the National Book Award. These piqued my interest. Ed's remarks about the novel served to deepen that interest.

I cannot say I prefer Schteyngart's method. In order to recommend so thoroughly as to write a blurb about it, it's important that one reads the book. If he or she does not, then said blurbs are, to me, suspect. Perhaps others have a greater reverence when it comes to reading and recommending than Gary does.

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BRAKiasaurus - Sep 27, 2015

@kriscoffield Just a heads up, if you scroll down quite a bit, you'll find that jfieds2 read the book.

jfieds2

Jul 12, 2015
Has anyone mentioned THE SELLOUT by Paul Beatty and I missed it? Because this is my hands down current Pulitzer front runner. A brilliant satire of modern race relations. Given publIshing schedules, I assume he was working on it before many of the well-publicized police on black issues started, but one plot line makes me wonder. I normally prefer beautiful heartfelt writing to snarky comedy and satire, but this is an achievement. It will get nominations, at a minimum.

*****

Anyway, just thought you might want to know. Pretty enthusiastic praise! :)

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BRAKiasaurus - Sep 27, 2015

@JohnZ @BRAKiasaurus I don't have much to add to what you said other than this: I always check the acknowledgments section. Much of the time, the people offering blurbs are teachers, students, friends, etc., and so I am less likely to trust the hyperbole found in their praise. On the other hand, I know that those people have most certainly read the book in question...so that's something, I guess.

I've been wondering where I first heard about "Did You Ever Have a Family". It may have been when the Booker long list was released. (I have this feeling that I was among the first people to inquire about it on this forum, but I'm not certain. Not that it matters. Just that...I'm not sure where I first encountered it.) I was actually excited and interested about Clegg's book for a few reasons: obviously, it has fared well during the initial awards selections; the publisher seemed impressed enough by the quality of the novel that they formed a new imprint; the second (or third?) novel they are publishing next year is by Molly Prentiss. It is called "Tuesday Nights in 1980" and already has some solid reviews--but the subject matter (the art world in 80s New York) is one that I find endlessly fascinating. (I am a big fan of Basquiat but also the wild city that allowed someone like that to rise so quickly and die so young...I don't know...just holds a fascination for me.) And finally, his memoir was very well-received.

All of which is to say: it had nothing to do with blurbs. I was similarly happy to see Ed's endorsement of it--he hadn't really seemed terribly thrilled with any of this year's crop of longer fiction, so it his reaction was heartening.

I can't decide how I feel about Gary Schteyngart's method. It's almost like an act of performance art...and is moderately amusing. On the other hand, you could also make the argument that he is perpetuating a problem, not exposing it. Ah well...

I'll tell you this: having met Atticus Lish--a man who was unaware of who Jonathan Franzen was--he is one person whose opinion I will trust. I'm not sure you could buy an insincere quote from him if you tried. (I wish I knew who among this group has read his novel, actually. I think mrbenchly had. Ed started it, but the size of the font was off-putting, as I recall, so I think he put it down.)

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JohnZ - Sep 27, 2015

@BRAKiasaurus I'm cautious about blurbs, no matter the art form in which they're utilized; be they on the cover a book, the trailer of a film, the advertisement of a play, or the review of an album. The deal is this: There are lots of books being written, films being made, plays being produced, and albums being recorded. One is careful to pick that with which he or she wishes to spend time and to part with money.

I have been a biblio- and cinephile for a long time now. Being a writer, it is not, for me, merely a hobby or a means of being entertained and a way to pass the time. I also want to be informed, instructed, and to hone my own skills. I have certain authors, directors, actresses, playwright, bands, etc., whose work I have come to admire. Which is to say, when artists I like come out with a new book, play, film, album, etc., I will be reading, seeing, and listening to them, as they've earned my trust and approbation, and almost never disappoint me.

When it comes to artists with whose work I'm unfamiliar -- this is when I consider what others artists have written regarding blurbs. But for the blurbs to pique my interest or influence me in any way, they have to come from artists whom I trust.

For example, when I watch a movie trailer, I look for the names of those critics and filmmakers whose work I admire. There are some critics who, it has been revealed, offer positive reviews in exchange for receiving perks. These critics I ignore, for I understand their endorsements are not based purely on the film itself.

Regarding writers who offer blurbs, I consider what they have to say if I admire them and the work they've done. If Joyce Carol Oates praises a book by a writer whose work I've not read, chances are I'm going to consider reading that writer's new work, because I admire Ms. Oates so much. When Stephen King wrote a positive review about Donna Tartt's The Goldfinch, I became more interested in reading the novel. Recently, I stood in a bookstore and considered whether or not to buy Bill Clegg's Did You Ever Have a Family. I'd heard wonderful things about the novel; I knew it had been long listed for the National Book Award and the Man Booker Prize; but it was Michael Cunningham's and Anne Enright's glowing endorsements that more or less cinched the deal for me. I decided I was going to take a chance and buy Mr. Clegg's debut novel, and I'm so glad I did.

When Bret Easton Ellis's American Psycho was released, it came with a storm of controversy. I had read some of Ellis's other books and had enjoyed them. So I bought American Psycho. Midway through, I set it aside, not sure if I would finish it. I'm not prudish, but the novel was, I felt, so full of bad feeling and misogyny that I questioned whether I wanted to continue reading it. Then Norman Mailer wrote an article (I think it was in Esquire) about those elements which constitute "art," and the risks writers sometimes take in creating said art. In the article, he mentioned Ellis's novel. After reading the article, I picked up American Psycho and finished it. While not the best novel I've ever read, I was glad I read it. Had Mr. Mailer not written that article, I might well have not gone back to the novel.

Even on this forum, there have been books I've sought out because of endorsements made by other members whose opinions I trust. While he and I did not always see eye-to-eye regarding literature -- what each of us likes, after all, is influenced by aesthetic preferences -- my interest was also piqued when Ed Parks wrote so highly about Did You Ever Have a Family, which played a part in my seeking out the novel during a trip I made to my local bookstore. And, as I've said, the blurbs offered by Mr. Cunningham and Ms. Enright cinched the deal.

Which is all to say, when it comes to blurbs, I tend to pay attention to those which come from artists I admire and trust. I'm familiar with their work, have some idea of what they prefer as readers, and so am confident that what they like and admire, I might also like and admire.

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BRAKiasaurus - Sep 27, 2015

I think we've had this conversation before, haha:

http://www.npr.org/2015/09/27/429723002/forget-the-book-have-you-read-this-irresistible-story-on-blurbs

Interesting stuff.

BRAKiasaurus - Sep 27, 2015

By the way, your revelations about Toni Morrison's "Paradise" we're lovely. :)

BRAKiasaurus - Sep 27, 2015

It is possible there were misunderstandings on all sides. We can agree to disagree about MrBenchly's response. I do not believe Ed intended in any way to imply anything offensive, but as far as I can tell, you also were not privy to what he wrote. I have done my best to summarize his final comment on this forum--and I hope he wouldn't find it a mischaracterizarion--but without reading his phrasing directly, you are speculating about the intentions and implications of both Ed and mrbenchly (the latter of whom is still present and welcome to provide further insight).

Mrbenchly seems weary of Ed's "bemoaning" (and I must admit that I perceived a shift in his general tone after this past year's award toward something a little more antagonistic...it didn't bother me. Kept the forum interesting and active, but I did notice it).

Benchly thanked me recently for steering the conversation back to this year's books, a comment of which I think Ed may have taken note: when ey814 posted an article about prolific writers, Ed prefaced his response with a comment about inviting the ire of those who think this thread shouldn't deviate from speculating about the year's contenders. It is possible that the two (again, one of whom is still here, making me a little tentative to speak for him) were somewhat wary of each other.

I'm going to continue to post away here every day, and I hope Ed decides to return.

On a lighter note, I was going to read Groff's book next, but I may go ahead and dive into Clegg's novel and then Yanagihara's. Both have stirred up some controversy--on and off our site--and I better get to them quickly!!

1 (SAFE Rule 1)

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JohnZ - Sep 27, 2015

@BRAKiasaurus @JohnZ @kriscoffield BRAK, thank you for your response. However, saying Ed was not charged with being homophobic is not true. It DID happen (albeit in a veiled manner). Still, that doesn't expunge the intention of the charge.

