Joseph Pulitzer (1847-1911) created the Pulitzer Prizes in his will to reward excellence in the fields of journalism and the arts.  The Pulitzer Prize for Fiction is given each year to an outstanding work of fiction written by an American and preferably about American life.  The chosen titles are not always (in fact, usually are not) bestsellers.  The decision for who wins the prize is based on recommendations from experts in the field and the deliberation of the Pulitzer Prize board.  The list of past winners is not without its controversies, but each title is sure to be worth the read. 

I have listed all of the winners PTC Libraries has in its collections on this page.

For more info: Pulitzer.org