Novelist Percival Everett and playwright Branden Jacobs-Jenkins among Pulitzer winners in the arts
Percival Everett's novel 'James,' his radical reimagining of 'The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn' from the perspective of the enslaved title character, has won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction.
'Purpose,' Branden Jacobs-Jenkins' drawing-room drama about an accomplished Black family destroying itself from within, won for drama. It also earned six Tony Award nominations last week.
Everett's Pulitzer confirmed the million-selling 'James' as the most celebrated and popular U.S. literary novel of 2024, and accelerated the 68-year-old author's remarkable rise after decades of being little known to the general public. Since 2021, he has won the PEN/Jean Stein Award for 'Dr. No,' was a Pulitzer finalist for 'Telephone' and on the Booker shortlist for 'The Trees.'
Before Monday, 'James' had already won the National Book Award, the Kirkus Prize and the Carnegie Medal for fiction. His racial and publishing satire 'Erasure,' released in 2001, was adapted into the Oscar-nominated 2023 film 'American Fiction.'
The Pulitzer citation called 'James' an 'accomplished reconsideration' that illustrates 'the absurdity of racial supremacy and provide a new take on the search for family and freedom.' Everett said in a statement that he was 'shocked and pleased, but mostly shocked. This is a wonderful honor.'
'Purpose' was praised in its citation as 'a skillful blend of drama and comedy that probes how different generations define heritage.' Jacobs-Jenkins had been twice nominated for a drama Pulitzer, for 'Everybody' in 2018 and 'Gloria' in 2016.
He won the Tony Award for best play revival last year for 'Appropriate,' a work centered on a family reunion in Arkansas where everyone has competing motivations and grievances. He is on the host committee of this year's Met Gala.
Also Monday, Pulitzer officials announced that Jason Roberts won the biography award for 'Every Living Thing: The Great and Deadly Race to Know All Life' and Benjamin Nathans' 'To the Success of Our Hopeless Cause: The Many Lives of the Soviet Dissident Movement' had been cited for general nonfiction.
Two books were announced as history winners, both of them, like 'James' and 'Purpose,' explorations of race in U.S. history and culture: Edda L. Fields-Black's 'Combee: Harriet Tubman, The Combahee River Raid, and Black Freedom During the Civil War' and Kathleen DuVal's 'Native Nations: A Millennium in North America.'
Marie Howe's 'New and Selected Poems' won for poetry, and composer-percussionist Susie Ibarra's 'Sky Islands,' an eight-piece ensemble inspired by the rainforest habitats of Luzon, Philippines, was awarded the Pulitzer for music. The Pulitzer for autobiography went to Tessa Hulls' multigenerational 'Feeding Ghosts: A Graphic Memoir,' her first book.
The Pulitzers were announced at a time when the National Endowment for the Arts, which has provided support for thousands of writers and literary organizations, was cutting back funding and pushing staff members to leave. Howe and Everett are both past recipients of NEA creative writing fellowships.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scottish Sun
a day ago
- Scottish Sun
How Nicole Scherzinger went from Pussycat Dolls spat to bigger star than ever thanks to prestigious award & movie talks
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) NICOLE Scherzinger looked destined to end up on the showbiz scrapheap. The singer and actress spent years in increasingly mundane talent show judging roles. Sign up for the Entertainment newsletter Sign up 7 Nicole Scherzinger with her Tony Award for musical Sunset Boulevard Credit: Getty 7 Nicole as lead singer of The Pussycat Dolls, on stage in 2006 Credit: Alamy 7 Nicole at the Tonys ceremony in New York with fiance Thom Evans Credit: Getty Then her much-anticipated return to music with The Pussycat Dolls ended in disaster when a row with the group's manager in 2021 derailed their comeback for good. But on Sunday night, the sexy US star, 46, cemented a major career U-turn when she was named Best Actress In A Musical at the prestigious Tony Awards, thanks to her powerful turn as Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard. Now, Nicole is the toast of Broadway thanks to her critically-acclaimed performance, and is being courted for a string of stage and screen roles — something she could not have dreamed of just a few years ago. The star, who also won an Olivier Award for the role last year following the show's run in London, said: 'I want to do it all. 'I would like to do movies and movie musicals. I would like to build my own show. There are roles I would like to create. 'It's validating and it's fulfilling because I know that I'm on the right path. I know I'm back where I was born to be. 