Caleb Azumah Nelson, Annabel Sowemimo, and Diana Evans were named finalists of the Orwell Prize for Political Writing 2023 on May 11, 2023.
The Orwell Prizes, named in honour of English novelist, essayist, journalist, and critic George Orwell, are the UK’s most prestigious prizes for political writing. The Orwell Foundation annually awards prizes for work that comes closest to George Orwell’s ambition ‘to make political writing into an art’. Starting in 1994, winners of the Orwell Prize were recognised in the categories of political writing and journalism.
In 2018, The Orwell Prize for Political Fiction was launched and awarded in June 2019. Novuyo Rosa Tshuma and Diana Evans made the shortlist in that first year while Colson Whitehead won it in 2020.
The finalists for 2023 were announced on May 11 and the writers of African descent in the running for the award are;
Political Writing Book Prize
Judges: Martha Lane Fox (chair), businesswoman, philanthropist, and public servant; Alice Bell, head of Climate and Health Policy at the Wellcome Trust; Kojo Koram, writer and senior lecturer in Law at Birkbeck; Cristina Odone, journalist, editor, and writer; and Sukhdev Sandhu, writer, reviewer and director at Colloquium for Unpopular Culture at New York University.
Finalist
- Divided: Racism, Medicine and Why We Need to Decolonise Healthcare by Annabel Sowemimo (Wellcome Collection)
Martha Lane Fox, chair of judges for The Orwell Prize for Political Writing 2023, said, “In Nineteen-Eighty-Four, Winston Smith observes that “the best books… are those that tell you what you know already”. I respectfully disagree. I defy anyone not to learn something new from the shortlisted books this year. The range and depth of the subjects reveal what strange and complex times we live in, while the clarity of the storytelling helps us understand so much more about some of the challenges we face, from geopolitics and the overcoming of historical inequalities, to the future of health and care. These books will move you, inform you and help you to make sense of what’s going on around you.”
Political Fiction Book Prize
Judges: John Gray (chair), writer and philosopher; Alison Flood, comment and culture editor at the New Scientist; Julia Jordan, Associate Professor of 20th Century English Literature at University College London; and Tomiwa Owolade, reviewer and contributing writer at the New Statesman.
Finalists
- Small Worlds, Caleb Azumah Nelson (Viking)
- A House for Alice, Diana Evans (Chatto and Windus)
Boyd Tonkin, chair of judges for The Orwell Prize for Political Fiction 2023, said, “This is a list of finalists packed with vital, urgent stories delivered by hugely gifted storytellers. The eight novels we have chosen encompass the political life of people in society on many levels, and from many angles. From quests for sexual and emotional freedom, and the struggle for true fulfilment against daily prejudice and injustice, to the abuse of corporate power and the fate of the embattled Earth itself, their authors confront the deepest fears and hopes that drive individuals and communities today. They do so, just as George Orwell would have wished, not by preaching, lecturing or veiled propaganda but in engrossing narratives full of wonder, surprise, delight, tragedy and comedy. We hope that you read, and enjoy, all of them.”
Reactions
Diana Evans. “Very happy to see A House for Alice shortlisted for @TheOrwellPrize for Political Fiction, following in the footsteps of Ordinary People. Again means a lot to me. Thank you, judges and congrats to my fellow nominated writers #OrwellPrize”
Caleb Azumah Nelson, “An absolute joy to be shortlisted for @TheOrwellPrize for Political Fiction! Best pub day present! Congrats to all!”
Annabel Sowemimo, “This is a massive pinch me moment and I can’t really believe it. Publishing industry take note BW can do all of the things – we have range. 🥳”
The winners of the Orwell Prizes 2023 will be revealed at a ceremony in London on June 22, 2023.
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