THEthe Pulitzer Prize continues to be one of the most prestigious literary awards in the world and sparks the curiosity of readers every year. In 2026 the prize for fiction went to “Angel Down” by Daniel Krausa novel already defined as among the most surprising of recent years. While waiting for the Italian translation, here are 14 books Pulitzer Prize worth reading now.
“James”
by Percival Everett (The Ship of Theseus) Pulitzer 2025
The slave Jim runs away to avoid being sold and separated from his family. On Jackson’s Island he meets Huckleberry Finn, also on the run from his abusive father. Together they embark on a journey along the Mississippi between freedom and survival.
“Demon Copperhead”
by Barbara Kingsolver (Neri Pozza) Pulitzer 2023 ex aequo
Set in the American South, the 2023 Pulitzer Prize winning novel sheds light on the opioid epidemic that has hit the United States and left behind a generation of orphans. Inspired by Dickens’ iconic work.
“Trust”
by Hernan Diaz (Feltrinelli) Pulitzer 2023 ex aequo
After a novel that distorts his life, powerful financier Andrew Bevel commissions Ida Partenza, daughter of an Italian anarchist, to write his autobiography and tell the “true” story of his and his wife Mildred’s successes.
“The Netanyahus”
by Joshua Cohen (Edition Code) Pulitzer 2022
In 1959, professor Ruben Blum had to host the Israeli scholar Ben-Zion Netanyahu, father of the future prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, for a weekend. The meeting with the Netanyahu family will turn his life upside down.
“The Night Watchman”
by Louise Erdrich (Feltrinelli) Pulitzer 2021
In the 1950s, on the Turtle Mountain Indian Reservation, a community fights against a law that threatens to erase the reservations. While tribal chairman Wazhashk tries to stop the measure, Pixie faces love and hardship.
“The Nickel Boys”
by Colson Whitehead (Oscar Mondadori) Pulitzer 2020
In 1960s Florida, young Elwood Curtis dreams of college and grows up inspired by the ideals of Martin Luther King. An unjust accusation leads him to Nickel Academy, a reformatory that hides violence and abuse behind its educational façade.
“The Whisper of the World”
by Richard Powers (The Ship of Theseus) Pulitzer 2019
Patricia Westerford, a botanist nicknamed “Patty-the-Plant”, discovers that trees communicate with each other. Around her intertwine the lives of nine people destined to meet to save a giant sequoia from being cut down.
“Less”
by Andrew Sean Greer (The Ship of Theseus) Pulitzer 2018
Arthur Less, a failed writer in his late fifties, escapes his ex’s wedding by accepting a series of invitations around the world. Between travels and misadventures, he tries to escape from the problems he doesn’t want to face.
“The Underground Railroad”
by Colson Whitehead (Sur) Pulitzer 2017
In 19th century Georgia, the slave Cora escapes from the plantation with Caesar in search of freedom. On an underground railway he crosses the Southern States, amidst persecution, unexpected allies and the hunt of a slave hunter.
“The sympathizer”
by Viet Thanh Nguyen (Neri Pozza) Pulitzer 2016
In 1975, during the fall of Saigon, a South Vietnamese captain flees to the United States with his general, but is hiding a secret: he is a spy for the Vietcong. Torn between ideology, friendship and identity, he lives suspended between two worlds and two loyalties.
“All the light we don’t see”
by Anthony Doerr (Rizzoli) Pulitzer 2015
Marie-Laure, who became blind as a child, flees with her father from Nazi-occupied Paris. Meanwhile, Werner, a young German radio expert, is recruited by the Nazi regime. During the war, their destinies will end up crossing in Saint-Malo.
“The Goldfinch”
by Donna Tartt (Rizzoli) Pulitzer 2014
After the death of his mother in an attack on the Metropolitan Museum, 13-year-old Theo Decker grows up surrounded by loneliness, a problematic father and constant travel. The only link with the past remains The Goldfinch, the painting beloved by his mother.
“The Lord of Orphans”
by Adam Johnson (Marsilio) Pulitzer 2013
Pak Jun Do grows up in North Korea amidst discipline and deprivation, becoming an agent of the regime involved in secret and violent missions. However, his love for Sun Moon will lead him to question his own destiny and the power of the dictatorship.
“Time is a bastard”
by Jennifer Egan (Mondadori) Pulitzer 2011
Bennie, a former punk musician turned record producer, and Sasha, his tormented young assistant, intertwine their lives in a mosaic of stories between music, past and relationships. The novel tells the story of time that changes people and their lives.
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