'When you see the show, you see the real depths of me as an actor and as a singer. 'I want to encourage people to keep an open mind and an open heart. 'You never know where your unexpected dream opportunity is going to come from.' Nicole has already had talks over a movie version of Sunset Boulevard and has been approached about returning to the West End in other productions. Nicole Scherzinger, 46, posts funny video in barely-there bikini But at the Tony Awards ceremony in New York, where she teared up on stage, she said: 'This has been a very healing process for me. 'I always felt like I wasn't living my full potential and full purpose. I was never happy with myself. 'It is because I knew I had so much more to give. And this role and this opportunity allowed me to give all of me. It's changed my life. 'But it has been hard. It has not been an easy road. 'I am so grateful that I am able to connect to people on a spiritual and soulful level and I could make a difference in these people's lives. 'Much more to give' 'That is exactly what we do it for. So I am thankful.' Nicole had a number of theatre roles as a youngster, before joining the Pussycat Dolls and scoring a string of hit records. She went on to release two solo albums and become a judge on shows including The X Factor and The Masked Singer US. Her role in Cats on the West End from 2014 to 2015 was a success. But she infuriated Andrew Lloyd Webber by pulling out of the show's US run on Broadway just a week before rehearsals were due to begin. 7 Nic sizzled in a sexy bikini last month Credit: nicolescherzinger/Instagram 7 Actress Nicole is the toast of Broadway thanks to her critically-acclaimed performance Credit: Getty He said at the time: 'I mean, she's crazy. But the American producers just took a view, 'Well, fine, we'll get somebody else' because she's actually not very well known in America. She's much better known here. 'I'm furious because I really believe she's the most fantastically talented girl and I went out on a limb to get her for the London Palladium here, and it makes me look like an absolute twot with them all.' Despite their parting of ways, Nicole still credits composer Andrew with masterminding her success after he became one of her biggest supporters. He wrote the music for Sunset Boulevard and championed her landing that role. Thanking him in her Tonys acceptance speech, she said: 'Andrew Lloyd Webber, it's happened. It's been such an honour to create with you.' Nicole's musical career has been a rollercoaster in recent years. In 2019, The Pussycat Dolls announced they were reuniting for a UK arena tour and new music. Their first single, React, broke the Top 40. This has been 30 years in the making and I've been working and fighting for this my whole life. Nicole Scherzinger It seemed like things were finally on the up, but Covid repeatedly delayed their tour and, by 2022, the trek was axed amid a legal row between Nicole and the group's founder, Robin Antin. Those mainstream career choices put paid to her ambitions on stage and screen, and she has now said she felt blacklisted from the industry. Opening up about her years-long battle to be taken seriously, Nicole explained: 'Like so many people, I was put in a box. 'It is hard when you feel like, your whole career, you've been fighting to be seen and fighting to show what you're truly capable of. 'Ten years back after The Dolls, I really wanted to go back to doing musical theatre stuff. It's like where my heart is. "And there was no path to do that. People weren't even allowing me to be seen for filmed musicals and some live stuff going on. 'They just wouldn't even consider seeing me, like 'That's going to be a waste of our time'. I was like, 'They're not taking me seriously'.' 7 Nicole looking elated at an awards party Credit: The Mega Agency 7 Nicole says she is grateful to theatre icon Andrew Lloyd Webber Credit: Getty But when forward-thinking theatre producer Jamie Lloyd, 45, eventually approached her with the life-changing role of Norma Desmond, her first reaction was to feel insulted. The show, which also won Best Revival Of A Musical at the Tonys, tells the story of a faded and deluded 50-year-old film star who refuses to accept her streak of fame is over. She then hires a screenwriter to help write a movie to relaunch her career, although it doesn't go to plan and the production culminates with Nicole covered in blood on stage. In a 2023 interview, recalling her reaction to being offered the part, the star said: 'I was like, 'Are you out of your mind?'. First of all, I still look great under bright lights. "And isn't that an older woman who is, like, an old relic? How does that even remotely have anything to do with me?'. 