Pulitzer Prizes 1975: Complete list of winners

The 1975 Pulitzer Prizes showcased a remarkable diversity of American writing, from sweeping historical epics to intimate natural philosophy. Robert Caro’s monumental The Power Broker, a tour de force biography of Robert Moses and his reshaping of New York City, claimed the biography prize that year—a work that would cement itself as one of the most influential nonfiction books of the modern era. Meanwhile, Edward Albee returned to the Pulitzer winner’s circle with his experimental drama Seascape, proving that American theater remained a vital arena for artistic innovation even as television culture continued to expand.

That year’s Pulitzer Prizes in Fiction went to Michael Shaara for The Killer Angels, a novel about the Battle of Gettysburg that would later inspire the film Gettysburg. The general nonfiction award went to Annie Dillard for Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, a philosophical meditation on nature that captured widespread attention with its poetic sensibility and careful observation. Dumas Malone’s multi-volume Jefferson and His Time secured the history prize, while Gary Snyder’s Turtle Island won for poetry, reflecting the continued influence of Beat and environmental consciousness in American letters.

These winners reveal the literary landscape of mid-1970s America—a period when serious historical examination, experimental drama, and nature writing all held considerable cultural weight. Below is the complete list of 1975 Pulitzer Prize winners across all categories.

Biography

• The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York by Robert Caro

Drama

• Seascape by Edward Albee

Fiction

• The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara

General Nonfiction

• Pilgrim at Tinker Creek by Annie Dillard

History

• Jefferson and His Time, Vols. I-V by Dumas Malone

Poetry

• Turtle Island by Gary Snyder