Gifford

Canadian-American writer John Vaillant has won this year’s £50,000 Baillie Gifford prize for his book Fire Weather: A True Story from a Hotter World, which judges said was both “exceptional” and “terrifying”.Fire Weather by John Vaillant. Photograph: Hodder & StoughtonVaillant’s book tells the story of the wildfires that struck Fort McMurray in Alberta, Canada in 2016, while taking in the connected histories of the oil industry and climate science. It is the first book on the topic of the climate emergency to win the…

Kathie Lee Gifford feels ‘the most blessed of women’ to be a grandmum(Photo Credit: Bang Showbiz) Kathie Lee Gifford says she is “the most blessed of women” to be a grandmother. The former ‘Today’ show co-host, 69, shared the message in a caption alongside the first photo of herself and newborn grandson Finn, which she posted on Instagram on Sunday (02.07.23), two days after her daughter, Cassidy Gifford, announced the infant’s arrival. Kathie Lee Gifford, seen in the snap sitting and cradling the baby, said: “What a…

Serendipity dictated that the American writer and academic James Shapiro received the Baillie Gifford prize for nonfiction’s Winner of Winners award, given to celebrate its 25th year, at a ceremony in Edinburgh. In his teens and early 20s, Shapiro tells me as we talk over Zoom the morning after his victory, he would often hitchhike from London to the Edinburgh festival as part of his immersion in the plays of Shakespeare. This period in his life sowed the ground for his acclaimed book, 1599: A Year in the Life of William…

A book about a pivotal year in William Shakespeare’s life has been named the Baillie Gifford Winner of Winners in a special announcement to mark the 25th anniversary of the prestigious nonfiction prize.James Shapiro’s 1599: A Year in the Life of William Shakespeare originally won the award in 2006, when it was known as the Samuel Johnson prize. He has been honoured again at a ceremony at the National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh, and will receive £25,000. The chair of judges, the New Statesman’s editor-in-chief Jason…

Six books of “high ambition, formal innovation and thrilling originality” make up the shortlist for the Baillie Gifford prize for non-fiction’s winner of winners award.The £25,000 prize marks the 25th anniversary of the prize, with the judges choosing their shortlist from the previous 24 years of the prize. The shortlist spans history, narrative-driven reportage, investigative journalism, and literary and cultural biography.Although there is just one British author – Craig Brown – on the shortlist, three of the books deal…

When Katherine Rundell was growing up in Zimbabwe, her parents pinned a John Donne poem by the bathroom sink for their four children to read while they were brushing their teeth. “I do mean Go and Catch a Falling Star rather than To His Mistress Going to Bed,” laughs Rundell, seated in a London hotel. “It was age appropriate.” So began a love affair with Donne that took off in her late teens and led to her studying his poetry for a PhD – and now winning the Baillie Gifford prize for Super-Infinite, her biography of the…

Katherine Rundell has won the £50,000 Baillie Gifford prize for non-fiction for her book about the poet John Donne, described by the judges as a “‘glorious celebration” of his work and life.Rundell, who is best known for her children’s books, has said Super-Infinite: The Transformations of John Donne took her 10 years and three drafts to write. It showcases the myriad lives of Donne, who, as well as being a renowned poet was a scholar of law, a sea adventurer, an MP, a priest, and the dean of St Paul’s Cathedral during…

Five of the six books on this year’s shortlist for the Baillie Gifford prize for nonfiction are by women. Caroline Elkins’ Legacy of Violence: A History of the British Empire; Sally Hayden’s My Fourth Time, We Drowned; Anna Keay’s The Restless Republic: Britain Without a Crown; Polly Morland’s A Fortunate Woman: A Country Doctor’s Story, and Katherine Rundell’s Super-Infinite: The Transformations of John Donne take up all but one of the places.Quick GuideThe Baillie Gifford prize 2022 shortlistShowLegacy of Violence by…

Books about the history of the British empire and the abolition of the monarchy have been longlisted for the Baillie Gifford prize for nonfiction.The announcement of the longlist for the £50,000 prize was originally due to take place on 13 September, but was delayed due to the death of Queen Elizabeth II.Among the 12 books on this year’s longlist are Legacy of Violence: A History of the British Empire by Caroline Elkins, which examines the empire’s use of violence in the 20th century. It was described by Tim Adams in the…