Kata’s Progress – The 1940’s

Haunting, Beautiful. Still Relevant. Slow Moving. Hard to Get Into. Timeless. Ponderable. Boring. 

Above are some of the words that I repeatedly used in my blog to describe the Pulitzer winning books. With perhaps the exception of A Bell for Adano, the books require a fair amount of discipline and patience to read. To get a true sense of these books, most need to be read slowly.

Tales of the South Pacific marks a change in the Pulitzer winners. The award goes from being called the Pulitzer Prize for the Novel to being called the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. Tales of the South Pacific is not so much a novel as a series of short stories. Needless to say, many of the books during the 1940’s were about World War II. As with many of the earlier Pulitzer winners, racism is often discussed in these stories.

• 1940 The Grapes of Wrath
• 1942 In This Our Life
• 1943 Dragon’s Teeth 
• 1944 Journey in the Dark
• 1945 A Bell for Adano
• 1947 All the King’s Men
• 1948 Tales of the South Pacific
• 1949 Guard of Honor

Kata’s Progress – Finishing Up the 1930’s

As I catch up with posting my reading progress, I find it interesting rereading my blog entries. They tell almost as much about my life as about the books. Below is what I have read from the 1930's since I posted here last year. My reactions to the books are on my blog.

• 1935 Now in November  
• 1937 Gone With the Wind 
• 1939 The Yearling

Kata's Progress -- Newly Read 1930's

(Alas, I had to break my post into two posts because my tags were too long.) Slowly I am making my way through the Pulitzer Prize winners. Two themes keep popping up. The first is that the characters are living in a time of change. The second is that what is near and dear to one generation is often less important or even rejected by the next generation. Below is what I have read from the 1930'a since I posted here in November. My reactions to the books are on my blog.

• 1930 Laughing Boy 
• 1931 Years of Grace 
• 1932 The Good Earth 
• 1933 The Store 
• 1934 Lamb in His Bosom 
• 1938 The Late George Apley

Kata's Progress -- Newly Read 1920's

Slowly I am making my way through the Pulitzer Prize winners. Two themes keep on popping up. The first is that the characters are living in a time of change. The second is that what is near and dear to one generation is often less important or even rejected by the next generation. Below is what I have read from the 1920'a since I posted here in November. My reactions to the books are on my blog.

• 1921 The Age of Innocence
• 1922 Alice Adams
• 1923 One of Ours
• 1925 So Big
• 1926 Arrowsmith
• 1928 The Bridge of San Luis Rey
• 1929 Scarlet Sister Mary

Kata’s Progress

Despite having a BA in English, I am more of a Science Fiction and Mystery reader. The Pulitzer Prize winners are a nice counterpoint to my usual reading. I am just starting out on this journey. Here is what I have read so far. My reactions are on my blog.

• 1918 His Family  
• 1919 The Magnificence Ambersons  
• 1924 The Able McLaughlins  
• 1927 Early Autumn