All one needs to do is read the post which, I don't think it's inaccurate to say, provided the catalyst for Ed to remove himself from the forum. In said post, mrbenchly told Ed that he would ignore all of Ed's future comments, and that he simply didn't care what Ed thought. He referred to comments Ed had made, the whole of which, when taken, is this: mrbenchly in a veiled but blunt manner, suggested that Ed was homophobic. If not, what then was the purpose of mrbenchly's post? If not, why then did mrbenchly tell Ed that he would ignore all of Ed's future posts, and that he didn't care what Ed thought? Given the "archaic" comments mentioned, what conclusion is one to draw other than the charge of homophobia?

The disingenuity of the statements is evident. Especially when you consider the novel Ed has called the best of the year: a book written by a man who happens to be gay; praised by an extremely talented writer who happens to be gay; and, among its chorus of voices, has characters who are gay. If you haven't read Did You Ever Have a Family but plan to (and you should; it's a wonderful novel), I ask you to consider the chapters narrated by Rebecca. Perhaps you will agree that mrbenchly's charge is (again) disingenuous. It was unfair. And given Ed's comments about Mr. Clegg's novel, the charge made is also unjust. Certainly it was wounding, perhaps even offensive. Why else would Ed have removed himself from this forum?

Understand, if Ed had spoken of certain aspects to be found in Mr. Clegg's novel (viz., gay characters) in a derogatory manner, I wouldn't have had a problem with mrbenchly's post. But as Ed did not do that, and, in fact, said the novel was the best of the year, I found the charge insulting. Also: untrue.

Ed and I did not always agree when it came to books; however, who does? That said, I enjoyed our civil discourse. As a writer myself, I understand the importance of considering views that are sometimes dissimilar to my own -- provided, of course, that people are civil about it and are able to back up what they think with facts. By sharing ideas, by listening as well as offering what we think, makes for enlivening and educational exchanges.

I was excited to post on this forum how much I am enjoying Did You Ever Have a Family, and came home from work with the intention of writing that post and telling Ed that he and I are of a like mind where Mr. Clegg's beautiful novel is concerned.

Alas...

BRAKiasaurus - Sep 27, 2015

https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/jill-bialosky/the-prize-bialosky/

I saw this in the "Briefly Noted" section of the New Yorker. Piqued my interest. Anyone read it? Considering reading it?

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BRAKiasaurus - Sep 26, 2015

@kriscoffield I thought someone on this thread had read it--I keep hoping they'll chime in. I almost bought it from Moe's myself. Although it's early, given how great the critical reception was, I'm surprised that it hasn't yet shown up yet in any of the award long lists. My only question about it (and the thing that has kept me from buying it) is the phrase "comic novel". This phrase is often applied so broadly--from "Sabbath's Theater" to "Confederacy of Dunces" to "Freedom"--that I'm not certain what meaning the reviewer intends.

If you do pick it up, it'd be great to hear your thoughts!

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BRAKiasaurus - Sep 26, 2015

@JohnZ @kriscoffield By the way, this:

"It's important to be discerning before charging another human being as being homophobic, racist, bigoted, etc. And that's exactly what some on this board have done as regards Ed. "

...never happened.

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BRAKiasaurus - Sep 26, 2015

@JohnZ @kriscoffield Just to be clear: I think it incredibly unfortunate that EdParks left the forum. He had a lot of wonderful suggestions and was very active. I'd wager that he and I were two of the most active people here, actually (I check this a couple times a day as, it seems, did he). And if he happens to be quietly lingering out there watching this conversation unfold--albeit without an account--I want him to know that he is absolutely welcome here. If he chooses not to return, his absence will be felt by us all, a lot of good fiction missed.

(Just as an example: this year alone he has brought many, many short story collections to my attention. "Sweet Nothing" by Richard Lange is only on my radar because of EdParks.)

I do not feel he "cultivated an anachronistic attitude" in general--nor did I ever call him homophobic. Instead, my impression was that he lacked the language to diplomatically assert his preferences--and so the tone of his assertions was anachronistic and ran the risk of being offensive to some. He even apologized for the political incorrectness of calling "gay fiction" "outside of the mainstream". Unfortunately, in the same paragraph, he then went on to apply the same phrase ("outside of the mainstream") to the abuse that (I gather) is in Yanagihara's debut novel. There was an implied moral equivalence being drawn, however inadvertently, and I think it troubled some of the people on the forum.

His actual point, I think, was actually just a matter of preference; the language he used to explain the preference, unfortunate.

JohnZ, I understand your reaction here. The internet overreacts to everything.** On the other hand, EdParks overreacted as well. Perhaps he didn't realize that deleting his account would result in the visibly dramatic deletion of all his past comments, and perhaps he will return...Hell! for all I know, he could be the owner of a couple of the accounts that are active on this forum: EdParks may well in fact be the pprize.com's very own Andy Kaufman!

Even if EdParks never returns to us, let us hope that Tony Clifton surfaces in his place. And in the future, let's hope that this forum continues to be a place for speculation and civil debate.

**I don't necessarily agree with you that the "condemnation" was over the top or lacked civility. Mrbenchly simply pointed out what appeared to be a pattern and cited examples. MrBenchly then went on to say that, for him, this pattern undermined EdPark's other literary opinions and lamentations.

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JohnZ - Sep 26, 2015

@kriscoffield @JohnZ I understand Ed removed himself from the thread. However, the opinions that have been posted regarding Ed as cultivating an "anachronistic attitude" are disingenuous.

To be clear, I am also an ally for those whom society attempts to marginalize and condemn. As for the "bystander effect" to which you referred, I do not support it. Nor should views that propagate stereotypes remain "unchecked" (viz., ignored). What I've observed is that those who do not call out such views do so not out of "civility," but rather out of fear and temerity.

It's important to be discerning before charging another human being as being homophobic, racist, bigoted, etc. And that's exactly what some on this board have done as regards Ed.

It won't do.

To explain why it won't do, I offer some points that will, I think, offer something in the way of amelioration:

One of the last books about which Ed remarked on this site is called Did You Ever Have a Family. It was written by Bill Clegg, who is gay; it was praised by Michael Cunningham, who is gay. At no point in discussing the book did Ed say, "Well, even though it's written by a gay man..." or "Even though a writer who is gay praised it..." Etc.

But there's more. Did You Ever Have a Family is written polyphonically. In the story, we read about a plethora of characters -- much as Faulkner did in As I Lay Dying, and Martin did in The Bright Forever -- who, in their individual tellings, offer us pieces of a story that moves toward an encompassing view of the plot. As it happens, each of these characters is distinct in his or her own way. What's more, some of the characters in the story are (you probably guessed it) gay.

Which is all to say, there are people on this board who have leveled charges of homophobia and prejudice against a person who has praised a recently published book as being the best of the year -- a book written by a man who is gay, praised by a writer who is gay, and in which there exist gay characters.

It's too easy to judge others. In fact, it's a more commonplace practice now than it used to be -- a sad truth. However, before people starting throwing stones, they should do their best to understand whether or not their charges have veracity. For words can wound. This is especially so when those words are not entirely accurate.

Understand, my intention is not to be rude. But as you stated in your post, it's wrong to adopt a "bystander view" when you observe actions made by others that may be harmful and divisive.

DavidPetersen - Sep 26, 2015

What was discriminatory in what Ed said? I disliked a Little Life, I don't like gay (or straight) novels. Don't get me wrong I wouldn't mind being gay, who cares, and I still wouldn't like a little life. Id be more interested in understanding what Ed meant. Had he said he doesn't like gays then that's different. I hate Religious novels, doesn't mean I hate religion.

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kriscoffield - Sep 26, 2015

@JohnZ While I'm saddened to see someone remove themselves from our thread, I have to push back on your warning about condemnation. As someone who grew up in the "New South" and serves as an ally to minorities in their fights for rights, I find "anachronistic" attitudes, to borrow Brak's word, deeply unsettling. More unsettling still is our society's penchant for the "bystander effect," whereby harmful views and actions are left unchecked for sake of "civility." Ed is entitled to his views, just as he is entitled to remove them from our discussion–something he did voluntarily, it should be noted. Where those views propagate stereotypes and "values" that marginalize communities, however, they must be openly questioned. To do otherwise is to reproduce the conditions of possibility in which discrimination flourishes.

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JohnZ - Sep 26, 2015

I came here to mention a novel I started reading recently, and I discovered that Ed has deleted his comments. This is unfortunate. While he and I have not always shared similar opinions and ideas about the Pulitzers and the choices made regarding the books and collections that have been given the prize, I have enjoyed the conversations we've shared. It's possible for people not to see eye-to-eye, as it were, and still be able to engage in interesting dialogues.

