All-around winners

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Since its creation in 1917, the Pulitzer Prize has been bestowed on the greatest achievements in journalism, literature and music. From old to new, the works selected most likely will stand the test of time.

When looking for a good read, the list of literature winners is great jumping-off point. Whether from the past decade or past century, "The Road," "Interpreter of Maladies" and "The Old Man and the Sea" each offers a unique perspective and shows different styles and movements in fiction, but at the center of each is an inherently American voice and attitude, making for a better of understanding of how literature has evolved and the directions it may take.

The category of "great" and highly celebrated authors has been male-dominated. Yet, at 31, Jhumpa Lahiri has emerged as one of the premier writers of this generation. Not only is she young, but she brings her background with her, writing primarily about the Indian-American experience in modern America.

Her newest novel, "Unaccustomed Earth," debuted at No. 1 on The New York Time’s best-seller list in April, and her second work from 2003, "The Namesake," was adapted into a 2007 film.

Lahiri’s most noteworthy achievement is winning the 2000 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction with her collection of short stories, "Interpreter of Maladies" (Houghton Mifflin, 198 pages). The story traces and details a myriad characters’ immigrant experience, and exposes the difficulties and roadblocks faced by first- and second-generation Indians.

The collection of nine vastly different stories connected by the themes of hope and the trials of immigrants are woven together by a graciously honest and compelling narrative, infused with the traditions and heritage of her people. In a world where "fitting in" is often a key to success, her characters grapple with the concept and effects of "in with the new, out with the old."

Lahiri used much of her own life to influence her stories. Growing up in Rhode Island with first-generation parents, Lahiri writes about a specific community and her stories deal with many of the same issues immigrants from any era can relate to. Her writing reinvigorates those ideas, as well as reminds us of the hope our country still provides to so many around the world.

"The Road" by Cormac McCarthy, (Center Point Pub, 254 pages) although written in the same decade as "Interpreter of Maladies," is a vastly different, showing the diversity and range awarded the Pulitzer. As opposed to the hopeful tone of Lahiri, "The Road" focuses on the American Dream turned upside down.

McCarthy has emerged as an almost-household name. The wildly successful film adaptation of his 2005 novel, "No Country for Old Men," garnered much attention and Oscars. "No Country" may be his most well-known, but, with more than four decades of work to sift through, his greatest accomplishment is still the 2007 Pulitzer-winning "The Road."

The novel tracks a nameless father and son trying to survive the bleak landscape of a post-apocalyptic America. The father is consumed with taking care of his son while trying to keep the boy’s innocence alive, creating an undeniable tenderness throughout. The lack of designation makes their situation more plausible and relatable; they could be anyone from any background.

The novel is beautifully crafted, spinning a message about the human condition and the possibility of an unstable future. "The Road" is McCarthy’s masterpiece and one of the greatest American novels in recent years.

Ernest Hemingway’s repertoire still can be found in classrooms throughout the world. Yet "The Old Man and the Sea" is, to some, his most important work.

A hair over 100 pages, it won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1953, and was a major component of Hemingway’s 1954 Nobel Prize. The last novel published before his death, the book simplistically yet beautifully relays the last "big" trip of a fisherman in Cuba who is nearing the end of his life. Santiago befriends a local boy, Manolin, and instills in him a magic of the open sea and a passion for the perfect catch.

The tropical setting is reminiscent of Hemingway’s love of the islands and Atlantic coastline (Key West was his home for many years). If you can’t get to the beach this summer, the novel evokes the serenity and beauty of life by the ocean. Hemingway’s novella offers a glimpse into a specific time and place, taking the reader into a vivid and sometimes endearing world. "The Old Man and the Sea" transcends time and is as accessible and effective as it was when it penned more than 60 years ago.