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OverviewThose curious about the inner workings of the Pulitzer Prize committee will find many, if not all, of their questions answered in John Hohenberg's memoir, The Pulitzer Diaries. Hohenberg, a journalism professor at Columbia University at the time of his appointment to the Pulitzer board in 1954, kept careful records of his 22 years as administrator of the prizes. These detail not only matters pertaining to the Pulitzers, but also the author's private life and his attitudes toward various world events. The clashes and compromises of the Pulitzer committee, however, are the heart of the book, which goes a long way toward explaining the story behind many controversial choices. Hohenberg reveals why Duke Ellington never won a Pulitzer and why David Halberstam did. He offers his opinion on the controversy surrounding the authorship of Profiles in Courage and admits to the board's somewhat spotty record where music and literature are concerned. The Pulitzer Diaries is about more than just prizes, of course; it opens a window on the changing American society of the 1950s, '60s, and '70s. Full Product DetailsAuthor: Joann HohenbergPublisher: Syracuse University Press Imprint: Syracuse University Press Dimensions: Width: 15.20cm , Height: 2.30cm , Length: 22.90cm Weight: 0.680kg ISBN: 9780815603924ISBN 10: 0815603924 Pages: 354 Publication Date: 30 March 1997 Audience: College/higher education , Professional and scholarly , Undergraduate , Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly Format: Hardback Publisher's Status: Active Availability: Out of stock  The supplier is temporarily out of stock of this item. It will be ordered for you on backorder and shipped when it becomes available. Table of ContentsReviewsThose with a truly intense interest in the administration of the Pulitzer Prizes might be able to find something mildly entertaining in this volume. The Pulitzer Prizes are more of an organizing theme than the actual subject of this book, which is essentially an autobiography. Hohenberg (The Pulitzer Prizes, 1974, etc.) was executive administrator of the prizes from 1954 to 1976, and he draws upon a personal diary from this time period to provide an account of his activities. The narrative is not limited to his Pulitzer work, however; the bulk of this volume is a recording of Hohenberg's wide-ranging professional activities and personal observations regarding major news events, notably conflict in post-WW II China, the war in Vietnam and accompanying domestic discord, and the fall of Richard Nixon. Most of the commentary on the Pulitzers concerns the acrimony engendered within and by the Advisory Board whenever a jury's recommendations were not followed. No doubt this placed Hohenberg in an uncomfortable position as the man in the middle dealing with insulted jurors, disappointed nominees, and often a divided board, but this is hardly high drama for those not directly involved at the time. Controversial decisions deriving from the social conservatism of the board, undoubtedly the subject with the broadest potential interest, are warily noted without actually discussing them. For instance, the jury in 1960 recommended Lillian Hellman's Toys in the Attic for the drama award, but the board gave it to the musical Fiorello!; Hohenberg's sole commentary is, I was too stunned to say anything. This is a cautious account written by a devoted insider, not a titillating kiss-and-tell book. Adding to the tedium is a writing style that consists of dry, matter-of-fact prose interspersed with lengthy passages directly from Hohenberg's diary. (Kirkus Reviews) Author InformationJohn Hohenberg was professor of journalism at the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism. Tab Content 6Author Website:Countries AvailableAll regions |
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