Colson Whitehead is Now the Fourth Novelist to Win Pulitzer Prize Twice

Congratulations to Colson Whitehead!

He has become the fourth writer to receive Pulitzers for consecutive books when his novel about a brutal Florida reform school during the Jim Crow era, The Nickel Boys, was awarded the fiction prize Monday. Three years ago, he won for his Civil War era novel The Underground Railroad.

Speaking about his book, Pulitzer judges said The Nickel Boys is “a spare and devastating exploration of abuse” that is “ultimately a powerful tale of human perseverance, dignity and redemption.” Whitehead, 50, is known for his experimental narratives and immersion in American history and folklore. His previous works include John Henry Days and The Intuitionist.

In a statement issued through his publisher, Doubleday, Whitehead said the news of his winning Monday was “pretty nuts!”

“Obviously I’m very honored and I hope that it raises awareness of the real life model for the novel — The Dozier School for Boys — so that the victims and their stories are not forgotten,” he said.

William Faulkner and John Updike are among the previous fiction writers to win more than one Pulitzer, but not for books that immediately followed the other.

Congratulations, again, to him!