William Saroyan's works were cheerful, humorous, original, and somewhat autobiographical. His plays and short stories portrayed characters whose courage overcame everyday agonies. He encouraged the downhearted people of the Great Depression and lifted their demoralized spirits. Short Story magazine published a collection of Saroyan's works under the title The Daring Young Man on the Flying Trapeze. He won the Pulitzer Prize for the play The Time of Your Life, but refused to accept the award because he did not believe commercialism should reward the arts.