Barbara Kingsolver's 'Demon Copperhead,' Hernan Diaz's 'Trust' win fiction Pulitzer Prizes

NOTE: This article is a republication- Source: USA Today Entertainment.

NEW YORK — The Pulitzer Prize for fiction was awarded Monday to two class-conscious novels: "Demon Copperhead," Barbara Kingsolver's modern recasting of the Dickens classic "David Copperfield," and Hernan Diaz's "Trust," an innovative narrative of wealth and deceit set in 1920s New York.

It's the first time the Pulitzers have awarded two fiction books in the category's 105-year history. Officials have declined to name a fiction winner several times, most recently in 2012.

"Trust" won the Kirkus Prize for fiction, was on the long list for the Booker Prize and was named by The New York Times and The Washington Post as one of the year's best books. Kingsolver's novel, the story of a young boy's struggles and persistence as he grows up in southern Appalachia, was chosen by Oprah Winfrey last fall for her book club and named by The Washington Post as a top release of 2022.

The 68-year-old Kingsolver has long woven social issues into her novels, which also include "The Bean Trees" and the Winfrey choice "The Poisonwood Bible," and helped establish the PEN/Bellwether Prize for Socially Engaged Fiction. Speaking by phone Monday, the author said she regards the Pulitzer as an affirmation not just of her novel, but of a misunderstood and overlooked part of the country. Kingsolver is a longtime resident of Appalachia who currently lives on a farm in southwestern Virginia, and set "Demon Copperhead" close by.

Click here to read the full article