When Percival Everett’s novel James won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction on Monday, it appeared to be a natural choice. The novel, a subversive reimagining of Huckleberry Finn, had already garnered critical acclaim and a host of literary honors, including the National Book Award and the Kirkus Prize. Yet, behind the scenes, James was not the top pick of the Pulitzer’s five-member fiction jury. In fact, according to sources familiar with the deliberations, it wasn’t even in the top three.
The finalists initially presented to the Pulitzer board were Rita Bullwinkel’s Headshot, Stacey Levine’s Mice 1961, and Gayl Jones’s The Unicorn Woman. But when the 17-member Pulitzer board convened to vote, none of these three received a majority vote. This deadlock led to the board invoking a procedural measure: a fourth option, James, was considered after the board requested another title from the jury. In this rare move, James received the necessary majority and was awarded the prize.
This procedural backstop, which allows the board to request additional recommendations when it cannot reach a consensus, has been in place for years. As outlined on the Pulitzer website, the board can request the jury chair to submit other worthy titles if it is dissatisfied with the nominations. While James eventually won, the outcome was not without controversy. In 2012, no fiction award was given when the board failed to reach a decision, sparking backlash in the literary community. A similar situation occurred in 2015 when the Pulitzer awarded a prize to Anthony Doerr’s All the Light We Cannot See after considering four finalists.
Some have questioned whether this year’s decision was influenced by broader cultural dynamics. Drew Broussard, a writer and bookseller, raised concerns on Literary Hub, suggesting that the board may have overruled the jury’s selections of an all-woman trio of finalists, especially in a year when a male writer’s novel—James—had garnered significant attention.
The jury for this year’s fiction prize included notable novelists such as Bryan Washington, Jonathan Lethem, Ayana Mathis, and Laila Lalami, along with critic Merve Emre, who chaired the group. While the jury members declined to comment on their deliberations, Emre did share her frustration with the state of American publishing on social media, describing it as “homogenous, inert, inexpert, cheap” due to the influence of market forces and dwindling funding sources like the NEA.
Despite the controversy, many in the literary world celebrated the Pulitzer board’s decision as a victory for Everett, a writer known for pushing the boundaries of fiction. Much of his work, including the Pulitzer finalist Telephone, has been published by independent presses, though James was released by major publisher Doubleday.
The finalists for this year’s fiction prize also highlighted the bold and experimental nature of contemporary American literature. Headshot by Bullwinkel, praised for its immersive narrative about teenage female boxers, The Unicorn Woman by Jones, a surreal tale about a WWII veteran and a woman with a horn growing from her forehead, and Mice 1961 by Levine, a novel about two orphaned sisters, all exemplified the diverse voices and innovative storytelling that define today’s literary landscape.
In the end, while the selection process for this year’s Pulitzer Prize may have been complicated, it has sparked important discussions about the role of diversity, gender, and artistic integrity in literary awards. As Levine aptly noted in an email, James’s win represents a triumph of integrity—an essential quality in a time when the arts face increasing challenges.