Initially, I was confused by the absence of Ed's posts. Then I read some of the other posts and realized what had happened. As far as my feeling regarding literature are concerned, I feel as BRAK does. Literature is literature. The concept of injecting it with division regarding a plethora of elements performs a disservice. A good story is a good story; and, if anything, books at their best touch upon universal truths that are intrinsic to our species. When I read a book, I don't think about characters fitting specific stereotypes or demographics; rather, I see the characters as human, bearing mind and heart and dimension (as long as the writing is good, of course).

But the divisions that have been made and continue to be perpetuated -- both in art and the world -- are disheartening. So many borders and restrictions are erected that attempt to pigeonhole and narrow minds that I cannot sometimes help but feel disheartened. There's enough enmity in the world already; one wonders why there are people who wish only to cause more. No doubt it has something to do with fear, willful ignorance, and control.

I often think of Toni Morrison's work. Despite the attempts of some to place her books in a box, she writes first and foremost about what it means to be human. To think and feel. To survive. I think even she has grown restive regarding others' desires to present her as a stereotype. Consider Paradise. That novel begins with a massacre of a number of women, and the first sentence is: "They shoot the white girl first." Following this, the reader learns about the lives of each of these women. As one gets through the early chapters, he or she is tempted to wonder: Which girl is the white girl? He or she considers information Ms. Morrison gives regarding the women's lives, and based on it, tries to discern is this one the white girl? Or is it that one? Or is it...? Until the truth and power of the story slam down with the force of a two-by-four: The color of the women's skin doesn't matter one iota. What matters is that they are human beings. The insidious manner in which prejudice can lurk in minds is brought forcefully to the fore.

In order to read, be moved, and informed by Ms. Morrison's work, I do not need to be of a specific type; neither sex nor pigmentation need apply. All I have to be is human, discerning, and capable of empathy. This is what the best art reminds us of again and again.

Anyway, I was saddened to see Ed's comments had been deleted. As I stated earlier, I began reading a new book which, I believe, Ed said he thought was the best novel of the year: Bill Clegg's Did You Ever Have a Family. It is a special novel. Quite powerful. Certainly well-written. A contemplation on grief, forgiveness, and connection. It's not sentimental; it's raw and blunt and beautiful. It takes no prisoners. It is an important novel.

I came here tonight wanting to tell Ed that I agree with him; that Mr. Clegg's novel may well be the best of the year. But then I saw others who believe Ed's remarks about other novels and novelists were homophobic (viz., A Little Life; Michael Cunningham). Not that it should matter, but given the responses to some of Ed's posts, I think it's prudent to let up on the condemnation a bit. For the novel Ed wrote of with such admiration was written by a man who is gay (Bill Clegg), and it has also been praised by another man who is gay (Michael Cunningham), who said he read it in a night, woke up the following morning, and read it again.

If I'm not incorrect, Ed's primary problem with A Little Life was that it veered so relentlessly into melodrama. Then, after hearing about the author's intentions regarding the novel (viz., utilizing the elements found in melodrama was an intentional choice), Ed revised his views.

Which is all to say, we do not always have to agree. Provided one does not reduce him- or herself to being offensive or pandering to propaganda and hate, and also provided that he or she offers thoughts and ideas that are well-rounded, it is possible to be in conflict without usurping civility.

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kriscoffield - Sep 25, 2015

Hey everyone! Just curious to know people's take on THE SELLOUT. Saw it at City Lights, almost picked it up. Didn't, opting for some theoretical works to inform my scholarly projects. Worth reading?

jjose712 - Sep 25, 2015

@BRAKiasaurus The turner house is in the short list of the Flaherty Dunnan award for first novel. That awards is usually not a good predictor for the Pulitzer (or the NBA). With a few exception the first novel that make some impact on NBA or Pulitzer are not even nominated to the Flaherty Dunnan (well, at least in the shortlist, because the longlist is really long). Of course there are some exceptions like Billy Lynn's long halftime walk or The yellow birds

DavidPetersen - Sep 24, 2015

I hope Ed comes back. I never post here, I did try to post once but it never went through. I enjoy Ed's comments. I didn't like "a little life" for many of the same reasons as Ed. We aren't all going to agree, I consider myself incredibly progressive, and I didn't see Ed's comment, but I don't care for "gay" or "straight" novels, I just like novels driven by characters. I doubt that makes sense, I'm just a guy that reads to escape, but I hope Ed comes back.

BRAKiasaurus - Sep 23, 2015

I haven't heard much about Jesse Ball's "A Cure for Suicide"...maybe it will fall off the shortlist? Curious if anyone has read it. Same goes for "The Turner House".

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BRAKiasaurus - Sep 23, 2015

@mrbenchly While I"m not sure EdParks intended his comments to sound offensive, I absolutely agree with you, mrbenchly, that his opinions around "gay fiction" were strikingly anachronistic (and also repeated again and again with regards to Michael Cunningham, Yanagihara, etc.).

(As an aside, I actually don't like the segmentation of literature into race, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, etc. It is all literature--and when fiction is good, it is important, it is beautiful, and it teaches us about own humanity.)

It appears that EdParks has deleted all of his comments on the forum. Strikes me as an overreaction--and a particularly unfortunate one, given that this could instead have been an opportunity to have a more in depth dialogue about the subject.

A curious development--unexpected drama in our little corner of the internet--but I am glad that you, mrbenchly, spoke up. I hadn't yet decided quite how to respond.

1 (SAFE Rule 1)

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mrbenchly - Sep 23, 2015

@EdParks You'll forgive me if I ignore all of your future comments, but after such archaic statements ("I don't particularly enjoy reading gay fiction"; "It would have been a much better novel if Jude had been a woman"; "I just want her to choose her subject matter more judiciously in the future."), I simply don't care what you think.

For sinking to this level, I apologize to my fellow bibliophiles whose opinions I value immensely, and specifically to Tom. I'm just tired of the monopolization of this forum by the constant bemoaning of someone who has now revealed he thinks a novel about the social and emotional lives of gay men is not a judicious choice. Such telling commentary.

BRAKiasaurus - Sep 21, 2015

@EdParks I haven't, but I picked up the first volume. I read a review of the second volume that made me a wee bit worried about the novel: the reviewer said that characters encounter famous people with a slightly unbelievable frequency. Forrest Gumpery. But I'm also very curious about the scope of it--including the fact that the final volume heads into the future (i I'm not mistaken).

jjose712 - Sep 21, 2015

@EdParks @BRAKiasaurus Everybody has their preferences, but the truth is in awards heterosexuality is the norm. Very few novels with prominent gay themes receive awards (maybe i'm wrong but the last novel with gay content that receive a big award was Alan Hollinghurst the line of beauty which won the Man booker prize on 2004).

Right now gay characters are more common but generally novels that receive critics attention have a good bunch of main characters (The interestings, The art of fielding) one of them being gay. Of course there's exceptions like After the parade by Lori Ostlund which is nominated to the Flaherty Dunnan.

One curious thing is most of those authors are heterosexual

BRAKiasaurus - Sep 20, 2015

Curious what about the subject matter of Yanagihara's novel lies outside of the mainstream?

And based on what I have heard about "Purity", I think you are probably correct.

BRAKiasaurus - Sep 20, 2015

"Fortune Sniles" has been very well-received, but my bet is on "Fates and Furies". Johnson always writes--arguably even in OMS--with a sense of humor and a satirical edge. His first novel was received as basically full of brilliance and energy, but ultimately deemed uneven and often unsuccessful. He takes a lot of risks.

I thought you had come around on "Little Life"? I haven't read it yet, but I remember being surprised to see you even conceding that, we're it to win the Pulitzer, you wouldn't be unhappy with the outcome.

So far, you primarily hoping the award goes to a short story collection?

BRAKiasaurus - Sep 18, 2015

@EdParks @ey814 @BRAKiasaurus Actually, Bill Clegg also is the agent for Eileen: A Novel by Ottessa Moshfegh, which was featured on the cover of the NY Times book review. I picked it up specifically because of his track record with other books and how enthusiastic he was about it.

Also, regarding Nell Zink: You may have heard of her last year. Her novel "the Wallcreeper" was on the NY Times' 100 notable books. Also, she and Franzen have a unique relationship--she began writing, in fact, because of Franzen. According to wikipedia, she said, "I was so tired of Franzen saying that I should take myself seriously as a writer and I wanted to make very clear that there's a very clear distinction between taking your career seriously and taking your writing seriously. So I wrote the first part of a new novel, called The Wallcreeper, in just four days to show him that I knew what I was doing as a writer."Her new novel "Mislaid" was very well-reviewed, but I haven't picked it up yet. A little additional insight: http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/05/18/outside-inedit

BRAKiasaurus - Sep 18, 2015

@EdParks Really glad to hear you enjoyed it!