'I was, like, 'Yo, this chick is crazy. I don't want to play her. She crazy'.' Before taking the part, Nicole had been working on relaunching her solo music career, although massive acting roles now beckon instead. She said: 'This is my childhood dream come true. I feel like I win every night when people tell me how my performances impact them. 'This has been 30 years in the making and I've been working and fighting for this my whole life. "I cannot believe I won a Tony against an unbelievable category of (women). But I have come home (Broadway) and am back where I was born to be.' 'Forget to believe in myself' By her side throughout her career redemption has been former rugby player Thom Evans, who she met when he competed on The X Factor: Celebrity in 2019. They got engaged in 2023 and she thanked him on stage during her speech. She said: 'For my fiance Thom, who believes in me, when I forget to believe in myself.' But her newfound popularity may mean an even longer wait is in store for their nuptials. Asked last week if they would be tying the knot soon, Nicole said: 'Yes, we will get married. 'We're engaged to be married when I'm not working. Thank God he is so patient. We'll get married back home in Hawaii, where my family is from.' It clearly hasn't been easy on either of them to have Nicole doing eight shows a week for most of the last two years, as she has changed her life for the part. In an interview with Sirius XM in the States, she said: 'I live like a hermit. I try not to do much. 'I still take my meetings and do work that I have to do and wherever they need me. 'I feel like every performance, I leave my soul and my voice out there on the stage. 'So I kind of live like a hermit. I don't really do much. I just drink a lot of water.' She added: 'I train like an Olympian. Before I go on stage, it's like I am a boxer and that is the level I have to get emotionally and physically ready. 'I train myself like a weapon. We are warriors.'
Daily Mirror
2 days ago
- Daily Mirror
Nicole Scherzinger has big career plans afterbreaking down over Tony Awards Win
Nicole Scherzinger reveals career plans after Tony Awards Win Nicole Scherzinger says her Tony Award win is part of a "healing process" after years of feeling disrespected and disregarded by the entertainment industry. Former X Factor judge Nicole broke down in tears when accepting the best actress honour for her role on Sunset Boulevard praising her family and fiance Thom Evans for his continued support She had detailed her upset and frustration at being treated like a pop flop and 'put in a box' for over a decade after the Pussycat Dolls success. The American star now plans to build a movie career and continue stage shows, including creating her own, asserting: "I'd love to do it all." Nicole, 46, was told applying for stage and screen roles was a 'a waste of time' for over a decade and branded nothing more than a past it girl band star. The star feels vindicated to have financially banked and created her own solo show, performing show tunes, at small venues across London and the US. Nicole, who won an Olivier Award for her debut role portraying Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard, celebrated her victory with a pizza. Nicole admitted: "This has been a very healing process for me. I always felt like I wasn't living in my full potential and full purpose. I was never happy with myself. It is because I knew I had so much more to give. And this role and this opportunity allowed me to give all of me. It's changed my life. "But it has been hard. It has not been an easy road. I am so grateful that I am able to connect to people on a spiritual and soulful level and I could make a difference in these people's lives. "That is exactly what we do it for. So I am thankful." She added: "I am living in my dream. This is my childhood dream come true. I feel like I win every night when people tell me the impact of how my performances impact them. This has been 30 years in the making and I've been working and fighting for this my whole life. "I am completely out of my mind. I just want to go home and cry for a very long time. I won a Tony against an unbelievable category of (women) But I have come home (Broadway) and am back where I was born to be. I mean this - Love always wins.' On stage collecting the gong at the NYC Radio City Music Hall event, she praised her rugby star partner Thom Evans for his ongoing support. "For my fiance Thom who believes in me, when I forget to believe in myself." She added 'Andrew Lloyd Webber, it's happened. It's been such an honour to create with you." Her desire is to continue singing and making music, but in movie musicals or create her own stage show. Nicole, who wore a blood red custom dress to resemble the final scene of the Broadway hit, added: "I want to do it all. I would like to do movies and movie musicals. I would like to build my own show. There are roles I would like to create. "It's validating and it's fulfilling because I know that I'm on the right path. I know I'm back where I was born to be. 