NEW YORK, NY, June 15, 2026 — Atria Books announced today that it acquired a new novel from Daniel Kraus, who was recently awarded the Pulitzer Prize for his novel Angel Down, titled WE WHO BEND THE TALL GRASS.  

Publishing in 2028, WE WHO BEND THE TALL GRASS follows three battle-worn POWs on a quest across the post-Civil War American West while being pursued by a self-embalming adversary and poisoned by the monstrous violence at the heart of the country itself. 

"I’ve been preparing this book for a decade," said Kraus. "There is no genre better positioned to dissect what America is—and what it could have been—than the western. I hope this to be a horrifying, visceral, and hallucinatory epic that is a culmination of everything I’ve done up until now."

Loan Le, Atria Books Senior Editor and editor of Angel Down, said, "If you look back at Daniel's publishing history, you'll know that he's never been interested in coloring inside the lines. Few writers can move so seamlessly between the visceral and the literary, and no one is telling stories quite like him. I'm incredibly proud of what we accomplished together with Angel Down and thrilled to continue working with Daniel, who is also a genuinely wonderful human being." 

"Daniel Kraus always writes with a rare, original perspective on core human issues," said Libby McGuire, Publisher and Executive Vice President of the Atria Gallery Publishing Group. "When you sit down with a Kraus novel, you know you're about to embark on an unknown, perilous journey. We are grateful for every opportunity to publish his work and look forward to a long relationship still to come."

Daniel Kraus is a New York Times bestselling writer of novels, TV, and film. His latest sci-fi novel Sixth Nik from Saga Press will publish on June 23. His Atria novel Angel Down was the 2026 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction winner, a New York Times Top 10 Book of 2025, and a national bestseller. His novel Whalefall received a front-cover review in the New York Times Book Review, won the Alex Award, was an L.A. Times Book Prize Finalist, and was a Best Book of 2023 from NPR, the New York Times, Amazon, Chicago Tribune, and more. Kraus’s work has been translated into over 25 languages. He lives with his partner in Chicago. Visit him at danielkraus.com. 

Loan Le acquired World rights including audio from Richard Abate of 3 Arts Entertainment. 

About Atria Books: Atria Books is an imprint of Simon and Schuster. For more information, visit our website at https://www.simonandschusterpublishing.com/atria
 
About Simon & Schuster: Simon & Schuster is a global leader in general interest publishing, dedicated to providing the best in fiction and nonfiction for readers of all ages, and in all printed, digital, and audio formats. Its distinguished roster of authors includes many of the world’s most popular and widely recognized writers, and winners of the most prestigious literary honors and awards. It is home to numerous well-known imprints and divisions such as Simon & Schuster, Scribner, Atria Books, Gallery Books, Avid Reader Press, Pocket Books, Adams Media, Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing and Simon & Schuster Audio and international companies in Australia, Canada, India, and the United Kingdom, and proudly brings the works of its authors to readers in more than 200 countries and territories. For more information visit our website at www.simonandschuster.com 

CONTACT:

Lisa Sciambra
VP, Director of Publicity, Atria Books/Simon & Schuster
[email protected]