American journalist and biographer Jonathan Eig is the author of six books including his most recent, King: A Life (2023), a biography of Martin Luther King Jr., for which he was awarded the Pulitzer Prize.
The Pulitzer committee cited Eig’s book as not only “revelatory” but a biography that “draws on new sources to enrich our understanding of each stage of the civil rights leader’s life, exploring his strengths and weaknesses, including the self-questioning and depression that accompanied his determination.”
Eig, who lives in the Chicago suburb of Lakeview, celebrated the news of the prestigious award by picking up his daughter from school and getting ice cream cones at Dairy Queen. Eig captioned the photo: “What a feeling! Thanks to everyone who trusted me and helped me tell this story.”
Eig’s fans are sending congratulations and applauding his casual celebration, “Keeping it real!” and “Love to see parent and child celebrating together.”
How do you celebrate a #Pulitzer? Pick up the kid from school and get DQ! What a feeling! Thanks to everyone who trusted me and helped me tell this story. #KingALife @fsgbooks pic.twitter.com/sCNy8cQkwn
— Jonathan Eig (@jonathaneig) May 6, 2024
The rights to the book King: A Life were optioned for a feature film to be produced by Hollywood legend Steven Spielberg and directed by stand-up comedian Chris Rock.
Note: In the photo at DQ, Eig is wearing a Muhammad Ali t-shirt. He wrote the 2017 biography Ali: A Life. He’s also written about Lou Gehrig (The Luckiest Man, 2005), Jackie Robinson (Opening Day, 2007) and Al Capone (Get Capone, 2010).