Established in 2003 in affectionate memory of Elizabeth Longford, the acclaimed biographer, and sponsored by Flora Fraser and Peter Soros, the prize is awarded annually for a historical biography published in the preceding year.
The six shortlisted writers and the titles of their novels are:
• Citizen Clem: A Biography of Attlee by John Bew (riverrun / Quercus)
• The Life of Louis XVI by John Hardman (Yale)
• A Stain in the Blood: The Remarkable Voyage of Sir Kenelm Digby by Joe Moshenska (William Heinemann / Penguin Random House)
• Martin Luther: Renegade and Prophet by Lyndal Roper (The Bodley Head / Penguin Random House)
• Karl Marx: Greatness and Illusion by Gareth Stedman Jones (Allen Lane / Penguin Random House)
• Kenneth Clark: Life, Art and Civilization by James Stourton (William Collins / HarperCollins)
The judges this year were Richard Davenport-Hines, Roy Foster (Chair), Antonia Fraser, Flora Fraser and Munro Price.
The winner will receive a cheque for £5,000 at the SoA’s annual Authors Awards on June 20.
More about the Prize
For full details on the Shortlist and the press release please click here.
Elizabeth Longford Historical Biography website.
Key dates
Winner announced – 20 June
