PEN/Faulkner Award 1987: Complete list of winners

The 1987 PEN/Faulkner Award for fiction went to Richard Wiley for Soldiers in Hiding, a novel that captured the attention of judges seeking fresh voices in American letters. The PEN/Faulkner Award, one of the country’s most prestigious honors for American fiction, has long distinguished itself by recognizing literary merit alongside commercial success—a mission evident in Wiley’s win that year. His debut novel, which follows an American deserter navigating survival and identity in the aftermath of World War II, demonstrated the kind of nuanced storytelling and historical consciousness that the award’s namesake, William Faulkner himself, valued in fiction.

The 1987 PEN Faulkner Award season reflected the broader literary climate of the mid-1980s, when American fiction was increasingly turning inward, exploring themes of displacement, moral ambiguity, and the long shadows cast by historical trauma. Wiley’s win marked an important moment for emerging authors, suggesting that innovative approaches to narrative and character could still command recognition from one of the literary establishment’s most respected institutions. The PEN/Faulkner Award continues to serve as a bellwether for serious fiction readers seeking recommendations beyond the bestseller lists.

Below you’ll find the full list of 1987 PEN/Faulkner Award winners and additional details about this significant year in American letters.

Fiction

• Soldiers in Hiding by Richard Wiley