
Humboldt's Gift
American novelist, 1915–2005. Won the National Book Award for Fiction in 1954, 1965 and 1971 and the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1976.
Humboldt's Gift is a 1975 novel by Saul Bellow. It won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1976.
On 2 of the 17 lists it was eligible for.
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At a glance
- Author
- Saul Bellow
- First published
- 1975
- Length
- 496 pages (UK paperback)
- Awards
- Pulitzer Prize for Fiction winner, 1976
- National Book Award for Fiction shortlist, 1976
- Genre
- Literary fiction, Philosophical, Autobiographical
Is Humboldt's Gift worth reading?
2 of the 17 best-of lists it could have made include it: the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the National Book Award for Fiction.
| List | Place | Original |
|---|---|---|
| National Book Award for Fiction (winners and finalists) (National Book Foundation, 1976) | Shortlist | See the list |
| Pulitzer Prize for Fiction (winners and finalists) (Columbia University, 1976) | Winner | See the list |
Best edition of Humboldt's Gift
The edition we link to is the Penguin Classics paperback (2007), 496 pages.
- Publisher
- Penguin Classics (paperback, 2007)
- Pages
- 496
- ISBN
- 9780141188768
How critics, prizes and readers rate Humboldt's Gift
Prize juries rate it most highly: it earned 83% of the points available on prize lists, against 0% on critics' lists and 0% on readers' and booksellers' lists.
Share of the available points it earned on each kind of list it was eligible for. How the scores work
Books like Humboldt's Gift
If you liked Humboldt's Gift, try The Adventures of Augie March, Herzog or Henderson the Rain King.


