Francesca Stavrakopoulou won the £2,000 (about $2,455) PEN Hessell-Tiltman Prize, endowed by former PEN member Marjorie Hessell-Tiltman's bequest to celebrate the best nonfiction on any historical subject, for God: An Anatomy (published in the U.S. by Knopf). The judges said: "Exploring God from head to toe, God: An Anatomy is a revelatory and brilliant examination of the emergence of monotheism written with real verve and vitality."
Olivette Otele, chair of the judging panel, commented: "The breadth and depth of God: An Anatomy simply amazed us. This outstanding book challenges and enhances our perception of a deity, the Bible and even the representation of masculinity."
This year, judges also gave an honorable mention to Raphael Cormack for his book, Midnight in Cairo: The Female Stars of Egypt's Roaring '20s (published here by Norton), which the panel called "a beautiful gem that deserves a special honor. It sheds an important light on the role of entertainers and women in particular advancing rights in Cairo in the earliest part of the 20th century."
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The longlist has been selected for the $35,000 Aspen Words Literary Prize, sponsored by the Aspen Words program of the Aspen Institute and honoring "a work of fiction that illuminates a vital contemporary issue." The 14 longlisted titles, which can be seen here, include seven fiction debuts and five short story collections. Finalists will be announced March 6 and the winner April 19.