Living Canon

Pulitzer Prizes 1955: Complete list of winners

The 1955 Pulitzer Prizes showcased a remarkable year for American letters, with winners who would cement their places in the literary canon for generations to come. Tennessee Williams dominated the conversation with Cat on A Hot Tin Roof, his searing drama about family dysfunction and desire that pushed boundaries on what American theater could explore. Meanwhile, William Faulkner claimed the fiction prize for A Fable, his ambitious retelling of war and sacrifice, while Wallace Stevens finally received major recognition late in his career with his Collected Poems—a belated acknowledgment of one of modernism’s most challenging and rewarding voices.

Beyond fiction and drama, the 1955 Pulitzer Prizes for non-fiction revealed the breadth of American historical inquiry. Paul Horgan’s sweeping Great River: The Rio Grande in North American History offered readers an epic examination of the river’s role in shaping the continent, while William S. White’s The Taft Story provided an intimate portrait of a political heavyweight. These winners collectively represent a moment when the Pulitzer Prizes were recognizing not just commercial success, but genuine artistic achievement across multiple genres—from experimental poetry to regional history to provocative contemporary drama.

Below, discover more about each of the 1955 Pulitzer Prize winners and what made their work resonate with the judges:

Biography

Drama

Fiction

History

Poetry