In the past nearly one hundred years, Penguin and Random House authors have won the prestigious Pulitzer Prize more than 120 times. Now this time-honored tradition continues in the combined company: As Columbia University announced in New York on Monday evening, American author Donna Tartt has been honored with the major U.S. journalism and media prize (Fiction) for her novel "The Goldfinch." In Germany, "Der Distelfink" is published by Goldmann in hardcover and e-book, and Hörverlag publishes an audiobook version. In Spain and Latin America, Grupo Editorial’s Lumen imprint publishes it under the title "El Jilguero." In the General Non-Fiction category, the American journalist and author Dan Fagin Pulitzer won a Pulitzer for "Toms River - A Story of Science and Salvation," published in the U.S. and Canada by Bantam. And last not least: Penguin Random House Canada is responsible for delivery of the "The Internal Enemy, Slavery And War in Virginia," winner of this year’s Pulitzer in History.
"I am incredibly happy and incredibly honored," said bestselling author Donna Tartt in New York. A few weeks ago she had personally presented her new novel in Germany, where it has been hailed by literary critics as "a masterpiece." "I am absolutely thrilled for Donna Tartt," said Goldmann publisher Georg Reuchlein. "The award is well deserved. 'Der Distelfink' is one of the best books to be published in recent years. Up-to-the-minute yet told in a truly classic style." More than 20 years ago, Donna Tartt was with "The Secret History" a sensational debut and a worldwide bestseller succeeded. It was not until ten years later she published her second book, "The Little Friend." According to the Pulitzer judges, her third work, "The Goldfinch" is "a beautifully written coming-of-age novel … that stimulates the mind and touches the heart." The novel follows the struggles of a 13-year-old boy who survives a bomb blast that kills his mother during a visit to the museum. In midst the confusion, the boy finds himself suddenly in possession of the painting "The Goldfinch," a masterpiece by one of Rembrandt's pupils. Although the boy realizes what he’s doing is wrong, he will hide the picture for 14 years, during which time he gradually drifts off the straight and narrow path. The book went straight to number one on the "New York Times" bestseller list upon release, and was described by that paper as: "Stunning! A magnificent novel that reminds one how nice it is to be fully immersed in a book and spend entire nights reading it." And Germany’s "Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung" writes: "This book leaves no one untouched: Donna Tartt’s novel ‘Der Distelfink’ (... ) reveals a great narrator who writes as excitingly as an author of thrillers."
The Real Story of a Small Town
The award for "Toms River" marks the first time a book published by Bantam has won a Pulitzer Prize. Its author Dan Fagin is a lecturer in journalism at the Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute at New York University, and heads a program at the university that collects information in the science, health and environmental sectors. In his book, the former "Newsday" columnist and former president of the Society of Environmental Journalists skillfully combines investigative reporting and historical research to explore the relationship between childhood cancer and water and air pollution along the coastline of a small town in New Jersey, write the judges.
"Toms River" is based on the true story of the eponymous municipality whose citizens spent decades waging and ultimately winning a legal battle against industrial pollution caused in their immediate vicinity. Since the 1950s, a large chemicals plant had illegally dumped tens of thousands of barrels of acidic wastewater, which eventually found its way into the local river – the Toms River. During this period, cancer rates in the area increased markedly, especially in children. In his book, Dan Fagin crafts this into a story about the scientists who were the firsts to identify pollution as a cause of cancer, and brings it to life by following personal fates: a boy who has been sick with cancer from birth, whose smile belies the treacherous tumors growing rampant in his body; a nurse who fights to get attention from ignorant authorities; and a mother whose love for her frightened child turns her into an advocate for change in their town. "Toms River" stands as a cautionary tale for an industry left to grow unchecked – whether they build their factories in New Jersey or in China.
Required Environmental Reading
The book got enthusiastic reviews in the press: "Surely a new classic of science reporting. a sober story of probability and compromise, laid out with the care and precision that characterizes both good science and great journalism," wrote the "New York Times." According to the “Philadelphia Inquirer," "Fagin’s book may not endear him to Toms River’s real estate agents, but its exhaustive reporting and honest look at the cause, obstacles, and unraveling of a cancerous trail should be required environmental reading." "USA Today" sums it up as "absorbing and thoughtful."
Dan Fagin's expertise on the subject he deals with in the book is beyond doubt: His articles on cancer epidemiology have won the Science Journalism Award of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the Science in Society Award of the National Association of Science Writers. And he and his respective reporter teams on various "Newsday" reports have been finalists for past Pulitzer Prizes.
Since 1917, the Pulitzer Prize is awarded annually to outstanding writers, journalists and authors. The award dates back to the U.S. publisher Joseph Pulitzer, whose group of newspapers included the "St. Louis Post-Dispatch" and the "New York World." Today, the Columbia University School of Journalism administers the legacy of the founder and the awarding of the Pulitzer Prize, which this year will be presented in mid-May at the University’s library. The prizes are now awarded in 22 categories – including a special award – and each come with a $10,000 purse.
