The Historical Writers’ Association announces the longlist for its 2017 Gold, Debut and Non-Fiction Crowns
It has been an exciting year in the wonderfully diverse world of historical publishing, and The Historical Writers’ Association (HWA) are delighted to announce the books that have been longlisted for their 2017 Gold, Debut and Non-Fiction Crowns.
“I’m absolutely thrilled with the longlists for this year’s Crown Awards,” says HWA chair Imogen Robertson. “Brilliant story-telling from accomplished authors, fresh and exciting voices, original researches and fascinating perspectives on histories familiar and strange. It is clear that writers of all kinds are discovering rich and varied inspiration in the past, re-inventing, re-creating and re-examining it for contemporary readers. It’s a pleasure and a privilege to celebrate all of these authors and their work.”
The HWA Endeavour Ink Gold Crown 2017 Longlist:
Days without End – Sebastian Barry
The Devil’s Feast – MJ Carter
Wings of the Storm – Giles Kristian
The North Water – Ian McGuire
Augustown – Kei Miller
Under a Pole Star – Steff Penney
The Essex Serpent – Sarah Perry
Dangerous Crossing – Rachel Rhys
The Constant Soldier – William Ryan
Ashes of London – Andrew Taylor
Kingdom of Twilight – Steven Uhly, translated by Jamie Bulloch
Sons of the Blood – Robyn Young
Antonia Senior, Chair for the HWA Gold Crown, says “We are hugely excited by this longlist, which shows the incredible breadth of talent in historical fiction today. There are detectives and Vikings, soldiers and chefs, Reverends and whalers; a huge range of utterly memorable characters living in extraordinary times. The longlist is a historical smorgasbord of reading experiences; from the cosy to the gory, the poetic to the downright sexy. The judges felt honoured to have gorged on such delights.”
The HWA Debut Crown 2017 Longlist:
The Bear and the Nightingale – Katherine Arden
The Strays – Emily Bitto
Larchfield – Polly Clark
Mussolini’s Island – Sarah Day
The Midnight Watch – David Dyer
Clinch – Martin Holmén
The Translation of Love – Lynne Kutsukake
The Unseeing – Anna Mazzola
A Rising Man – Abir Mukerjee
The Solitary Woman of Shakespeare – James Terry
Girl Waits with Gun – Amy Stewart
The Witchfinder’s Sister – Beth Underdown
“Historical fiction presents some of the biggest challenges a writer can choose to grapple with, so it’s been a delight to discover so many new writers doing just that,” remarks Emma Darwin, Chair for the HWA Debut Crown. “This exciting longlist is full of new voices, new places, and new takes on famous events and classic themes.”
The HWA Non-Fiction Crown 2017 Longlist:
The House of the Dead: Siberian Exile Under the Tsars – Daniel Beer
The Novel of the Century: The Extraordinary Adventures of Les Misérables – David Bellos
Be Like the Fox: Machiavelli’s Lifelong Quest for Freedom – Erica Benner
This Orient Isle: Elizabethan England and the Islamic World – Jerry Brotton
Final Solution: The Fate of the Jews 1933-1949 – David Cesarani
The Bitter Taste of Victory: Life, Love and Art in the Ruins of the Reich – Lara Feigel
Meetings with Remarkable Manuscripts – Christopher de Hamel
Spain in Our Hearts: Americans in the Spanish Civil War, 1936-1939 – Adam Hochschild
The Last Royal Rebel: The Life and Death of James, Duke of Monmouth – Anna Keay
Britain’s War: Into Battle, 1937-1941 – Daniel Todman
Blood and Sand: Suez, Hungary and the Crisis that Shook the World – Alex von Tunzelmann
Guilty Thing: A Life of Thomas de Quincey – Frances Wilson
Clare Mulley, Chair for the HWA Non-Fiction Crown, says “I was delighted by the number of entries for this inaugural prize, and plunged into reading across centuries and genres. Despite a strong field, every book on this longlist really stood out not just for the quality of research and writing, but also for its vision.”
The shortlist will be announced on July 13th 2017, and the winners will be presented with their awards at an event in London in November. The HWA Gold Crown is sponsored by Endeavour Ink.
