Honoring Robert A. Caro 2025 Preston Award for Distinguished Service to the Literary Community Recipient Share on Twitter (opens in a new tab) on Facebook (opens in a new tab) on Linkedin (opens in a new tab) via email Born and raised in New York City, Robert Caro graduated from Princeton University, was later a Nieman Fellow at Harvard University, and worked for six years as an investigative reporter for Newsday. To create his first book, The Power Broker, Caro spent seven years tracing and talking with hundreds of men and women who worked with, for or against Robert Moses, and examining mountains of files never open to the public. The Power Broker, everywhere acclaimed as a modern classic, was chosen by the Modern Library as one of the hundred greatest nonfiction books of the twentieth century. To research The Years of Lyndon Johnson, Caro and his wife, Ina, moved from his native New York City to Texas, to live in the locales in which Johnson grew up and to immerse himself in Johnson’s world. He has spent years examining documents at the Johnson Library in Austin. And he has interviewed thousands of persons connected with Johnson’s life, many of whom had never before been interviewed. The Years of Lyndon Johnson is, according to The London Times, “one of the truly great political biographies of the modern era. A masterpiece.” For his biographies of Robert Moses and Lyndon Johnson, Robert A. Caro has twice won the Pulitzer Prize, twice won the National Book Award, three times won the National Book Critics Circle Award, and has also won virtually every other major literary honor, including the National Humanities Medal, the Gold Medal in Biography from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and the Francis Parkman Prize, awarded by the Society of American Historians to the book that “exemplifies the union of the historian and the artist.” Caro lives with his wife, the writer Ina Caro, in New York City, where he is at work on the fifth and final volume of The Years of Lyndon Johnson. About the Preston Award for Distinguished Service to the Literary Community The Preston Award for Distinguished Service recognizes a writer whose career has been marked by exceptional dedication, leadership, and lasting contributions to the literary world. This award celebrates a lifetime of achievements, acknowledging not only the recipient’s literary accomplishments but also their enduring commitment to supporting fellow authors, enriching the literary community, and advancing the cause of literature. The recipient of this award is recognized as a trailblazer whose work and influence have left a profound and lasting impact on the literary landscape. Robert A. Caro exemplifies the ideals of the Preston Distinguished Service Award through his extraordinary career marked by unparalleled dedication, meticulous research, and literary excellence. His groundbreaking biographies, particularly The Power Broker and The Years of Lyndon Johnson series, have set a new standard for narrative nonfiction, shedding light on the intricacies of power and its impact on society. Beyond his literary achievements, Caro has profoundly influenced the craft of writing, inspiring generations of authors with his relentless pursuit of truth and his commitment to storytelling. His work has enriched the literary community, serving as a beacon for those who believe in the transformative power of literature. Caro’s legacy is one of tireless leadership and contribution, making him a truly deserving recipient of this lifetime achievement honor.
