News

The HWA are delighted to announce the winners of their 2017 Crowns.

 

Kate Williams, historian, novelist, and broadcaster, was the host for the evening which was held at the Crypt on the Green, Clerkenwell, London.

 

Over 100 publishers, agents, authors and fans were in attendance to see the winners take home the coveted prize.

 

The HWA Debut Crown was won by Beth Underdown for The Witchfinder’s Sister published by Viking Books.

 

The judging panel, chaired by author Emma Darwin commented:

 

“In The Witchfinder’s Sister, Beth Underdown has imagined her way into a society’s collective madness, and recreated it in a terrifying and utterly convincing story.”

 

Next was the announcement for the HWA Non Fiction Crown which was won by Jerry Brotton for This Orient Isle: Elizabethan England and the Islamic World published by Allen Lane Books.

 

The judging panel was chaired by author Clare Mulley who said:

 

“Jerry Brotton’s exceptional book, This Orient Isle, is the winner of the Historical Writers Association Non-Fiction Crown 2017. In revealing the extent and nature of Elizabethan England’s relationship with the Islamic world, This Orient Isle restores a forgotten narrative to our history in a way that resonates powerfully today. This is original, intelligent and compelling history with huge impact.”

 

Finally the winner of the 2017 HWA Endeavour Ink Gold Crown was announced as

Ian McGuire for the North Water published by Simon and Schuster.

 

The judges, chaired by Toni Senior, said:

 

“The North Water is a tale of murder and despair on board a nineteenth century whaling ship, and it reeks of blubber and blood. As a feat of historical imagination it is extraordinary; as a novel it is stunning. Like the Arctic waters it describes, this book is violent and unsettling, yet unforgettably beautiful.”

 

Annie Whitehead was also congratulated for winning the HWA Dorothy Dunnett Short Story competition – sponsored by the Dorothy Dunnett Society – for her unpublished short story A Poppy Against the Sky. The two  Highly commended authors were Majella Cullinane for End of the Rope and Sarah Evans for Us girls.

 

Imogen Robertson, Chair of the HWA, said

 

“We are delighted with the success of this year’s awards celebrating the range and quality of historical writing in the UK including both established stars and up and coming authors. It’s been wonderful to discover these fantastic books and spread the word among fans of historical writing about the many and varied writers producing such excellent work. Many thanks to our sponsors and congratulations to the winners.”

The Historical Writers’ Association is pleased to announce the winner and two highly commended entries to the inaugural HWA Dorothy Dunnett Short Story Competition 2017.

Winning Entry

A Poppy Against the Sky – Annie Whitehead

Highly Commended

End of the Rope – Majella Cullinane

Us girls – Sarah Evans

Shortlisted

Guilty until Proven Innocent – Daphne Breen

Haint Blue – Helen Cairns

The Moresco – Bella D’Arcy Reed

Blind, blind – Allan Drew

Signor Pietro’s Pigeon – Elizabeth Hopkinson

White Feather Girl – Avril Joy

The Damson Orchard – Liz Kershaw

Steer the Dark Skies Blue – Niamh MacCabe

Finish the Course – Anna Mazzola

All I Have Done Is Survive – Richard Smyth

Imogen Robertson, chair of the Judging panel said:

“I was astonished and delighted by the range and quality of the stories we received. It was extremely difficult to pick our winners from such a strong field and I was deeply impressed by the fresh and engaging voices, superb writing and story-telling skills on display. I’m sure Dorothy Dunnett would have enjoyed them thoroughly and I am very pleased to see so many excellent writers at work on historical fiction.”

Pamela Gordon – Judge

“The response to the competition was splendid and the standard of entries very high. It has been a privilege and a pleasure to read the stories and take part in the selection of the worthy winners. The Dorothy Dunnett Society is happy that republication of her historical novels has created the occasion also to celebrate the work of contemporary writers of historical fiction.”

Norah Perkins – Judge

“It has been a great honour to read the stories entered for the inaugural Dorothy Dunnett Short Story Prize – and very hard to whittle them down to a shortlist, though we were unanimous in our choice of winner. It is a vibrant crop of stories, from around the world and from ancient times to recent history, and I’m sure Dorothy would have been delighted to see so many brilliant writers carrying on in her footsteps.”

