University of Iowa Alumni Shine in 2026 Pulitzer Prizes
In a remarkable achievement for the University of Iowa, four alumni have been recognized in the 2026 Pulitzer Prizes. Yiyun Li and Daniel Kraus have joined the prestigious group of over 40 Iowa-affiliated Pulitzer winners, with Li and Kraus receiving top honors and two others being named as finalists.
“Iowa is known as the ‘Writing University’ for a reason, and this year’s Pulitzer Prize announcement is a testament to our legacy, our programs, and our faculty,” stated Daniel Khalastchi, executive director of the University of Iowa Office of Writing and Communication. “From uniquely inventive fiction and deeply researched history to visceral memoir writing that stunningly examines difficult aspects of the human experience, our alumni continue to write and publish literature that transforms our world.”
Yiyun Li’s Profound Memoir
Yiyun Li, a graduate with a Master of Science in 2000 and two MFAs in 2005, earned the Pulitzer Prize for Memoir or Autobiography with her work Things in Nature Merely Grow. The judges praised it as “a writer’s deeply moving and revelatory account of losing her younger son to suicide a little more than six years after her older son died in the same manner, an austere and defiant memoir of acceptance that focuses on facts, language, and the persistence of life.” Li, who was also a 2024 finalist in fiction, currently teaches at Princeton University.
Daniel Kraus’s Unique Fiction
Daniel Kraus, a 1997 graduate with a BA in communication studies, received the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for Angel Down. His World War I narrative, uniquely crafted in a single sentence, was lauded as “a stylistic tour-de-force that blends such genres as allegory, magical realism, and science fiction into a cohesive whole.” Kraus is a New York Times bestselling author, known for his collaborations with filmmakers like Guillermo del Toro and George A. Romero.
Finalists Highlight Iowa’s Influence
Two more Iowa alumni were recognized as Pulitzer finalists, further showcasing the university’s influence across literary genres. Torrey Peters, a 2009 MFA graduate in nonfiction writing, was a finalist in fiction for Stag Dance: A Quartet. Her 2021 novel Detransition, Baby won the PEN/Hemingway Award and was named one of the 100 Best Books of the 21st Century by The New York Times. Meanwhile, Scott Anderson, who earned his MFA in fiction in 1993, was a finalist in history for King of Kings: The Iranian Revolution: A Story of Hubris, Delusion and Catastrophic Miscalculation.
Reflecting on these achievements, Khalastchi emphasized the importance of perseverance and creativity in writing. “While it is exciting to celebrate awards like the Pulitzer, none of these incredible authors began their creative process fixating on an accolade,” he remarked. “Instead, they wrote toward the art — toward the magic of the sentence and the idea that there is great power in language.”
The University of Iowa continues to uphold its reputation as a nurturing ground for literary excellence, with its alumni making significant contributions to the literary world. For a complete list of all 2026 Pulitzer winners, please click here.
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