A shortlist of six titles has been selected for the 2022 Wolfson History Prize, which honors historical writing. The winner will be announced June 22 and receive £50,000 (about $65,300), and each finalist will receive £5,000 ($6,530).
The chair of the judges David Cannadine commented: "This year's Wolfson History Prize shortlist once again showcases the diversity and vigour of history writing in the U.K. The judges were impressed by the variety, originality, and quality of research demonstrated by the six shortlisted books. As well as being engaging reads, they are all highly deserving of a place in the eminent roll call of authors celebrated by the prize over the past fifty years."
The shortlisted titles are:
The Ottomans: Khans, Caesars and Caliphs by Marc David Baer
The Ruin of All Witches: Life and Death in the New World by Malcolm Gaskill
Devil-Land: England Under Siege, 1588-1688 by Clare Jackson
Going to Church in Medieval England by Nicholas Orme
God: An Anatomy by Francesca Stavrakopoulou
Fallen Idols: Twelve Statues That Made History by Alex von Tunzelmann
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The shortlist has been released for the £10,000 (about $13,070) Royal Society of Literature Ondaatje Prize, which recognizes "an outstanding work of fiction, nonfiction or poetry that best evokes the spirit of a place." The winner will be announced on May 4. This year's shortlisted titles are:
The Manningtree Witches by A.K. Blakemore
Islands of Abandonment: Life in the Post-Human Landscape by Cal Flyn
Writing the Camp by Yousif M. Qasmiyeh
Empireland by Sathnam Sanghera
The Island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak
Free by Lea Ypi