The winning author and the two highly Commended authors have been invited to receive their awards at the HWA Award Ceremony on the 7th November 2017 in London. Hosted historian, novelist, and broadcaster Kate Williams this award ceremony will also see the announcement of the winners of the 2017 HWA Endeavour Ink Gold Crown, HWA Non-Fiction Crown, and the HWA Debut Crown.

 

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/hwa-crowns-award-ceremony-tickets-36149973544

 

 

 

The Historical Writers’ Association announces the shortlists for its 2017 Endeavour Ink Gold, Debut and Non-Fiction Crowns

The Historical Writers’ Association (HWA) are delighted to announce the books that have been shortlisted for their 2017 Gold, Debut and Non-Fiction Crowns.

We’re very proud of these shortlists and the outstanding quality of the books selected. These are all works which inspired the judges with their passion, conviction and superb story-telling. They take us around the world and across time and demonstrate once again the strength of the Historical Writing currently being published in the UK. Many congratulations to all those short-listed.

The HWA Endeavour Ink Gold Crown 2017 Shortlist:

Antonia Senior, Chair for the HWA Endeavour Ink Gold Crown, says “We are delighted with this shortlist. Each of our judges brought a passion for historical fiction in all its forms to the process. Our shortlisted writers, although very different in subject and style, all share a talent for making the past holler to the present. Reading any of these books is to be transported – to unpredictable and sometimes violent worlds that unsettle and challenge our modern sensibilities. There is wild and gripping reading here – true adventures in history.”

Giles Kristian – Wings of the Storm
Ian McGuire –The North Water
Kei Miller – Augustown
Sarah Perry – The Essex Serpent
Rachel Rhys – Dangerous Crossing
William Ryan –The Constant Soldier

Richard Foreman, co-founder of Endeavour Press, says “I’m sure I speak for others when I say that it was a difficult, but nevertheless enjoyable, experience turning the long list into a short list. The books were diverse, but of a high standard across the board.”

 

The HWA Debut Crown 2017 Shortlist:

Emily Bitto – The Strays
Sarah Day – Mussolini’s Island
Martin Holmén – Clinch
Abir Mukherjee – A Rising Man
James Terry – The Solitary Woman of Shakespeare
Beth Underdown – The Witchfinder’s Sister

Emma Darwin, Chair for the HWA Debut Crown Crown, says The shortlist for the HWA Debut Crown shows just how exciting the new voices are in historical fiction. From judicial murder in the Essex marshes, to Bohemia in 1930s Melbourne, here is a range of passion, historical imagination and sheer storytelling skill which bodes well not just for these hugely talented writers, but the future of the genre as a whole.

The HWA Non-Fiction Crown 2017 Shortlist:

Clare Mulley, Chair for the HWA Non-Fiction Crown, says ‘Each of these six exceptional books engages with the past in a way that resonates powerfully today. Whether they reveal important history that has been overlooked, or use a fresh and distinctive approach to bring new insights to better-known subjects, everyone has been rigorously researched, beautifully written and presents intelligent, original and compelling history.’

Daniel Beer- The House of the Dead: Siberian Exile Under the Tsars
David Bellos- The Novel of the Century: The Extraordinary Adventures of Les Misérables
Jerry Brotton- This Orient Isle: Elizabethan England and the Islamic World
Lara Feigel- The Bitter Taste of Victory: Life, Love and Art in the Ruins of the Reich
Alex von Tunzelmann- Blood and Sand: Suez, Hungary and the Crisis that Shook the World
Frances Wilson -Guilty Thing: A Life of Thomas de Quincey

The winners will be presented with their awards at an event in London on the 7^th November 2017 hosted by Historian, novelist and broadcaster Kate Williams.

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 13^th 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.

Deadline: 31st August 2018.

Entry Fee: £5

Prizes: £500, publication in the Whispering Gallery and on www.historiamag.com, mentoring session from author and agent, tickets to receive your award at the HWA Crowns Ceremony in London. 

Two Highly Commended entries will also receive mentoring and invitations to the award ceremony in London.

Can you transport a reader into the past? Can you tell a story which will grip the reader while immersing them in another time? Do you want the voices and the stories of the past to find a new audience in the modern world? More

First of a New Series of Events in West London

History by the River is new a monthly panel event with a social buzz for lovers of books, history and good beer. It’s a chance to get together with fellow readers and authors to hear about the best new historical writing, then discuss it all over a drink afterwards.

Be there at the beginning of something great.

NB: you can’t actually see Tower Bridge from the pub, but Hammersmith Bridge is pretty too.

16th May 2017