'When you see the show, you see the real depths of me as an actor and as a singer and your voice and the range as well. I want to encourage people to keep an open mind and an open heart. You never know where your unexpected dream opportunity is going to come from.' Nicole reflected on her tough mental battle to bounce back from constant rejection after being written off as a failed pop artist Nicole admitted: 'Like so many people, I was put in a box. it is hard when you feel like your whole career, you've been fighting to be seen and fighting to show what you're truly capable of. 'Ten years back after The Dolls, I really wanted to go back to doing musical theater stuff. It's like where my heart whisper is. And there was no path to do that. 'People weren't even allowing me to be seen for filmed musicals and some live stuff going on. 'They just wouldn't even consider seeing me, (they were saying) ' that's going to be a waste of our time. ' I was like, 'they're not taking me seriously. "So I got to educate them. 'So I put on a show exactly six years ago in 2019, I put my money up and did all the songs and the roles I always dreamed of playing that nobody would let me. I created my own show of an hour and 20 minutes. 'I brought it to New York, London, and la and I just put it out there in the universe.' Nicole is grateful that respected producer Jamie Lloyd took a chance on her talent as 'Nobody else would've have asked me. 'He came to me with the idea of playing Norma Desmond. He actually dreamed of me. Isn't that crazy?' Nicole and the team were huge Olivier Award winners with seven gongs. including best musical equalled the record for the most prizes for a musical at the ceremony. Other winners included Succession star Sarah Snook taking best leading actress in a play, for performing all 26 roles in a one-woman stage adaptation of Oscar Wilde's novel The Picture of Dorian Gray. And Purpose, about an African-American family who reunite in Chicago, was named best play, a month after winning the 2025 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. One of the original Desmond Broadway performers, multiple Oscar nominee Glenn Close has publicly praised Nicole's work. She added to Sirius XM: 'Glenn was intense, because she originated the role. She wrote to me in a card 'to my soul mate'. "It is validating. It is words of affirmation when what you put out, what you're so passionate about and what you put out is being received with the intention that you put it out and received not from your peers, but even giants before you. It's affirming," The 46-year-old recently spoke of how Thom has been a rock to her during her two year run and they plan to wed after her show run. Asked directly "will you get married soon? " , Nicole relied: 'Yes, we will get married. We're engaged - to be married when I'm not working. "Thank God he is so patient. We'll get married back home in Hawaii, where my family is from." Dolls founder Robin Antin installed Nicole as lead singer in 2003, leading them to huge hits, tours and endorsements until 2010. Nicole enjoyed some solo success, before a 2019 reunion tour and third album comeback fell apart over legal woes and fall outs.
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Daily Mail
How Nicole Scherzinger defied the odds to become a babe of Broadway - despite her feud with Andrew Lloyd Webber and 'flop' solo career
Nine years ago, a furious Andrew Lloyd Webber declared that Nicole Scherzinger would never 'get her Tony Award'. At the time, the former Pussycat Doll had just pulled out of his Broadway production of Cats at the last minute to take a seven-figure salary to return as a judge on ITV 's X Factor. But at the Radio City Music Hall in New York City last night, it appeared Scherzinger had finally proven the theatre mogul wrong, shedding tears of joy as she gave her Tony's acceptance speech. The 46-year-old singer has defied the odds to become the babe of Broadway, winning the Best Leading Actress in a Musical Award for her performance as Norma Desmond in Andrew Lloyd Webber 's Sunset Boulevard. Just a few years ago, it would have seemed impossible - or at the very least rather unlikely - for the former Pussycat Doll to win such a gong, widely renowned as the most prestigious prize in American theatre. Following a 'flop' attempt at a solo singing career after the pop group disbanded in 2010, her stage career had also looked doomed following a vicious spat with Lord Lloyd Webber. Webber had raged: 'I'm furious because I really believe she's the most fantastically talented girl and I went out on a limb... but never mind, there'll be another girl