Winner of a Pulitzer Prize in poetry, Franz Wright is noted for his verse that often tackles somber themes, including alcoholism, drug abuse, and mental illness, as well as themes of repentance, self discovery, and spirituality. In his 2001 title The Beforelife, Wright explores through poetry his descent into narcotic and alcohol addiction that eventually led to hospitalization in a psychiatric institution. Son of the Pulitzer Prize-winning poet James Wright, Franz also writes about the difficult, abusive relationship he had with his father. Ann Holub, reviewing the work for Hollins Critic, thought The Beforelife "makes no apologies for its gritty musings which leave the reader with an uneasy stomach by the last page. Instead, these powerful emotions, translated through poetry from author to reader, are the mark of an extremely accomplished craftsman." A Publishers Weekly reviewer offered a different opinion about Wright's verse, claiming they "depend almost completely on a pared-down, querulous, alternatingly grandiose and self-deflating depression-speak, which can be terrific when on, and much less impressive when even slightly off." Daniel Guillory, however, wrote in Library Journal, "this book will expand the audience for poetry by showing readers that, in spite of stunning obstacles, it is always 'possible to live.'" Holub concluded her review by suggesting that Wright's collection succeeds by addressing "our vulnerabilities and fear of how we all have the potential to fall, as well as our inner strength to step back from the brink of disaster."

In Walking to Martha's Vineyard, awarded a Pulitzer Prize in 2004, Wright continues his spiritual probings and revisits his prior troubles with substance abuse. In a Poetry article, Dan Chiasson described the poems in Walking to Martha's Vineyard as "bracingly intelligent, weirdly funny, and sharp as cut glass," while a Publishers Weekly critic thought Wright exhibited a "a wider range of formal tools" in his "terse and consistent" verse.

Interviewing Wright in U.S. Catholic, Maureen Abood asked the poet how his life had changed after winning such a prestigious honor. "In some ways," Wright noted, "it does make me more confident as a person. I can hold my head up in a way that I wasn't able to before. It's pretty clear that somebody takes me seriously." However, such an award also brings with it higher expectations, observed Wright. "My writing life is no different than before. In fact, it may be more difficult because now I wake up in the morning and think: I won the Pulitzer Prize. I must get up and write a great poem. But great poetry doesn't happen like that."

Critics observed a shift in Wright's poems in God's Silence, with a Publishers Weekly reviewer noting that the author writes "from a perspective much closer to faith than despair." Reviewing Wright's poems again about his checkered past, Library Journal contributor Michael Kriesel suggested that "the poet often succeeds in conveying the ineffable convincingly." Wright offers readers the unique talent of being able to convey "the world-worn wisdom of an elder" yet at the same time "evok[e] childlike awe," claimed Booklist critic Janet St. John, concluding her review by calling God's Silence "thought-provoking, original, and refreshingly inspired."

Before he was awarded a Pulitzer Prize, Wright once told CA: "I write (and have done so since writing first offered itself to me at age fifteen or so) primarily for personal pleasure. In fact, I cannot recall ever having been genuinely happy except during periods of time when I seemed to be writing well, for illumination and self-transformation. This is not to say I have no ambition. Occasionally (actually rather often over the years) I publish my work. I doubt if anyone notices at all, which is perfectly all right with me."