Which 1948 Pulitzer-winning novel was written by James A. Michener?

Tales of the South Pacific was the 1948 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel written by James A. Michener.

Published in 1947, the book is a linked collection of stories set on islands in the South Pacific during World War II. Its characters include American service members, nurses, sailors, and local residents whose lives intersect during the war.

Michener based the novel on his own wartime service in the South Pacific, although the book is fiction rather than a straightforward memoir. Its episodic structure brings together several narratives instead of following one continuous protagonist.

The novel later inspired Rodgers and Hammerstein’s musical South Pacific, which opened on Broadway in 1949. The musical used characters and situations from Michener’s book but is not identical to the novel. A common mix-up is treating the Pulitzer as an award for the musical; the prize recognized Michener’s novel.