Did The Pulitzer Board Just Overrule The Jury To Give Percival Everett The Prize?

Earlier today, nan 2025 Pulitzer Prizes were announced and Percival Everett’s James was declared nan victor for fiction. This came arsenic nary astonishment to anybody moreover vaguely tapped into nan literate scene: successful summation to winning nan National Book Award for Fiction, James won nan Kirkus Prize and was a finalist for nan Booker Prize, garnering rave reviews crossed nan board.

As I was listening to nan prizes being publication retired today, I was struck by thing else: location were 4 finalists. Every twelvemonth successful caller memory, moreover nan “no award” debacle successful 2012, has had only 3 finalists. So why were location 4 this year?

Anybody who has followed other Pulitzer Prizes complete nan years mightiness callback that, successful 2010, this happened successful nan play class erstwhile Next to Normal was nan astonishment victor complete 3 different nominees. Charles McNulty, nan LA Times theatre professional who had been connected nan assemblage that year, wrote a file astir it, and while that file seems to person been lost, Patrick Healy wrote astir nan file for the New York Times and quotes McNulty that nan committee ignored “the proposal of its play assemblage successful favour of its ain sentiments.”

And a speedy perusal of nan Pulitzer management practices seems to corroborate that nan five-person assemblage delivers nan Pulitzer committee 3 picks successful their respective categories: “Each assemblage is required to connection 3 nominations but successful nary bid of preference, though nan assemblage chair successful a study accompanying nan submission tin broadly bespeak nan views of nan members.”

Then, here’s nan nosy part: “Awards are made by mostly vote, but nan Board is besides empowered to ballot ‘no award,’ aliases by three-fourths ballot to prime an introduction that has not been nominated. If nan Board is dissatisfied pinch nan nominations of immoderate jury, it tin inquire nan Administrator to consult pinch nan chair to ascertain if location are different worthy entries. Meanwhile, nan deliberations continue.”

Okay, a spot unclear there! But nan measurement I publication this: nan Board tin ballot ‘no award’ (see 2012) or prime a 4th book connected their ain (or play) that wasn’t nominated or inquire nan assemblage for “other worthy entries” that nan Board mightiness beryllium consenting to entertain. And conscionable to beryllium certain, I confirmed this pinch a caller Pulitzer assemblage member.

No matter really you portion it, this says to maine to nan 2025 Fiction Jury turned successful what would person been a world-shaking all-woman trio of finalists successful a twelvemonth erstwhile 1 caller by a antheral writer has taken up rather a batch of nan disposable oxygen, and nan Board—one measurement aliases another—said “No.” Which is not to diminish nan staying powerfulness of Everett’s book… But alternatively to wonderment if a spot much bravery aliases moreover conscionable ambition or, much plainly, willingness to beryllium weird connected nan portion of embattled well-meaning institutions mightiness beryllium called for, successful times specified arsenic these.