Ernest Poole 
His Family 
First Pulitzer Prize for Fiction

Ernest Poole’s ‘His Family’ presents a detailed portrait of early twentieth-century New York, filtered through the life of Roger Gale, a widower and father striving to understand his daughters in the tumult of a rapidly changing society. The novel, renowned for its narrative authenticity and deep human insights, explores the clash between the old and the new, traditional values, and the onset of modernity. Poole’s style is characteristically lucid and poignant, embedding his characters in a literary context that conveys the teetering balance between continuity and change at the dawn of the Progressive Era.

Ernest Poole himself was a prominent figure in American literature, a journalist, and a social advocate, deeply influenced by the socio-economic conditions of the early 1900s. His keen observations of family dynamics, societal transformations and the impact of industrialization are inherent in ‘His Family’. The book likely emerged from Poole’s personal engagements with the era’s issues, and these complex relationships weave through the fabric of the narrative, providing it with a texture that is both rich and evocative.

Readers of early American literature, and those interested in the historical intersections of personal and societal evolution, will find ‘His Family’ to be a compelling book. It is a must-read for aficionados of character-driven narratives set against the backdrop of significant societal shifts. Ernest Poole skillfully addresses the perennial question of how we assimilate change while holding on to our defining values, making ‘His Family’ a timeless exploration of human resilience and adaptability.

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Ernest Poole (1880-1950) was an American novelist and journalist, whose work offers a direct window into the socio-political landscape of early 20th-century America. Born in Chicago, Illinois, Poole was foundational in the literary movement that sought to narrate the complexities of social reform and the human condition within the country’s rapidly changing society. His most notable work, ‘His Family’ (1917), won the first-ever Pulitzer Prize for the Novel in 1918 and remains a key text in the exploration of urban life, the struggles of the middle class, and the dynamics of family relationships during this period.

Poole’s narrative style is often recognized for its rich character development and insightful social commentary. A prolific writer, Poole harnessed his journalistic background to influence his fiction, writing for various publications, including The Saturday Evening Post and The New Republic, and using these platforms to amplify the progressive ideals that permeated his novels. Despite a moderately successful literary career, Poole’s works now occupy a more modest place in the canon of American literature, yet they serve as important artifacts for understanding the early 20th century American experience. Any comprehensive study of Poole’s work necessitates an examination of ‘His Family, ‘ an emblematic novel that captures the essence of a period marked by intense social evolution.