2014's Pulitzer Prize for Fiction has been awarded to Donna Tartt, for her latest novel The Goldfinch.
Tartt's sprawling epic triumphed over the two other nominees, The Son by Philip Meyer and The Woman Who Lost Her Soul by Bob Shacochis.
Tartt's novel tells the story of Theodore Decker, an orphaned Manhattanite who winds up in possession of a renowned painting, Carel Fabritius's "The Goldfinch." Tartt's coming of age story follows Theo to Las Vegas, New York City's Lower East Side, and Amsterdam, where the events of his life are intermixed with his burgeoning theories on art and love.
The Goldfinch was Tartt's highly anticipated third novel, following her critically acclaimed The Little Friend, which was shortlisted for the Orange Prize for Fiction in 2003. Tartt began writing her first book, The Secret History, while studying at Bennington College.
The Goldfinch was shortlisted for the National Book Critics Circle Award in 2013, and was nominated for the BAILEYS Women's Prize for Fiction in 2014 (the winner hasn't been announced yet).
Last year's Pulitzer Prize for Fiction was awarded to The Orphan Master's Son by Adam Johnson. The nominees were What We Talk About When We Talk About Anne Frank by Nathan Englander and The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey. In 2012, none of the three nominees were awarded the prize.
Check out the rest of the Pulitzer Prize winners here.
[CORRECTION: An earlier version of this article stated that Theo traveled to New Mexico, rather than Nevada, and referred to the novel as a roman à clef. An earlier version also stated incorrectly that Tartt's novel The Little Friend won the Orange Prize; the novel was shortlisted for the prize.