AlexKerner - Sep 17, 2015

@BRAKiasaurus i didn't think it particularly special. His whole multi perspective approach has gotten old there are so many problematic thematic problems that it really loses steam. Franzen is a wonderful writer and there are elements that are just a joy to read, but he too often comes off as too smart (or believing he is smarter than he is) and at times that is grating.

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ey814 - Sep 17, 2015

@EdParks @BRAKiasaurus I'd forgotten Honeydew was out there for consideration... I'm glad it made the long list. Interesting information about Clegg and Groff!

BRAKiasaurus - Sep 17, 2015

Which four for you? I think I'm hearing about only one (the debut) for the very first time...but I have about three about which I've heard very little. (Ball, Flournoy, and Bender)

ey814 - Sep 17, 2015

@EdParks @BRAKiasaurus No Franzen.

ey814 - Sep 17, 2015

Jesse Ball "A Cure for Suicide"

Bill Clegg "Did you Ever Have a Family"

Karen Bender "Refund"

Angela Flournoy "The TUrner House"

Lauren Groff "Fates and Furies"

Adam Johnson "Fortune Smiles"

T. Geronimo Johnson "Welcome to Braggsville"

Edith Pearlman "Honeydew"

Hanya Yanagihara "A Little Life"

Nell Zink "Mislaid"

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BRAKiasaurus - Sep 17, 2015

I forgot about Zink's and Pearlman's books. Seen "Refund" at the store--even picked it up to review the cover--but it's up against strong contenders. "The Turner House" was not on my radar at all. It is a debut and, just based on its competition, an unlikely winner.

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BRAKiasaurus - Sep 17, 2015

Jesse Ball, A Cure for Suicide (Pantheon Books)

Karen E. Bender, Refund: Stories (Soft Skull/Counterpoint Press)

Bill Clegg, Did You Ever Have a Family (Scout Press/Simon & Schuster)

Angela Flournoy, The Turner House (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)

Lauren Groff, Fates and Furies (Riverhead Books/Penguin Random House)

Adam Johnson, Fortune Smiles: Stories (Random House)

T. Geronimo Johnson, Welcome to Braggsville (William Morrow/HarperCollins)

Edith Pearlman, Honeydew (Little, Brown/Hachette Book Group)

Hanya Yanagihara, A Little Life (Doubleday/Penguin Random House)

Nell Zink, Mislaid (Ecco/HarperCollins)

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ey814 - Sep 17, 2015

@BRAKiasaurus @EdParks Agree that Fates and Furies seems to be coming on strong. Also give Above the Waterfall a good chance. I think it would be a surprise if Watchman made the list, but one never knows. Books that are published in 2015 are eligible, even if they've not been released yet, so Marra and McCann might show up....

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BRAKiasaurus - Sep 17, 2015

@EdParks @ey814 Must agree with Ed completely. I assume long list is 10? If I had to guess all 10 (admittedly, without having read all of the following), I'd say:

Did You Ever Have a Family?Fates and Furies

Welcome to Braggsville

In the Country

The Dying Grass

A Little Life

Purity

The Book of Aron

Fortune Smiles

The Visiting Privilage

A Hand Reached Down to Guide Me

Alternate possibilities:

Infinite Home

There's Something I Want You to Do

Among the Ten Thousand Things

Saint Mazie

The Sunken Cathedral

But there may well be a surprise or two in there. Agree with Ed that "Our Souls at Night" might get a nod, but I would be shocked by "Watchman".

I'm not sure what the rules mandate in this case, either. I assume books that remain as yet unpublished (but which are due to be published this fall) could be eligible? If so, there is a chance that Charles Bock, Garth Risk Hallberg, Anthony Marra, McCann etc., could all find their way into that list.

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ey814 - Sep 16, 2015

Okay, National Book Award long list comes out tomorrow. Any predictions? I think we'll see A Little Life, Purity, and Did you Ever Have a Family. What else?

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ey814 - Sep 15, 2015

@EdParks I agree that there is a wind behind A Little Life. On Thursday, the National Book Award long list is announced. I would not at all be surprised to see it on that list. I like that your take on a book is altered by listening to an author. The most recent time that has happened to me was with Paul Harding's Enon. I read the book, and felt it was almost unrelenting. I was, at some level, upset that it seemed so absolutely depressing. Then, I saw Harding at a reading, and he basically said he felt the same way but had no choice... it was the way the story played out. I left liking the book a lot more.

DavidPetersen - Sep 15, 2015

I always enjoy your comments, and I have been lurking for almost a year now. I just want to say I 100% agree with your review of A Little Life, and for me the author's comments were intriguing, but it definitely doesn't fix the novel for me.

I was a bit surprised you didn't love Preparation for the Next Life. I am curious if you are a fan of the author Wally Lamb, if you don't mind me asking.

jjose712 - Sep 15, 2015

@EdParks There's so little history of the man booker accepting novels from american writers that it's impossible to know if it will have some impact (positive or negative) on american awards (which tend to be diverse themselve).

So many contradictory opinions about A little life really have me intrigued (at least with so much recognition the probabilities of being published here in Spain increase).

I'm still reading some of the candidates of 2013, i read the goldfich last year, and the flamethrowers and Someone this summer (i will read the interestings soon and The son in november). From the ones i read Someone is my favourite.

From this year's contenders probably only Purity will be published here this year

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BRAKiasaurus - Sep 15, 2015

@jfieds2 I agree that it was a very very good book. Footnotes didn't put me off in the slightest. I admit I had to take a couple stabs at the novel, but that was more about where I was at than it was about the book. Junot Diaz, DF Wallace, among others have used footnotes to great effect (and, hell, even won the pulitzer!).

At this point, I am hoping that a racially relevant novel gets some recognition from the Pulitzer board. Quality first, but importance is what some of the recent winners have been missing. We're moving into the time when many of the prize-type books are released...so who knows what the year may yet hold! I'm getting excited about "Fates and Furies". Still not convinced that "Purity" is a novel that I need to pick up with any sense of urgency (although admittedly I picked up a signed copy and wandered around the store with it in my hands for awhile). EdParks may well be right: we may see at least one short story collection nominated this year. Excited about Marra's sophomore book; can't wait to read Joy Williams' collection (I have an ARC of both but have lent them out to friends).

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jfieds2 - Sep 14, 2015

I am 1/2 through THE SUNKEN CATHEDRAL. Although endings can sometimes make me change my entire opinion on a book, so far, I'd have to say, it's the best thing I've read this year. More soon.

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BRAKiasaurus - Sep 14, 2015

https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books/fates-and-furies-review-a-masterful-tale-of-marriage-and-secrets/2015/09/09/85cbadd4-4c08-11e5-84df-923b3ef1a64b_story.html

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BRAKiasaurus - Sep 14, 2015

What do Franzen fans think? Is "purity" a potential winner? Very curious!

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BRAKiasaurus - Sep 12, 2015

Lauren Groff's "fate and furies" is getting very positive reviews.

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BRAKiasaurus - Sep 12, 2015

I happen to have an ARC of THAT as well! (Gotten lucky on them recently)--a friend is reading it, and then I'm going to. I am very excited as well!

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Marybethking - Sep 12, 2015

I'm excited for Anthony Marra's new book- 'The Tsar of Love and Techno.'

BRAKiasaurus - Sep 10, 2015

@ey814 I will send you my ARC when I'm finished with it if you'd like. I haven't gotten to it yet, so it may be a month before I'm finished. Let me know if you're interested.

ey814 - Sep 10, 2015

@EdParks @BRAKiasaurus "Walking to Gatlinburg" is my favorite book by Mosher, though I've liked several by him. Worth reading, I believe. I liked "The QUick and the Dead" (which was a Pulitzer finalist) by Joy Williams, but haven't read anything else by her, though she was also a National Book Award finalist for her first book, State of Grace. Short stories do seem to be what she's most widely hailed for, so my sense is The Visiting Privilege is worth keeping an eye on... I'm still trying to hunt down an ARC.

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BRAKiasaurus - Sep 10, 2015

@EdParks @ey814 I really enjoyed her novel that was a finalist for the pulitzer. Strange mix of magical realism and...hm...I don't quite know, honestly. I do recall it having a ghost.

