In the wake of reading some pretty off fiction lately, I decided I will reawaken my literary neurons with a new project: The Pulitzer Project. The prize, literally "an incentive to excellence," as the website says, is just that, the recognition for literary excellence, passion, complexity, and capturing the essence of the human spirit and condition. It reaffirms what in my opinion all literature should strive to be. Many of the titles are taught as such; countless schools teach them, many college courses focus on a few, and all can be used as name-dropping fodder in literary social circles. Of course, one doesn't need to read the titles to be able to discuss them, but I wanted to give myself a chance to experience their cultural relevance firsthand. I want to see what has been excellent fiction through the years. So we have come to this. The Pulitzer Project.
The Pulitzer Project is a long-term goal of reading all of the Pulitzer Prize-winning novels in the span of 3 years. That's a total of 89 books (I am including all of the finalists from the 2012 debacle). That's about 2 1/2 books a month. It's a tough load, but hey, the things we do for our passion aren't always easy.
Let my education into excellence begin!
