Pulitzer Prize Fiction Winner
His Family
by Ernest Poole
Summary
Set in early twentieth-century New York, the novel follows aging widower Roger Gale as he attempts to fulfill a promise to his late wife by remaining a steady presence for their three very different daughters. Poole uses the family unit as a microcosm to examine the rapid social, political, and moral changes reshaping urban American life. Its blend of domestic realism and social journalism reflects the Progressive-era concerns of its author.
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Historical Context & Significance
The very first Pulitzer for a novel. Poole was a socialist journalist; his win signaled the prize's interest in the "changing face" of the American family.