I should revisit it.

In the meantime, I have an ARC of her new collection, and short stories are what she is most famous for.

JohnZ - Sep 9, 2015

@EdParks @ey814 I love Mr. Stegner's work, but I must go with Angle of Repose: I think it's his best. Which I mean in no way as a rebuke of Crossing to Safety. In Angle, Mr. Stegner sustains a poignant and solemn thread throughout the ever-spanning reaches of a wonderful epic. Generational and filial echoes; a great love of terrain that can be both beautiful and unforgiving; the ties that both bind and sever; one's sense of identity and disposition that is disclosed through ancestry. It's a beautiful work of art.

As for Smith and King, I go with Mr. King, as well. He deserves more credit for his intelligence, skill, and talent than most people give him. It's nice to see he's finally being celebrated. Anyone in doubt of his writing and storytelling abilities would do well to read (among others) Lisey's Story, The Man in the Black Suit, The Reach, The Dead Zone, and Bag of Bones.

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JohnZ - Sep 9, 2015

@EdParks I am he who noted the use of certain colors in Pulitzer Prize-winning novels. Specifically: red and blue. I can't think of a single Pulitzer novel in which the colors fail to appear. It was something that, as I read each of the winner, I started to observe more and more, as if it were some coded motif. Now, come each April, when a new novel or collection is named, and I start to read the new winner, I can't help but to look for said motif. And it's always there.

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ey814 - Sep 8, 2015

@EdParks (my long, well-written reply didn't post for some reason, so this one may be less well written :-)

Yes, I was thinking of Jeff Bridges as I typed Terms of Endearment, meaning Last Picture Show. I shouldn't rely on my memory! I agree with you completely about Duane, and would love to see a sequel to Picture Show. I lived in Dallas for 20 years and made several trips up to Archer City to see the town and, of course, go to McMurtry's bookstore.

I own an ARC of Above the waterfall. I think Rash is among a group of authors who could, with any book, soar into the next level... folks like Rash, Rick Bass, Howard Frank Mosher, and others.

Speaking of which, Joy Williams has a new short story collection out today.

BRAKiasaurus - Sep 8, 2015

@BRAKiasaurus I guess I would be remiss if we didn't at least throw "Purity" onto this list.

Did anyone else read Charles Bock's debut? I'm curious--given that it has been, what, seven, eight years since his debut--what his second attempt will yield. I think EdParks remained unimpressed with "Beautiful Children", but I haven't heard anyone else's opinions.

It is one of those signed books that has traveled with me through my moves around the country as I followed my career (only to wind up on the west coast in a very literary area), but I only read the first couple chapters. Impressively written, those. But I need to revisit it and read it in its entirety.

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ey814 - Sep 7, 2015

@EdParks @ey814 Good points... I've been a long time Larry McMurtry reader, through good and bad. Lonesome Dove is easily one of my all time favorites... I loved all of the Duane books and when the last one was published, went back and re-read the series starting with Terms of Endearment going sequentially through until Rhino Ranch, and I would keep reading Duane books if he were to continue to write them! I'm frankly glad he's prolific (though Loop Group was one of the worst novels I've ever read!).

I was reading a biographical account of William Gaddis, and it mentioned that his first novel, The Recognitions, was published to little or no fanfare, and it was only when his second novel, JR was published (and won the National Book Award) that The Recognitions gained an audience and favor. When Time magazine published it's list of the 100 best English-language novels from 1923-2005, The Recognitions was the only Gaddis novel listed. So, I suspect I agree and disagree on the "no great novels buried in an author's back catalog" sentiment... I think that's almost always true, but there are the few novels like the Recognition that seem to suggest otherwise. Though, I agree it's very rare. As for unpublished, I guess we look at Confederacy of Dunces as an exception to that rule (though if I recall, you're not a big fan of the book!).

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AlexKerner - Sep 6, 2015

@BRAKiasaurus i am quite enjoying it actually. Listening to the audiobook, which is very well done. I can see all the annoyances. franzen is pompous and he shows off his vocabulary a little too much, and he uses his stories to take digs at his pet peeves, and god his sex scenes are almost an embarrassment to read...but i still find the book enjoyable and the plot is considerably more engaging IMO compared to Freedom. Enjoying it and recommend it.

BRAKiasaurus - Sep 4, 2015

I have an ARC of "the visiting privilege"--stay tuned!

Also, I was more excited about Watkins' book before I learned it was a dystopian novel. Oh well, good writer nevertheless.

ey814 - Sep 4, 2015

@BRAKiasaurus

The Visiting Privilege: New and Collected Stories by Joy Williams

Gold Fame Citrus by Claire Vaye Watkins

Above the Waterfall by Ron Rash

Mothers, Tell Your Daughters: Stories by Bonnie Jo Campbell

Thirteen Ways of Looking by Colum McCann

Avenue of Mysteries by John Irving

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ey814 - Sep 3, 2015

@jfieds2 Very cool! Will this be the book that gets him the Pulitzer he almost certainly deserves? I'm looking forward to reading it!

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jfieds2 - Sep 3, 2015

New DeLillo next year.

from a newsletter:

Absent from yesterday's news about Don DeLillo's lifetime achievement National Book Award but found in online catalogs is news that Scribner will publish his next novel, ZERO K, on May 10, 2016. They say the 288-page book "weighs the darkness of the world-terrorism, floods, fires, famine, plague-against the beauty and humanity of everyday life; love, awe, 'the intimate touch of earth and sun.'" It's about a billionaire in failing health who is the primary investor in a secret compound where death is exquisitely controlled and bodies are preserved until a future time when biomedical advances and new technologies can return them to a life of transcendent promise -- and his son, who is committed to living, to experiencing "the mingled astonishments of our time, here, on earth."

ey814 - Sep 3, 2015

http://www.themillions.com/2015/09/thats-too-much-the-problem-with-prolific-writers.html

Thoughts?

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JohnZ - Sep 2, 2015

@EdParks @BRAKiasaurus @JohnZ Again, it's a matter of aesthetics, I think. Given your list of authors, it appears you prefer older works. Which is fine. I enjoy them, too. Anyone who denies him- or herself the pleasure of disappearing into Tolstoy, Melville, Dostoevsky, Fauklner, etc. -- well, that's just unfortunate. Quite sad, too.

But, given the lack of their posterity, denying modern authors the mantle of "great" (even "classic": for example, Ms. Morrison's Beloved) is equally unfortunate and sad, I think. Sometimes you read something -- and others read it, too -- and you know you're dealing with something special: a work of art that informs and sustains you; that works in a manner that's almost alchemical: a transmogrification occurs, in that you finish reading a book and discover you're not quite the same person you were before you read it. Your eyes and mind open wider; your worldview broadens; you discover how huge, wonderful, frightening, infuriating, and empathetic the world can be (for example: Mr. Johnson's The Orphan Master's Son, and Mr. Olen Butler's A Good Scent from a Strange Mountain).

I understand Mr. McMurtry didn't think Lonesome Dove was "all that." It began as a screenplay for a film that never got made, so Mr. McMurtry decided to write it as a novel. And thank goodness he did! But even for his, shall we say, bemusement concerning Dove's reception, the fact remains that he wrote a wonderful novel -- yes: a classic. Gus and Call will live long in the memories of readers. As will so many others: Newt, Lorena, Jake, Clara Allen (possibly my favorite character in the novel), July, Blue Duck... the list goes on and on.

Funny thing: I neither love nor despise (for wont of a better term) "western-themed" fiction. It's not the first thing I choose to read, though I will read it, wanting to open my mind and give myself a chance to warm up to it. During those years when I was reading all of the Pulitzer winners in fiction, I had ample opportunities to "warm up" (ha ha). Mr. Guthrie's The Way West and Mr. Davis's Honey in the Horn turned out to be far more enjoyable than I initially thought they would be. Ms. Wilson's The Able McLaughlins was a pleasant surprise.

So many of the Pulitzer winners in the early part of the last century dealt, on some level or other, with pioneer life. And while my intention isn't to disparage those novels (which offered me much pleasure and insight to a time during which I had not been born to observe and experience) none of them comes close to Lonesome Dove. Mr. Stegner's Angle of Repose comes close, but Lonesome Dove was just too pleasant an experience to knock it down a peg.

