Join English PEN and the Bodleian Libraries, for the announcement of the winner of the 2023 PEN Hessell-Tiltman Prize.  

The annual prize is awarded to a book of high literary merit – that is, not primarily written for the academic market – that covers any historical period.

Richard Ovenden, Bodley’s Librarian, will address the audience at the Bodleian’s Weston Library, before the seven shortlisted authors read from their nominated books and appear in conversation with the judges. The evening will end with the announcement of the 2023 prize winner, followed by a drinks reception and an opportunity to buy all of the shortlisted titles. 

This year’s shortlist is: 

Abolition Revolution by Aviah Sarah Day and Shanice Octavia McBean (Pluto Press) 

Accidental Gods: On Race, Empire and Men Unwittingly Turned Divine by Anna Della Subin (Granta) 

A New Formation: How Black Footballers Shaped the Modern Game by Calum Jacobs (Merky Books) 

The Last Colony: A Tale of Exile, Justice and Britain’s Colonial Legacy by Philippe Sands (Weidenfeld and Nicolson) 

On Bloody Sunday: A New History Of The Day And Its Aftermath By Those Who Were There by Julieann Campbell (Monoray) 

Uncommon Wealth: Britain and the Aftermath of Empire by Kojo Koram (John Murray Press) 

This year’s judging panel for the PEN Hessell-Tiltman Prize 2023 is chaired by author and academic Dan Hicks. He is joined by environmental humanities scholar and art historian Sria Chatterjee, and artistic director of the Migration Museum Aditi Anand. 

Marjorie Hessell-Tiltman was a member of PEN during the 1960s and 1970s. On her death in 1999 she bequeathed £100,000 to the PEN Literary Foundation to found a prize in her name.