And yes, the winners of major literary prizes like the Pulitzer are getting more diverse, and that’s great. But I do think that when critically lauded books by authors of color manage to repeatedly miss the Pulitzer Prize and the list of finalists, it indicates that something is going on. When I started that argument in my wrap-up thoughts about this year’s Pulitzer Prize, I was specifically thinking about how authors of color are frequently snubbed (for clarification: I do not think this is a malicious or intentional move on the part of the Pulitzer jurors or Board. I started wondering how Less fits into this. But as I reread the book, I started thinking about a case I’ve been making this year: that we as a culture (and we as readers) need to expand our definition of what type of book qualifies as great. My preconceived notion, having read the book once before, was that it should not have won. When I embarked on a reread of Less, I was planning to litigate whether or not Less deserved to win over its competitors.

How did this happen? And is this the way it should have gone down? What Type of Book Is Prize-Worthy? That’s right, a lighthearted comedy about a middle-aged gay man with romance problems beat out a bunch of serious novels by serious writers–books about systemic racism, generational trauma, profound grief, and more. Not many people considered Andrew Sean Greer’s comedic novel Less a serious contender, but it walked away with the prize in the end. Would Jesmyn Ward come out on top for her critically lauded novel Sing, Unburied Sing? Would George Saunders claim a double victory after winning the Booker Prize for Lincoln in the Bardo? There were many names and titles to consider–all heavy hitters with dramatic plots and important subjects. As the Pulitzer Prize announcement for 2018 approached, literary minds had a lot to consider.

Andrew sean greer less sequel