on Broadway and Nicole will not get her Tony Award.' But following raving reviews in his new Sunset Boulevard show, Scherzinger has become Lloyd Webber's shining diamond on Broadway - and not only has he eaten his words, but he's become her biggest cheerleader. For her performance as Norma, a faded Hollywood starlet who refuses to accept her star has waned, Critics have raved: 'Nicole dazzles', 'Scherzinger absolutely bloody smashes,' and, simply, 'Perfection!' Once upon a time, Scherzinger was best known for hanging off the arm of Formula One star Lewis Hamilton, from whom she split for good in 2015, following an on-off relationship over several years. She was born in Hawaii as Nicole Prascovia Elikolani Valiente Scherzinger to father, Alfonso Valiente, who is of Filipino descent, and mother Rosemary, who is of Hawaiian, Ukrainian and Russian ancestry. Raised in Kentucky from the age of six, she began acting at the age of 14, studying musical theatre and dropping out of college. Her first minor forays into the singing world came while touring with American rock band Days Of The New, before joining Eden's Crush, a girl group born from an American reality series. With her multi-racial background, people assumed she was of Pakistani descent. She confided to those who worked with her that her skin colour hasn't always made it easy for her in show business. However, they say, it made her 'unbelievably determined.' In 2005, she joined the Pussycat Dolls, a burlesque troupe who found success with hits such as Don't Cha, When I Grow Up and Jai Ho! Alongside the other members of the group, Carmit Bachar, Ashley Roberts, Jessica Sutta, Melody Thornton and Kimberly Wyatt, the Dolls sold 55 million records worldwide. Nicole later revealed that her 'strong religious beliefs' made her uncomfortable with the Pussycat Dolls' sexy image when she first joined the band in 2003. The PCD lead singer told The Guardian she 'just wanted to make [her] mother proud' when she joined the burlesque-turned-pop group in 2003, aged 25. But when the other auditionees turned up in their underwear it was 'a massive hump' the devout Christian and granddaughter of a Catholic bishop had to try to get over. 'If you look at my outfits, I was in trousers most of the time,' she said. She explained that, despite the band's sexually charged image, she liked to try to be 'classy' and leave 'a little bit for the imagination' during her early years in the chart-topping group. Nicole herself said that she sang '95 per cent' of the vocals on Pussycat Dolls and said that on one occasion, she even recorded the backing vocals. Her fellow bandmates heard their album for the first time when it was played to them in the studio after Nicole had recorded it. While this may not have been a problem for most of them, who were hired as dancers, it was difficult for Melody Thornton, the only other singer. 'I lost so much confidence and felt really worthless,' she said of not being allowed to sing,' the told The Mirror. Nicole Scherzinger (front centre) first rose to fame as the lead singer of the Pussycat Dolls alongside Carmit Bachar (front right), Ashley Roberts (front left), Jessica Sutta (back centre), Melody Thornton (middle left), and Kimberly Wyatt (middle right). Their success was to last no longer than four years, as the group went on hiatus and disbanded in 2010, following the completion of their world tour and amid rumours of a rift. In 2019, they tried to reform the band and released the single React, but their reunion tour was later cancelled amid legal battles between Nicole and the group's founder Robin Antin. She later admitted that there were 'so many tough moments' between the girls, but insisted any animosity was in the past. As the lead vocalist of the group, it had always seemed likely that Scherzinger would go on to become the stand-out star. As one friend told the Mail's Katie Hind in 2013: 'Nicole was the only one of the Pussycat Dolls who had a chance at becoming a solo act. She looked the part and could sing but she also put the work in and would leave the small ego she had at the door. 