Buckhannon Native Jayne Anne Phillips Awarded Pulitzer Prize

BUCKHANNON, WV—Buckhannon native Jayne Anne Phillips has won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for her book “Night Watch”.  Phillips often sets her books in her home state of West Virginia and sees “Night Watch” as a third of a trilogy of novels about war, following the Vietnam-era narrative “Machine Dreams” and the Korean War story “Lark & Termite,” which draws in part on a Pulitzer Prize-winning Associated Press investigation into the No Gun Ri massacre.

She began “Night Watch” eight years ago, a time when the echoes of the Civil War era were becoming uncomfortably timely. This period in history, with its profound impact on the nation, served as a rich backdrop for her narrative.

“The Civil War still has such an enormous hold on this country,” said Jayne Anne Phillips. “I hope people can pick up a piece of fiction and put their politics aside and enter into feeling what it was like for people at that time.”

On April 11th, the Buckhannon native and internationally acclaimed writer visited Buckhannon for “An Evening with Jayne Anne Phillips” at the Buckhannon Opera House in Buckhannon. There, she spoke about her latest novel and signed copies for attendees.

She stated, “I’m so glad to be coming to Buckhannon.  There’s just no substitute for having grown up in West Virginia.”  Jayne Anne Phillips became an internationally acclaimed writer, published in 12 languages, and has previously won an Academy Award in Literature, among other prestigious awards and fellowships.

On receiving the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, Buckhannon Mayor Robbie Skinner said, “Jayne Anne has made her hometown immensely proud. We extend our sincere congratulations and celebrate this monumental accomplishment with her.”