Former Brown provost Kertzer wins Pulitzer for biography

DAVID KERTZER, provost at Brown University until 2011 and now the Paul R. Dupee Jr. Professor of Social Science, has won the Pulitzer Prize for biography-autobiography for
DAVID KERTZER, provost at Brown University until 2011 and now the Paul R. Dupee Jr. Professor of Social Science, has won the Pulitzer Prize for biography-autobiography for "The Pope and Mussolini: The Secret History of Pius XI and the Rise of Fascism in Europe." / COURTESY BROWN UNIVERSITY

PROVIDENCE – David Kertzer, former provost of Brown University, was awarded the 2015 Pulitzer Prize for biography-autobiography on Monday, for his book “The Pope and Mussolini: The Secret History of Pius XI and the Rise of Fascism in Europe.”
Published by Random House, the book was described on the Pulitzer website as “an engrossing dual biography that uses recently opened Vatican archives to shed light on two men who exercised nearly absolute power over their realms.”
In a press release through Brown University, where he continues to teach as the Paul R. Dupee Jr. Professor of Social Science, and a professor of anthropology and Italian studies, Kertzer said he was surprised at the win.
“I had no idea the Pulitzer Prizes were about to be announced nor any hint they were considering The Pope and Mussolini, so this is quite a shock,” Kertzer said, according to the release. “Like any author, I hope that the news leads many new readers to the book.”
The Pulitzer award carries a $10,000 cash prize.
The book was based on seven years of research in the Vatican and Fascist archives, according to Brown, and revealed the secret relationship between Pope Pius XI and Italian dictator Benito Mussolini.
Kertzer was provost at Brown from 2006 to 2011. He is the author of nine books, according to the Pulitzer site biography.

No posts to display