Winners have been announced for the James Tait Black Awards, sponsored by the University of Edinburgh and the longest-running book prizes in the U.K. In fiction, the winner is On the Greenwich Line by Shady Lewis, translated by Katharine Halls (Peirene Press). The biography winner is The First and Last King of Haiti: The Rise and Fall of Henry Christophe by Marlene L. Daut (Knopf). Each winner receives £10,000 (about $13,450).
Organizers said that On the Greenwich Line "follows an Egyptian-born housing officer navigating the lives of migrants and refugees in East London. A sharp study of displacement, bureaucracy and belonging, the novel has been praised for its dark humour, compassionate storytelling and vivid portrayal of contemporary urban life, establishing its author as a distinctive new voice in contemporary fiction."
The First and Last King of Haiti "tells the extraordinary story of a formerly enslaved man who rose to become the only king in Haiti's history. Exploring Henry Christophe's role in securing Haitian independence and his vision to build a powerful Black nation in the aftermath of colonial rule, Daut re-examines Christophe's complex legacy while placing Haiti and its revolution at the centre of global history."