English PEN announces the six shortlisted titles for the PEN Hessell-Tiltman Prize 2024
The prize, endowed by former PEN member Marjorie Hessell-Tiltman’s bequest, celebrates the best non-fiction on any historical subject.
The 2024 shortlist is:
On Savage Shores: How Indigenous Americans Discovered Europe by Caroline Dodds Pennock (W&N)
Backbone of the Nation: Mining Communities and the Great Strike of 1984–85 by Robert Gildea (Yale University Press)
Beyond the Wall: East Germany 1949–1990 by Katja Hoyer (Allen Lane)
Sea of Troubles: The European Conquest of the Islamic Mediterranean and the Origins of the First World War by Ian Rutledge (Saqi Books)
Three Worlds: Memoirs of an Arab-Jew by Avi Shlaim (Oneworld)
The Black Angels: The Untold Story of the Nurses Who Helped Cure Tuberculosis by Maria Smilios (Virago)
This year’s judging panel for the PEN Hessell-Tiltman Prize is chaired by writer and editor Sharmilla Beezmohun. She is joined by Professor Clare Anderson and Dr Venetia Porter.
The winner will be announced on 27 November 2024 at a ceremony held at the October Gallery in London. The event will feature reflections on the six shortlisted titles, followed by the announcement of the prize winner and a drinks reception. There will be an opportunity to buy copies of all the shortlisted books. Tickets are free and available to book here.
Zoe Sadler, Events and Prizes Manager at English PEN said: “This year’s shortlist is compelling, impressive and expansive , highlighting the power and vitality of historical writing and the important diversity of subjects and perspectives that it can uncover. We’re grateful to all the authors highlighted for their curiosity, rigorous research and illuminating writing.”
The judging panel said:
On Savage Shores: How Indigenous Americans Discovered Europe: “The judges were unanimous in their appreciation of a book which focuses on the global journeys of Indigenous Americans to unsettle familiar narratives of the ‘voyages of discovery’. The narrative unfolds through a series of remarkable stories and vividly brings this history to life.”
Backbone of the Nation: Mining Communities and the Great Strike of 1984–85: “This wonderful book puts lives and experiences at the forefront of the history of the miners’ strike of 1984–85. A truly national and inclusive story, and a model of the power of oral history, it embraces the complexities of this crucial period in labour history.”
Beyond the Wall: East Germany 1949–1990: “Beyond the Wall is a vivid and well-rounded account of a country forged in the boiling crucible of twentieth-century politics from its birth to its demise. This compelling history of East Germany reveals the complex, contradictory nature of all nations and the fallibility of the individuals who try to build them.”
Sea of Troubles: The European Conquest of the Islamic Mediterranean and the Origins of First World War: “This provides an authoritative but highly readable account of the way in which the forces of the European states took control of the Mediterranean. Over some 200 years, military engagements on land and sea led to the dismantling and the final defeat of the Ottoman Empire in 1918. The legacies of these events remain with us still.”
Three Worlds: Memoirs of an Arab-Jew: “This poignant and important book interweaves the author’s own history with that of the final decades of the Jewish community in Iraq. It provides a telling perspective on the violent and often bewildering politics of identity associated with the foundation of the state of Israel. An essential book for our times.”
The Black Angels: The Untold Story of the Nurses Who Helped Cure Tuberculosis: “A tour de force which starts to redress the huge gender and race gap in the history of medicine, putting black women front and centre. The author celebrates the formidable nurses who faced discrimination in every aspect of their own lives yet contributed to one of the world’s greatest medical breakthroughs.”
The judges also singled out two books for special commendations: the accessible and entertaining Mother Tongue: The Surprising History of Women’s Words by Jenni Nuttall (Virago), with many interesting nuggets about the origin of words; and the hugely readable Pieces of Us: The Rise, Decline and Future of a Welsh Neighbourhood by Rob Sheffield (Cambria Books), which shows how the history of a particular place – this time a Cardiff neighbourhood – can connect and touch us all.