After I finished Dove, I told friends and family about it (one of my strengths or weaknesses, depending on how you approach it: When I read something great, or see a film that is equally great, I tend to be loquacious about it). One friend of mine, when I told her about Dove, wrinkled her nose and said, "I don't' read westerns." To which I said, "It's a great story that just happens to take place in the West. Give it a try." And what do you know? One day I arrived at work, and the same friend -- who had just finished reading Dove -- could not seem to stop talking about it. I saw in her expression the excitement and joy that I'm sure were in my own when I talked to people about Dove. That was a good day.

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JohnZ - Sep 2, 2015

@EdParks @JohnZ @BRAKiasaurus One of the added joys of reading that I've discovered is going back to books I haven't read in decades, visiting them again, and discovering how my feelings might (or might not) have changed.

When reading a book, even though the words are the same (aside from translations of Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, and the like), everyone "sees" the story through the filter or his or her singular imagination. In addition, we bring our own life experiences and opinions to art. As we grow (one hopes), we change (one hopes), so that going back to something we read long ago becomes a somewhat new -- maybe even heightened -- experience.

As for "getting too old" -- phsaw! As long as we're willing to surrender and have an open mind, we continue to be works-in-progress.

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JohnZ - Sep 2, 2015

@BRAKiasaurus @JohnZ @EdParks I've been reading The Feud. Do you know, I have yet to encounter a page that fails to draw a chuckle or an outright burst of surprised laughter from me? The clarity of the prose, the manner in which Mr. Berger is "setting up" the havoc undoubtedly to follow -- it's done so well that one is almost tempted to take the writing for granted. No sooner are you introduced to the Beeler and Bullard clans, Reverton, etc., that you feel as if you've already spent an entire novel with them. Mr. Berger's sharp observations and the choices he makes -- both in the details he offers and the prose itself -- are simply that spot-on.

To date, when asked about the funniest novels I've read, A Confederacy of Dunces and Straight Man (Richard Russo) head the list. Should The Feud continue to unfurl as it has thus far, I'm thinking I've another novel to add to my list.

I love Ironweed. It's a novel about which I still think from time to time. I'll be going through a day, filled with its various details and considerations, and into my mind will pop Helen and Francis and Rudy. I'll find myself humming "He's Me Pal" and thinking of Helen's kimono (or is it funeral shroud?) with its moon and stars motif. Francis's dark journey into the past; his reckoning with the fractures of the present. "Where's your plumage now, Mother?" "It was a mighty nice little room" that caught the "morning light." And I find myself overwhelmed again. And grateful.

That said, The Feud is turning out to be quite an experience: something with which the Pulitzer jury of its year would, I think, doubtless agree. How simply and devastatingly something so innocuous as an unlit stogie can act as the catalyst to impish mayhem. Poor Dolf. Poor Tony. Poor everybody!

Because of this, I am again re-examing my ambivalence regarding works of art being placed into contention. Great work is great work, after all: it should be recognized as such. Then again, we're a species that enjoys its approbation.

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BRAKiasaurus - Sep 2, 2015

Maureen Corrigan also has mixed feelings about "Purity", it seems.

http://www.npr.org/2015/09/02/436593413/franzens-latest-novel-an-ambitious-but-tarnished-purity

I'll keep my fingers crossed. I like the premise of the book.

cbmsb - Sep 2, 2015

@BRAKiasaurus @mrbenchly Lucia Berlin is deceased.

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AlexKerner - Sep 1, 2015

@BRAKiasaurus @mrbenchly

a few others getting some buzz...

Delicious Foods

Kitchens of the Great Midwest

Fates and Furies

BRAKiasaurus - Sep 1, 2015

@mrbenchly @BRAKiasaurus Agree! I think we have hit a lull, and it has caused more reflection on old titles and, for lack of a better term, regrets. We are thankfully heading into the fall, however, when the heavy hitters tend to be released. And then it's on into the awards season! So far--to unnecessarily summarize--it seems like the favorites (or promising titles) I've heard mentioned are:

A Manual for Cleaning Women

Purity

Did You Ever Have a Family

The Sellout

Welcome to Braggsville

Sweet Nothing

In the Country

A Little Life

The Tsar of Love and Techno

If I'm missing anything, feel free to add on.

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BRAKiasaurus - Sep 1, 2015

I will receive Bill Clegg's novel tomorrow.

I'm passing on "Purity" for now but if a used copy shows up somewhere, I'll consider it. The NPR review of the book by Roxane Gay (which is titled "A Compelling Plot Gives Way to Farce in Franzen's 'Purity'") put me in mind of exactly what puts me off of his work. "But, for every wonderful piece of prose, for every masterful stroke in this novel, there is the stuff that was simply distracting, if not alienating and infuriating. For all its extravagant ambition, the book is full of self-indulgent nonsense."

Having just read a 930 page book that was both compelling and yet completely uneven, I think I'll pass for now.

"The Incarnations", which will not be eligible for the Pulitzer, sounds incredibly promising. Looking forward to that one. :)

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mrbenchly - Sep 1, 2015

@BRAKiasaurus I have not but I do appreciate you steering the conversation in this 2016 Prediction page back toward one about books published this year. This comment thread has, for the last 8 years, been my radar for potential prize-winners I should read and I appreciate all the tips I can get.

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BRAKiasaurus - Aug 31, 2015

@EdParks @BRAKiasaurus @JohnZ Perhaps, but I doubt our standards are that different. I'm surprised you would disagree about "Beloved" or "A Death in the Family", Updike's work or "Ironweed". Even if you didn't appreciate them all, certainly there must be at least a handful in JohnZ's list that you believe to be among the best fiction our country has produced?

BRAKiasaurus - Aug 31, 2015

@JohnZ @BRAKiasaurus @EdParks The Feud actually reminded me at times--tonally--of "Confederacy". I understand why "Ironweed" was insisted upon, but man, I really enjoyed "The Feud".

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JohnZ - Aug 31, 2015

@EdParks @BRAKiasaurus @JohnZ Confederacy of Dunces: Let some time pass, then go back and read it again. It's something special.

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JohnZ - Aug 31, 2015

@BRAKiasaurus @EdParks @JohnZ What you observed about Rabbit, Run, can, I think, be found in all of the Rabbit books. Each encapsulated a decade -- one during which Mr. Updike kept a notebook and wrote down interesting news stories and details concerning pop culture. It's a series ripe for a time capsule, as there seems to be in it just about everything that reveals what it was like to live in all of the decades the novels considered.

I enjoyed All the Light We Cannot See. Is it the best Pulitzer novel in recent memory? No. But it wasn't a horrible novel.

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JohnZ - Aug 31, 2015

@BRAKiasaurus @JohnZ @EdParks The Moor's Account is one of the books I've been reading, and it is very good. It's on the Booker long list, too. Lovely prose and imagery.

I'm in agreement concerning Beloved. Considering novels that have been published in the latter part of the century, I think it's the one that will sustain interest, admiration, and dialogue one hundred, two hundred, etc., years from now. The characters, the theme, the structure, the quality of the writing -- an exceptional novel on all counts.

As for The Road... I am in agreement again. It's not McCarthy's best novel (that would be Blood Meridian). There are some good passages in The Road; however, the novel was too manipulative. McCarthy creates a brutal landscape filled with savage people, puts a man and his son into it, and even for all the violence, danger, and degradation, the two manage to get out of fixes at the last second. It's more a nick-of-time novel than anything. And what about the pared-down prose? Perhaps McCarthy was interested in reflecting in the choice a kind of symbol of the depletion of the world he was describing. But what I felt, as a result, was that I was reading the notes to what might have become a novel. The Echo Maker, and perhaps The Lay of the Land (not perfect, but quite good), would have gotten my vote that year.

We both know how each of us feels about Lee's book, so we'll leave it at that (ha ha).

I have The Feud and have started to read it. Ah, Berger. Such wit.

BRAKiasaurus - Aug 31, 2015

@EdParks @JohnZ (Meanwhile, I notice I wrote "cannon" instead of "canon". Now's as good a time as any to say that I share your lament about the inability to edit comments, EdParks.)

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BRAKiasaurus - Aug 31, 2015

@EdParks @BRAKiasaurus @JohnZ Yes, the first three you mentioned are absolutely great novels and belong in our cannon.

