Tinkers wins the Pulitzer Prize!

By michele on April 18, 2010 | Add a Comment

For the first time in almost 30 years, a small press book won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.  The last small press book to win was A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole.

This recent Pulitzer winner isn't just any book. It happens to be one of our bestselling books of all time; a book that we have supported from the very beginning: Tinkers by Paul Harding, published by the wonderful Bellevue Literary Press.

Paul Harding truly deserves the prize, and it's really something special to see how most of the buzz and early support for Tinkers came from independent booksellers like Powell's, Book Passage, and RiverRun. In the bookselling business, we focus on the art of "handselling", where we recommend books to our customers that we are passionate about. Usually these are books that don't have a tremendous buzz already. Indie booksellers build the buzz, and it's a really rewarding feeling when that passion helps get the word out about a title.

We hosted Paul last year after I read Tinkers and wrote a glowing review for The Quarterly Conversation. I have never been so nervous when introducing an author before. Here was a novel that wasn't just another good read; it was one of the best books I had ever read in my life. Every sentence is powerful and beautiful and important. It's also a novel that resonates with any human; it's a testament to what our lives are all about. I knew I was having a life-altering moment when I turned the last page; it was one of those books that just moved me in a way that not every book can.

Congratulations to Paul Harding and to Bellevue on getting the recognition they deserve!

We'll probably be hosting Paul for another reading this summer; stay tuned for details.