The Known World
American novelist, born 1950. Won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2004.
The Known World is a 2003 novel by Edward P. Jones. It won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2004.
In historical fiction, Black American
On 4 of the 16 lists it was eligible for.
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At a glance
- Author
- Edward P. Jones
- First published
- 2003
- Length
- 400 pages (UK paperback)
- Awards
- National Book Award for Fiction shortlist, 2003
- Pulitzer Prize for Fiction winner, 2004
- Genre
- Historical fiction, Black American, Class and society
Is The Known World worth reading?
4 of the 16 best-of lists it could have made include it, among them the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and The 100 best books of the 21st century (The New York Times).
| List | Place | Original |
|---|---|---|
| National Book Award for Fiction (winners and finalists) (National Book Foundation, 2003) | Shortlist | See the list |
| Pulitzer Prize for Fiction (winners and finalists) (Columbia University, 2004) | Winner | See the list |
| The 100 best books of the 21st century (The New York Times, 2024) | No. 4 | See the list |
| The 100 best novels of all time (The Guardian, 2026) | No. 96 | See the list |
Best edition of The Known World
The edition we link to is the Harper Perennial paperback (2004), 400 pages.
- Publisher
- Harper Perennial (paperback, 2004)
- Pages
- 400
- ISBN
- 9780007195305
How critics, prizes and readers rate The Known World
Prize juries rate it most highly: it earned 56% of the points available on prize lists, against 29% 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 The Known World
If you liked The Known World, try Catch-22, Wolf Hall or Midnight's Children.