"Catch 22" and "Revolutionary Road" are both wonderful, and I actually haven't read "The Edge of Sadness". The Pulitzer committee clearly gets it wrong sometimes--consider, for example, their dismissive tone of "Rabbit, Run". Of that novel, they said that Updike "lavished major talent on minor themes." I couldn't disagree more. I would consider "Rabbit, Run" a great novel, a book which spoke to its time and was a reaction against--or, rather, a grounded, realistic examination of the consequences ignored by the idealism in--Kerouac's "On the Run". The judges clearly missed how big, in a way, the themes actually were. That said, it was published the same year as "To Kill a Mockingbird", which (despite being what we could now consider YA fiction) clearly deserved the award.

As to AtLWCS, I haven't read it yet. Still working my way through the crop of this year's books. (For example, I think the next book I will read--as I just finished "City on Fire" and am wrapping three short story collections--will be "The Incarnations" and then, probably, "Saint Maize".)

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BRAKiasaurus - Aug 31, 2015

Lucia Berlin's "A Manuel for Cleaning Women" is getting some very high praise. Anyone read it yet? http://www.amazon.com/Manual-Cleaning-Women-Selected-Stories/dp/0374202397

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BRAKiasaurus - Aug 31, 2015

@JohnZ @EdParks I agree with you, JohnZ--I have read almost all of those novels, and "Beloved" should not be overlooked. Updike's two novels, every one of Roth's finalists AND one winner, Agee's beautiful novel, "Confederacy of Dunces", "Tinkers", "The Known World" are all important and among my favorite novels. "Ironweed" and even the book the jury WANTED to give the award to that year: "The Feud": All wonderful. I don't need to repeat your list, but while the Pulitzer has certainly overlooked many important books--from Fitzgerald to Hemingway to Faulkner (can we really argue that Hemingway's most deserving book was "Old Man and the Sea"?)--it has also shined its light on some beautiful, perfect works of literature.

We won't ever agree on everything. I don't understand why "The Road" won, and we have already argued over my disbelief that Lee Martin's novel would have been a finalist. "Love in Infant Monkeys" was a similarly bizarre choice. "All Souls" has some beautiful writing, but a Pulitzer finalist? I hated "Mean Spirit" when I read it--it has been awhile, so it's possible that I would enjoy it now.

I am looking forward to reading "The Moor's Account", actually, because I suspect that--given the other options--it is the book the jury was initially promoting as the favorite. It will be interesting to see if that suspicion is correct and how it then stacks up against "All the Light We Cannot See". No matter how those books stack up, however, none are likely to convince me that "Preparation for the Next Life" shouldn't have won, with "10:04" and "Fourth of July Creek" as the finalists. Each of those books is perfect and holds some relevance to our lives today. But, who knows, perhaps others disagree with me....clearly, no accounting for tastes. :)

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JohnZ - Aug 30, 2015

@BRAKiasaurus @JohnZ It should be embarrassing that Don Delillo has yet to win a Pulitzer. Underworld is, I think, a masterful work. The opening sentence, "He speaks in your voice, American, and there's a shine in his eye that's halfway hopeful" sets up everything you are about to read: mood, theme, voice. It's book that, if you surrender yourself to it, packs a wallop. And the final sentence, which consists of a single word, is powerful, harkening back to the timorous hope that is suggested in the first sentence.

I have All That Is, yet I haven't read it yet. The title has been surfacing in my mind, which is a good indicator that I may soon be reading it.

I haven't read 10:04. If I'm correct, isn't Ben Lerner Annie Baker's brother? It seems I read an interview they conducted with each other not too long after Ms. Baker won the Pulitzer for The Flick.

I don't think Dog Soldiers was a finalist, though it should have been. It was my introduction to Mr. Stone's formidable talent and mind, and I couldn't put it down. He was a finalist twice, I believe: for A Flag for Sunrise and Bear and His Daughter: Stories. During its year, I believe Flag was the book the jury said deserved the prize. That year, however, Rabbit Is Rich won, and I can't complain, as it's among Mr. Updike's best. But Flag is certainly powerful, and I can see why the jury was so enamored of it. Going back to Dog Soldiers and the Pulitzer, the jury that year chose Michael Shaara's The Killer Angels, and quite rightly. Actually, I think it was the only book the jury offered to the board, as many jurors thought there was no other book written that year worthy of a prize.

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JohnZ - Aug 30, 2015

@EdParks @JohnZ As I wrote (and believe), the Pulitzer choices in fiction have been more or less good. Certainly, as you pointed out in your response, they missed the boat here and there. The Great Gatsby is a wonderful novel, but so is the book that won that year: Sinclair Lewis's Arrowsmith (of course, as is well known, Mr. Lewis rejected the prize). The Catcher in the Rye is also wonderful, though I don't know if I would have given it the Pulitzer. That year, Herman Wouk's The Caine Mutiny won, and I'm fine with that. Initially, I was surprised that Mr. Wouk's work had been noticed, thinking him more of a mainstream staple. But, of course, at the time, just starting his career, Mr. Wouk hadn't accrued that place in American fiction. But The Caine Mutiny was a nice surprise. The deeper I got into the novel, the more riveted I became.

But I do think the Pulitzer has recognized a number of books that are great. The Grapes of Wrath and To Kill a Mockingbird, which you mentioned, are in that list. In addition, there are The Orphan Master's Son, Beloved, The Executioner's Song, A Confederacy of Dunces, A Good Scent from a Strange Mountain, The Known World, Lonesome Dove, The Bridge of San Luis Rey, A Thousand Acres, The Color Purple, The Fixer, All the King's Men, Rabbit is Rich, A Death in the Family, Andersonville, American Pastoral, Humboldt's Gift, The Old Man and the Sea, The Collected Stories of Katherine Anne Porter, The Confessions of Nat Turner, Ironweed, The Stories of John Cheever, Independence Day, The Hours, The Good Earth, The Yearling, The Edge of Sadness, Tales of the South Pacific, Angle of Repose, Elbow Room, The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love, Empire Falls, Interpreter of Maladies, and Olive Kitteridge (at first, I wasn't so sure about this one, but it did grow on me; by the end, I had great admiration for what Ms. Strout had accomplished).

So, as you can see, more often than not, I was pleased with the Pulitzer choices, and a number of them can be, I think, without umbrage, be considered great. With a few exceptions, I didn't find reading any of the winners as a slog. And even those about which I was not very keen on reading (though I pushed through them to the end), I found had some redeemable qualities.

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BRAKiasaurus - Aug 29, 2015

@JohnZ The most recent that immediately comes to mind is "Preparation for the Next Life". The fact that neither "Underworld" nor "The Angel Esmerelda" were chosen (the former being a finalist, the latter being a finalist for the Pen Faulkner). James Salter's "All That Is" is another recent one--some of his other fiction probably should have also been in contention, but I can't imagine the Pulitzer going to "A Sport and a Pastime". "Light Years" or his short story collections--or consider instead his collected stories which, unbeknownst to me, were published in 2013 with all but a whisper.

I would gladly have given the pulitzer to Ben Lerner's 10:04, and I think Stone's "Dog Soldiers" (a finalist, I think, although I don't recall what it was up against) should have won.

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JohnZ - Aug 29, 2015

I've been knocking about with different books, waiting for one to take hold. Sometimes this happens; sometimes it doesn't, and I end up reading multiple books at once. What I've been thinking is this: Maybe what I need is to immerse myself in a new reading project. As I've read all of the Pulitzer Prize winners in the fiction category, perhaps I should now read those books that the juries over the years recommended for the prize, but that, for one reason or another, the board rejected. Books like Henderson the Rain King, The Wall, The Voice at the Back Door, From the Terrace, and A River Runs Through It. I've already read some of the books juries recommended for the prize, but that the board rejected (for example: Joyce Carol Oates's them, Russell Banks's Continental Drift, and Thomas Pynchon's Gravity's Rainbow, among others). I've also read some of the finalists over the years, and there have been times when I would have chosen those finalists over the eventual winner (for example: The Echo Maker instead of The Road, and The Bright Forever instead of March).

The past couple of years, considering the books which have won the prize (e.g. The Goldfinch and All the Light We Cannot See), has led me to wonder if perhaps the juries and boards are interested in recognizing more mainstream fiction. I think it's true that one who follows the prizes expects more interesting choices that sometimes come out of left field, such as happened with Interpreter of Maladies and Tinkers. Which isn't to say I didn't enjoy the winners of the past two years; they kept me reading, and one of them (The Goldfinch) I rallied around more as I got closer to the end of it.

Still, I cannot dismiss the idea that some of the recent choices, when I learned of them, struck me as strange. I understand that one cannot extricate what he or she prefers aesthetically when it comes to considering art. Having read them all, I do think the choices that have been made regarding Pulitzer Prize winning books and collections have been good ones -- more or less (for example: I wouldn't have gone with The Store or Advise and Consent as winners. They're neither terrible nor great books).

