For distinguished fiction by an American author, preferably dealing with American life, Five thousand dollars ($5,000).

Awarded to The Hours by Michael Cunningham (Farrar, Straus & Giroux)

Columbia University Provost Jonathan R. Cole (right) presents Michael Cunningham with the 1999 Pulitzer Prize in Fiction.

Finalists

Also nominated as finalists in this category were: "Cloudsplitter" by Russell Banks (HarperFlamingo), and "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver (HarperFlamingo).