Colson Whitehead, the black author, makes history at the Pulitzer Prizes
American author Colson Whitehead has become the fourth writer to win the Pulitzer Prize twice for TV series.
The African-American author was honored for "The Nickel Boys," which depicts the abuse of several black boys at a juvenile correctional school in Florida.
"Nickel Boys" was inspired by the horrific real-life story of the Dozier boarding school in Florida, where children convicted of petty offenses were subjected to violent abuse.
Whitehead's novel was praised by the Pulitzer committee for "its unflinching and devastating exploration of abuse at a reform school in Jim Crow-era Florida, which is ultimately a powerful story of perseverance, dignity, and human redemption."
Whitehead, 50, a New Yorker, also won the award in 2017 in the same category for his book "Underground Railroad."
Before him, only Booth Tarkington, William Faulkner, and John Updike had won the Pulitzer for fiction twice.
The 2020 awards, postponed for several weeks due to the coronavirus, were announced remotely in the living room of Pulitzer administrator Dana Canedy.
The Pulitzer Prizes are the highest honors for journalists and authors based in the US.
How @PulitzerPrizes celebrations look during a pandemic pic.twitter.com/pxGdVvaoND
— Travis (@travislylesnews) May 4, 2020