I'm interested if anyone has personal choices of his or her own that should have won the Pulitzer. Maybe I'm a glutton for punishment (ha ha), but I always find it a good thing to learn of books that others consider great, books that resonated with them. My library is already extensive (you've no idea!), but I believe in the adage "One can never have enough books."

So if anyone has specific books or collections that were in contention for the Pulitzer that he or she thinks should have won, please share them.

BRAKiasaurus - Aug 28, 2015

@EdParks @BRAKiasaurus I'm honestly curious what you will think of it. It has the scope of Delillo but not the resonance. It has a hint of Richard Price, but the sense of voice isn't as good. The best of it reminded me here and there of Franzen, but he's no Franzen. It was like if the Goldfinch was combined with The Corrections and then combined again with The Flamethrowers: a huge mess of potential.

For entirely different reasons, I was reminded of James Wood's review of "& Sons" wherein he said something along the lines of "Gilbert can't seem to decide what kind of writer he wants to be" and then basically said that the book, while written by a writer of immense talent and potential, didn't live up to its promise, suffered from the writer's own indecision.

Underworld is a mess of a book, but it is brilliant and every page and word works towards its theme. I see why some might have cut parts of it, but I wouldn't have cut anything.

I don't know that I would necessarily cut anything from "City on Fire" either. Rather, I would simply have done what Harper Lee's editor did early on: told him where the potential was and ask for a rewrite.

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BRAKiasaurus - Aug 27, 2015

@EdParks @BRAKiasaurus Much like The Goldfinch, this book is large, hard to put down, and incredibly uneven.

At times, a thriller; at others, a substantial work of literature. At times, meticulously crafted; at times, unconvincingly coincidental. Characters are thrust together and apart, woven together into an intricate tapestry (in fact, it is admirable, the complexity of this book's elaborate plot). This is great when it works. When it doesn't, when it feels forced, the reader is inevitably aware of the author's hand. Big historical moments serve as both backdrop and plot points, however the history is not used (as it is by Delillo) to discuss America's trajectory or to indirectly contemplate contemporary issues.

In fact, the best parts actually take place in the characters' past. Mercer, an african american gay man who is living with the estranged heir to the Hamilton-Sweeney corporation, goes home to the south to see his family. He re-connects with his deviant brother and comes out to him. The moment feels sincere, is very well done, and exposes Hallberg as a writer to be watched--if the entire book were that strong throughout, it would certainly deserve to be in the running.

I think everyone should definitely read it. Much like The Goldfinch, some people will absolutely feel it to be the best book they've read in a long time; others will find it to be a hot mess. I won't be surprised by either reaction, but I will be incredibly disappointed if it wins something as major as the Pulitzer, particularly in a year when a lot of important relevant fiction has been published.

This crowd here may be better served by reading two undeniably stronger books: "Underworld" and "The Flamethrowers".

BRAKiasaurus - Aug 26, 2015

@EdParks @BRAKiasaurus @ey814 @grahammyers I would hope that Smiley read the entire novel if she was willing to review it. Her thoroughness notwithstanding, I have read other reviews, each of them heaping praise on this book.

I don't think size will actually affect its potential. It is largely dialogue, and the year The Goldfinch won, it was up with "The Son" and "The Woman Who Lost Her Soul". Three huge novels. My guess is that Vollmann's novel would be put up against two 400-500 page novels, so the page number would likely be similar to 2013.

Either way, I would hope that people who read and write for a living would be willing to take their responsibility seriously. Having now read "City on Fire", I do not even remotely think it will (or should) be up for the Pulitzer. Assuming others agree with me that, while the book has many fine attributes, it (does not and) will not stack up against other books released this year, one large (930-ish page) book will certainly be out of contention. Another large novel, "A Little Life" (a book I know you, EdParks, did not particularly enjoy), received a lot of high praise from a lot of people. As it is one of the favorites to win the Booker, it's probably worth keeping an eye on.

In any case, I'm not so cynical that I think serious people charged with the simple task of reading 3 books and then voting would shirk such a pleasant responsibility.

Likes: 1
ey814 - Aug 25, 2015

http://www.nationalbook.org/nba2015.html#nyer

And so it begins again!

BRAKiasaurus - Aug 25, 2015

@ey814 @EdParks @grahammyers This one is of interest to me and should probably be in the running for this year's prize. His work is often lauded--including the uneven tomes, the best parts of which evidence a potential that (in so far as I can tell from reading reviews) makes the worst parts ever-more disappointing. So to see a book so universally praised this time around....I think there may be something worth keeping an eye on here.

But we'll see.

There have been some particularly strong contenders this year that deal with race, particularly on the subject of being black in America. I think we are likely to see at least one of those get a nomination--and if journalists (inexplicably) help pick the winner, the social relevance could well award it the prize. Thinking in particular of "The Sellout" (which I haven't read) and "Braggsville" (which I have).

BRAKiasaurus - Aug 25, 2015

@ey814 @EdParks @grahammyers Will do my best later this year. :)

ey814 - Aug 24, 2015

@JohnZ You're right, Ragtime was in the years before they started announcing 'true' finalists, I think I meant to type Billy Bathgate, since it was a true finalist. In addition to being a Pulitzer finalist, Billy Bathgate won the National Book Critics Circle Award, the PEN/Faulkner Award, and was a finalist for the National Book Award. Ragtime also won the National Book Critics Circle award as well as making the All Time 100 Novels list that Time put out. In addition to being a Pulitzer finalist, The March won the PEN/Faulkner and the National Book Critics Circle Award, and was a National Book Award Finalist. Of course, World's Fair won the National Book Award. I'm glad that the Library of Congress recognized Doctorow with its "Prize for American Fiction" before he died, there can't be many more people that are as or more deserving than he was.

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ey814 - Aug 24, 2015

@EdParks @grahammyers The Dying Grass was reviewed by Jane Smiley in the NY Times (http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/02/books/review/the-dying-grass-by-william-t-vollmann.html). I'm too am interested in how well its received, I admire the scope and intent. Given my turtle-pace of reading, though, I'm probably not going to read it, so will rely on someone on this list to fill me in!

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ey814 - Aug 24, 2015

@EdParks I remember a discussion about David Rhodes when Driftless came out. He is an Iowa Writers' Workshop graduate and had published a number of well regarded novels in the 1970s, one drawing favorable comparison to Sherwood Anderson's "Winesburg, Ohio." Driftless was the first novel he'd published in 30 years, after the accident. Several discussants on the discussion board liked the novel, and I bought a first edition, but didn't end up reading it. I may have to go back to it.

My "deserves more readers" list includes Joe Coomer (whom we've talked about before), Clyde Edgerton, and Daniel Woodrell.

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ey814 - Aug 24, 2015

@EdParks I saw this as well. You wonder why someone of Matthiessen's status didn't donate his library/ephemera to a library somewhere, I'm sure there would have been many takers.

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ey814 - Aug 24, 2015

@BRAKiasaurus @EdParks I'm pumped. I'm an unapologetic Franzen fan! And, Michiko Kakutani from the NY Times (not an unapologetic Franzen fan) gave it a very good review:

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/25/books/review-in-purity-jonathan-franzen-hits-a-new-octave.html?smid=fb-nytimes&smtyp=cur&_r=0

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BRAKiasaurus - Aug 22, 2015

@EdParks I truly can't decide if I'm excited for this novel or not. I was very excited about "Freedom" and parts of it, as I recall were done very well and with great humor. Something about the "mistakes were made" parts really stuck with me. I also have some very clear visual flashes...but overall, the excitement I felt coming off of "The Corrections" wasn't satisfied...not sure why. It is difficult to write a political novel that is relevant without seeming preachy, that is pointed but not polemical. I'm not sure he succeeded entirely.

I like the cover, and the scope of the book (and its subject matter) is intriguing--sounds like a real deviation from his previous two endeavors. I won't have time to read it until later this year, but I will be keeping an eye on the reviews (including the one we'll likely receive from you, EdParks) to try to decide whether it's a question of "when" instead of "if".

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BRAKiasaurus - Aug 21, 2015

His short story collection is also due out in a couple months!

dm23 - Aug 20, 2015

@BRAKiasaurus I just picked this up and look forward to reading it. I'm sure it will be uncomfortable in some ways but his is a voice that needs to be heard.

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BRAKiasaurus - Aug 20, 2015