Pulitzer Prizes 1927: Complete list of winners

The 1927 Pulitzer Prizes marked a fascinating moment in American letters, showcasing the diversity and ambition of the nation’s literary output in the Jazz Age. That year’s winners demonstrated the Pulitzer Prize committee’s commitment to honoring excellence across multiple genres, from historical scholarship to experimental drama. Louis Bromfield’s Early Autumn claimed the prestigious Novel prize, while Emory Holloway’s Whitman: An Interpretation in Narrative offered readers a fresh biographical perspective on America’s most celebrated poet. The selections reflected a cultural moment when American writers and historians were increasingly confident in establishing their own artistic canon, independent of European influences.

What makes the 1927 Pulitzer Prizes particularly intriguing is the strength of the drama category that year. Paul Green’s In Abraham’s Bosom represented a bold choice—a socially conscious play that grappled with racial tensions in the American South at a time when such themes rarely received mainstream literary recognition. Leonora Speyer’s poetry collection Fiddler’s Farewell rounded out a year that felt simultaneously rooted in American tradition and reaching toward new artistic territories. Meanwhile, Samuel Flagg Bemis’s historical work Pinckney’s Treaty exemplified the Pulitzer Prize’s dedication to recognizing rigorous scholarship alongside creative writing.

These five winners from nearly a century ago continue to offer insight into how America’s literary institutions valued and celebrated achievement during this transformative period. Below, you’ll find details on each category and what made these works stand out to the judges.

Biography

• Whitman: An Interpretation in Narrative by Emory Holloway

Drama

• In Abraham’s Bosom by Paul Green

History

• Pinckney’s Treaty by Samuel Flagg Bemis

Novel

• Early Autumn by Louis Bromfield

Poetry

• Fiddler’s Farewell by Leonora Speyer