Barbara Kingsolver, Hernan Diaz win fiction Pulitzer Prizes

THE Pulitzer Prize for fiction was awarded Monday to two class-conscious novels: “Demon Copperhead,” Barbara Kingsolver’s modern recasting of the Dickens classic “David Copperfield,” and Hernan Diaz’s “Trust,” an innovative narrative of wealth and deceit set in 1920s New York.

It’s the first time the Pulitzers have awarded two fiction books in the category’s 105-year history.

Officials have declined to name a fiction winner several times, mostly recently in 2012.

“Trust” won the Kirkus Prize for fiction, was on the long list for the Booker Prize and was named by The New York Times and The Washington Post as one of the year’s best books.

Kingsolver’s novel, the story of a young boy’s struggles and persistence as he grows up in southern Appalachia, was chosen by Oprah Winfrey last fall for her book club and named by The Washington Post as a top release of 2022.

The 68-year-old Kingsolver has long woven social issues into her novels, which also