'She was like Cheryl Tweedy of Girls Aloud, the stand-out one. She was looking at signing a solo deal and was inundated with offers as the pop world needed a new matriarch and she was feisty and talented.' And her solo career, it seemed, was off to a strong start after catching the eye of Simon Cowell, who recruited her to become a judge on the X Factor. Between 2010 and 2013, she joined Gary Barlow, Louis Walsh and Tulisa - and Sharon Osbourne in 2013 - to mentor the contestants, her most successful of which included Jahmene Douglas and James Arthur. In July 2022, in a video released to celebrate the 10 year anniversary of One Direction, it was revealed that it had been Nicole's idea to put Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Liam Payne, Niall Horan and Zayn Malik into a group together - and not Simon Cowell, as previously thought. But despite the huge boost given to her career by the X Factor, a solo pop career was not to be for Scherzinger. Her first studio album Killer Love, was released in 2011 after being pushed back multiple times but fared well in the UK charts. The lead single from her second album in 2014, Your Love, debuted at number six in the UK singles chart and second, Run, in the top thirty. But her third track, On the Rocks, received negative reviews and the forth, Bang, failing to chart. In 2014, her dance-pop record Big Fat Lie also failed to chart - and remains her last solo release. It was then she decided to turn her attention away from the studio, and towards the stage. However, her dreams to becoming a lead in musicals got off to a rocky start. In 2016, Nicole made headlines after Sir Andrew Llyod Webber branded her 'crazy' after she pulled out of the Broadway production of Cats at the last minute to take a seven-figure salary to return as a judge on ITV's X Factor. The composer told the Economist that Nicole phoned him up a week before the cast was due to start rehearsals for Cats to say she had decided to ditch the play to join X Factor. 'She's crazy, but the American producers took a view of, 'Oh fine, we'll get someone else.' She's actually not that well known in America. She's better known here,' he said. 'I'm furious because I really believe she's the most fantastically brilliant girl and I went out on a limb to get her at the Palladium and now I look like an absolute t*** with them all.' 'Nevermind, there will be another girl on Broadway and Nicole will not get her Tony Award,' concluded Andrew. Nicole hit back at Andrew's remarks and told the MailOnline: 'I had every intention of doing Cats on Broadway but the contract was never finalized. 'I am incredibly blessed to be given so many amazing opportunities, including Cats, but unfortunately we weren't able to make it work this time around. 'I adore and respect Andrew, I'm so grateful for our friendship and can't wait for the opportunity to create more magic together.' Just two years later, in 2018, Nicole proved her row with Andrew was a distant memory, as she revealed it would be her 'dream' to make a musical with the renowned composer. According to The Sun, the singer believes she has 'several musicals in her' and at the time, wanted to turn her hand to playwright with the help of the Phantom of the Opera creator. The singer told the paper: 'It would be a dream to create something original with Andrew.' In 2021, she returned to the world of musical theatre once more as Grace Farrell in NBC's Annie Live! Just months later, she was in talks with a reconciled Lloyd Webber to discuss her taking on the role of Norma Desmond on the West End, which has since moved to Broadway. Announcing her part in the show in May 2023, Nicole said: 'I can't wait to think and play outside the box with brilliant, cutting-edge director Jamie Lloyd. 'And to have the honour of working with the legend himself, Andrew Lloyd Webber, to bring this timeless masterpiece to life.' The pair are now said to be 'very very close' again - and he's sure to be prouder than anyone after last night's award ceremony - at which he was spotted in the audience. In her acceptance speech last night, as well as giving a shoutout to her fiancé Thom, Nicole was quick to name the composer. She paid tribute to the crew of the musical, thanking Lloyd Webber and gushing: 'It has been such an honor to be able to create with you the past 15 years.' Sobbing as she took to the stage to accept the gong, Scherzinger gave a special shout out to Thom, whom she met when he appeared as a contestant of the celebrity X Factor in 2019, thanking him for 'believing in me when I forget to believe in myself.' During her acceptance speech, the actress broke down in tears as she confessed: 'Growing up I always felt like I didn't belong, but you all have made me feel like I belong, and I have come home at last.' She added: 'I'm so honored to be recognized alongside these exceptional warrior women in this category. I want to thank you all so much for making this little Hawaiian/ Ukrainian/ Filipino girl's dream come true. So proud to represent.' As well as Thom, Nicole also thanked her family, including her mother, stating she 'had me at 18 and gave everything up for me.' And voicing her gratitude and appreciation for producer Jamie Lloyd, she added: 'Jamie, you saw in me what no one else did. You have given us all new ways to dream and you have changed my life forever.' Nicole wrapped up her emotional speech with an inspiring message, saying: 'If there's anyone out there who feels like they don't belong, or your time hasn't come, don't give up.
